Guide to travelling in the Southern States
 

I have recently returned from a road trip through the glorious southern states of our great nation and I am a little befuddled. While the scenery was splendid and the food was awesome I was lost when it came to the language they spoke. I am not refering to the seasonal farm hands from "south of the border". Rather, I was perplexed by the various dialects of English. What are some of your favorite southern idioms?

After ten years of living in Georgia when I was first married (a transplant from New England), I found myself saying "fixing to." As in, "I'm fixing to go to the store, y'all want something?"

I not only say, but I write and spell out the word y'all in correspondence.

Okey doke Simple John ifens use wantin to pick on us suthiners here go: (just joshin ya) - 1) I rekon you is fixin to be mad. 2) Cuz I sed so. 3) She's the spittin image of her maw. 4) I wuz awl tore up bout that. 5) She left an ar ago. 6) I got a good notion to build us afar. 7) Open that winder-willyee. 8) Eyes bealong dreckly. 9) Everhoo did that best speak up. 10) Whut clone you got on?

Wednesday, I do that myself! (ya'll). Simple John, I'm from Oklahoma and we always refer to talking with someone as visiting. As in "Aunt Bess and the kids came over for coffee and we visited for a while". I didn't realize not everyone said this until friends from "up North" and England would look at me perplexed and say "where did you go?" What were some of the dialects and idoms that perplexed you? Oh, and dln, I didn't learn "fixin' to" until I lived in Texas. Now I say it. I'm in south Louisiana now and the term "ride" is used alot as in "it's about an hour's ride" from here, or, "I need to ride my cousin out to the airport."

"Bless his/her heart" In the South, you can always say the nastiest things about someone as long as you follow it up with "Well bless his/her heart".

Having lived only a few years in the South, I picked up a bad habit of saying the exclamation "Dang" which I can't get rid of.

It's come up a bad cloud or it's come up a cloud.

Translation, a thunderstorm is imminent.

Shit far!

Translation, Holy Cow!

Y'all reckon any other idioms?

Smokybiy, I don't get # 8.

#8 means "I'll be along in a minute or two."

TOO FUNNY! I feel like I'm listening to my ex-husband's family talk! They're in the sticks of MS.

My favorite expression ever is "They were all over that like a duck on a june bug."

I'm carrin' her to soccer practice as opposed to "bringing her".
"Chile I'm gonnna whip your butt." to my 14 yo son (who has never been spanked in his life)when he is disobeying me or when I'm about to play him in tennis.
Its fixn on raining soon.

1)"I swar he wuz a goin a hunnert maul anar." 2) "Now That thars a bagel bar." 3) "Ahma gonna sit rat cheer." 4) " I put foe brant new tars on muh truck." 5)"Woncha skidaddle to da barn an git some aigs." 6)"My deddy damn nair drount winny fail asleep in the tub." 7)"Ima tard, Ima goin to bay-ud." 8) Ahbleeve eyeul wash it dowun wit uh co-cola. 9) "You yungins gitoutta my har in go play in thufrunchard." 10)" I do declare, she sure in purty." Much obliged.

Moe, moe! I need me sum moe of these here sayuns! I reckon I juz might be ready to be fixin to take me a 'nutter road trip to the South. Whichayall think 'bout dat?

Thankee dln for deecipherin number 8. Awful plight of ya.

When I was in residency in Little Rock, young women used to come in the ER all the time having a "fallin' out spell", ie fainting. My oldest son developed a very southern accent as he lived there from age 1 to 4--now he talks Oklahoman like everyone else (ha)--but when we go back to visit, he can relapse into his southern accent in about 30 minutes.
Also in residency, I once had a very poor pitiful patient from way back in the woods with cancer. My attending was very educated and from Hong Kong. He could not understand a word she said and she could not understand him, so I was the translator--even though they were both speaking English.

uma o-pen uh can uh whoopass on ya.

uma whip yaw butt.

yer bout to git an ass kickin'.

Translation; You are about to get in a fight.

I just got back a few weeks ago from a wekk in Southwest Louisiana and I was called "darlin", "hon" and "sweety" by women of all ages more often in that week than in the rest of my life. Could it be I've gotten more adorable in my old age?

Nah - it must be local usage.

dwoddon, regarding the endearments: Cajuns are VERY friendly. They love to talk. There's a cookbook sold here called "Who's your mama, are you Catholic, and can you make a roux?" That about sums it up.