Scribd
Upload
110 views4 pages

American South - Language

This document summarizes features of Southern American English dialects. It discusses lexical, grammatical and phonological differences compared to other American dialects, such as the pin-pen merger, use of "fixin' to" to indicate future actions, and use of pronouns like "y'all". It provides examples of distinct grammar patterns in Southern dialects, such as R-dropping, use of "done" as a past tense form of "do", and double modals. Expressions commonly used in Southern speech are also listed.

Uploaded by

Sung Hong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
110 views4 pages

American South - Language

This document summarizes features of Southern American English dialects. It discusses lexical, grammatical and phonological differences compared to other American dialects, such as the pin-pen merger, use of "fixin' to" to indicate future actions, and use of pronouns like "y'all". It provides examples of distinct grammar patterns in Southern dialects, such as R-dropping, use of "done" as a past tense form of "do", and double modals. Expressions commonly used in Southern speech are also listed.

Uploaded by

Sung Hong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Intensive English Speaking and Listening

Southern English

 dinner/supper  darling, honey, sugar  mama


 sir/madam  dang  "Bless your heart."

Sounds of the South [PBS]

Southern American 

 Southern American English (SAE)


 group of dialects, make up the largest accent group in the U.S.
 the most widely recognized regional dialect 
 most negatively evaluated
 the most “incorrect” variety of American English
 negative stereotyping and linguistic discrimination, just as with African American Vernacular English
(AAVE)
 AAVE has common traits due to history
 largely originated from immigrants from the British Isles (17th & 18th centuries), plus Ireland, Scotland
 In spite of interregional migration, universal education, and media, SAE continues to persist.

Some Features of Southern American English

 its lexical, grammatical, and phonological features


 but many of the lexical differences, which were rooted in an agrarian economy and a traditional society,
have begun to disappear.
 become obsolete as the artifacts to which they refer have disappeared

 Many of the distinctive grammatical and phonological features of SAE still persist, however.
 you-all and yall as distinctively Southern second person pronouns
 fixin to, as in "I'm fixin to eat breakfast," - “I'm fixin to eat breakfast” means that I intend to eat breakfast
in the next little while.
 “I might could leave work early today” is a grammatically acceptable sentence. It translates roughly as “I
might be able to leave work early,” but might could conveys a greater sense of tentativeness than might
be able does. 
 useta to precede a modal as well (e.g., “I useta could do that”).
 The most widely recognized phonological features of SAE are the merger of the vowels in words like pen
and pin or ten and tin (the vowel in both words has the sound of the second member of the pair) 
 the loss of the offglide of the /ai/ diphthong in words like hide (so that it sounds like hahd). 

Southern American English [Wikipedia] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_American_English

Phonology (pronounciation)

 pen/pin merger
 ride [ra:d], wide [wa:d]
o "nahs whaht rahs" (nice white rice)
 "southern drawl" - pat, pet, pit
 nouns stressed in first syllable
o police, cement, insurance, behind, display, hotel, TV, guitar, July, umbrella
Grammar

 R-dropping - you're merging with you


o You taller than Louise.
o They gonna leave today.
 a- ...-in'
o He was a-hootin' and a-hollerin'.
o The wind was a-howlin'.

 like to to mean nearly 


o I like to had a heart attack. (I likened to have had a heart attack)

 simple past infinitive vs present perfect infinitive.


o We were supposed to went. (We were supposed to have gone.)
 "yonder" as a locative
o They done gathered a mess of raspberries in them woods down yonder.
 contraction y'all as the second person plural pronoun
o How y'all doin'?
o I know all y'all.
o I've got y'all's assignments here.
 "n" is added to pronouns indicating "one"
o "his'n" (his one/his); "her'n" (her one/hers)
o "Yor'n" (your one/yours); "That book is yernses."
 past tense
o brung as past tense for bring, and drunk as past tense for drink
 done as an auxiliary verb conveying the past tense
o I done told you before.
 Use of done (instead of did) as the past simple form of do
o I only done what you done told me.
 knowed as past tense of know
o I knowed you for a fool soon as I seen you.
 was in place of were
o You was sittin' on that chair.
 been instead of have been in perfect constructions
o I been livin' here darn near my whole life.
 double modals (might could, might should, might would, used to could, etc.)
o I might could climb to the top.
o I used to could do that.

