How To Say Anything To a Southerner

[Smart Red]

It's timmbar ya'll.
.

I stand corrected. Thank you, seed.

 

[seedcorn]

She may have been telling the truth, mostly. That is, she probably knew bits and pieces of English, but back then, Italian families tended to live in Italian communities where speaking English was not necessary.

I imagine, just like our Amish-understand/speak what they want. Otherwise Amish German/Dutch

 

[Nyboy]

True everyone on the block was from Italy.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have nothing to add to this conversation, as we here in Southeast Missouri all speak with perfect diction and pronunciation.

I'm on to ya So Lucky....my sweet BIL is from your neighborhood!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Well, there are STILL a few restos in Chinatown where you have to be able to speak and read Chinese to be able to order. Actually I take that back, a lot of people who DO speak Chinese can't either, since they speak the wrong kind (the lingua franca of Chinatown is still mostly Cantonese, but a lot of those places are run by, for, and require a fluency in Fuzhonese.) Though they can presumably read and point.

 

[so lucky]

You are correct. You have to leave home -- or have visitors around -- before you can be said to have an accent.

It becomes an "If a tree falls in the forest" type of thing. . . I imagine a tree in Missouri falling with the sound of "Tim-m-m-ber-r-r-r, ya'll!"

Actually, around here, it would be "Tim-berr-r-r-r Youns!"
20 miles south, it would be "Ya'll" and 100 miles north it would possibly be "Youse Guys"

 

[Carol Dee]

YUP, DH is a Youse Guys kind of guy! LOL

 

[Jared77]

Better than I the east coast where it's TIM-BAHHHHHH! Where they go boid! wachin

 

[Kassaundra]

The ones that get me are "warshing", wrastling, ain't got none, and tooken. (had to type those all 2 times b/c of spell check changing them)

I do say you'all when speaking to a group b/c while I know I am speaking to the whole group, there is no easier way to convey that to the whole group, and make clear I am not singling out one "you".

 

[Carol Dee]

Well @Kassaundra If you read above I was a Warsher kind of girl.