 me, him, etc. as reflexive datives


o I'm fixin' to paint me a picture.
o He's gonna catch him a big one.

 this here in place of this/this one, and that there in place of that/that one
o This here's mine and that there is yours.
 ever in place of every
o Ever'where's the same these days.
 "fixing to" to indicate immediate future action in place of intending to, preparing to, or about to
o He's fixin' to eat.
o They're fixing to go for a hike.

 substituting existential it for there [from Middle English]


o It's one lady that lives in town.
From "How To Speak Southern" by Steve Mitchell

"My brother bard my pickup truck." "Don't whip Billy for knockin' his little sister down. He
didn't go to do it."
"My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck, and I
aint herd from him in munts." "He'll be along dreckly."

"If my brother from Jawjuh doesn't change the all in "Everthang's all messed up."
my pickup truck, that things gonna catch far."
"That sure is a fahn-lookin' woman."
"If you don't stop reading these Southern words and
git back to work, your bahs is gonna far you!" "I'm fixin' to go to the store."

"A broken hot is hod to fix."  "You boys just git out there and play football. We
gone make mistakes, but they are, too."
"My granpaw retard at age 65."
"That boy ain't got a grain of sense."
"I just flew in from Hot-lanta, and boy my arms are
tarred." "Bill's got it made. He's got a gummut job."

"We Southerners are willing to fight for out rats." "Are you kin to him?" "Yeah, He's my brother."
Southerners have very friendly rats” [Elizabethan expression]

"I dream of Jeanie with the lot-brown hair." "This room's too doc (dark). We need more laht in
here."
"I cudnt unnerstand a wurd he sed ... must be from
some farn country." "Not all fishermen are lars. It's just that a lot of lars
fish."
"Juhere that former Dallas Cowboys' coach Jimmy
Johnson recently toured the University of Alabama?" "Ah got a mind to quit my job and just loaf for a
while."
"Ah've figgered out what's wrong with Congress.
Most of 'em are just plain ignert." "People from up Nawth sure do talk funny."

"Is Bubba smart?" "Nah ... haze ignert." "It don't make no nemmine to me."

"Kin I heavy dew me a favor?" "That's the ownliest one Ah've got left."

"They should've been here about an ahr ago." "Ah thank Ah'll go to a movie tonight."

"That's the awfullest lie you ever told me in your life." "His wife just left him, and he's all tore up about it."

"Shelly went to see her people on vacation." "Could Ah have another glass of that wahn?"

"You best not speak to Bob about his car. He just had "Open that wender, It's too hot in here."
to spend $300 on it."
"Y'all come back soon, y'heah?"
"A robin sure is a pretty bud."
"I like to pee my pants when that car hit me."
"What's that clone you got on, honey?"
"Ah want all you yung’ns in bed in five minutes."
"Cut off d'lights when you leaves d'room, Randy Mae.
"Zit already midnight, sugar? Tahm sure flies when
“Mash that button.” you're having fun."

“I have a hankering for fried okra.”


Expressions

 Dad burn it! : a polite rendition of "God damn it". 


 That dog won't hunt: This is not going to work.
 He's all hat and no cattle: About someone who's more talk than substance. 
 He couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag: He's incompetent. 
 Hold your potato: Be patient.
 Cut your own weeds: Mind your own business.
 In all my born days, I haven't seen such a thing: Not in my entire life. 
 You think I was born on crazy creek?: You think I'm stupid? 
 He chews his own tobacco: He's independent.
 That ain't fitting: That's not the way nice people behave.
 I gave him a piece of my mind: I let him have it.
 He could talk a cat out of a tree: He's persuasive.
 That's in my behind: It already happened.
 Bless yore heart! A nice expletive expressing approval, encouragement, or to soften a subtle jab

You might also like