Friday, October 16, 2009

Howdy Y'all

I've been thinking about how people speak. Specifically, how Southerners speak; how we turn a one-syllable word into multiple syllables. You know - stretch it out reeeeaaaallll long. And then we add an extra syllable. Words like these, when you live in the South, have 2 syllables:
down: day-own
yeah: yea-ah
there: they-yer
now: nay -yow
boy: bow-wee
will: wee-il

When Molly wants Ian and she's playing around, she'll call him, and it sounds like this: "Haaaayyy Bow-eeeee!" (trust me, coming from a 3-year-old it's pretty adorable)

I think this is a Southern thing, not just a New Orleans thing. Although, now that people move around the country so much, I do wonder if it's everywhere now? Like, I think Y'all used to be southern but is pretty common now, isn't it? Maybe we all just have one American accent?

I told J I wanted to move to England so we could pick up sexy British accents but he told me we were too old. Really? You can be too old to pick up an accent? Does that mean I'm stuck with this one forever? 'Cause I was counting on picking up a Scottish accent after we retire!

5 comments:

Moira Rogers - Bree said...

No, accents are still alive and strong! I've lived down here in the south for about 7 years now, but I was born in Maine and spent a decade in Minnesota, and still have family in both. Lately they've been accusing me of getting a little southern drawl in my words, so maybe I'm not too old to learn new tricks! (Granted, my accent was already a mess from all the other places I lived. LOL)

Hannah said...

I love the accents on "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Very sexified!

Michelle Greathouse said...

Patti,

I know I have an accent. LOL When Hubby - then hopeful dater - called me on the phone for the first time he said I sounded like a female Bill Elliott. Now, that just does not seem to be very flattering and it is a good thing he waited several years after we were married before sharing this little tid bit with me. Good grief. LOL

For several years I worked for the State Patrol (on the phones) and I can't tell you the number of times people moving from the North to the South called for drivers license info and commented on my drawl. :) One man told me he called back just to hear me talk - that was a bit freaky.....

I didn't think I had much of an accent until I heard myself on my Grandmothers answer machine - I was floored.

As for picking up a Scottish accent - I vote for Gerard Butler.....his is very nice and he's not too hard on the eyes.

Have a wonderful weekend.

M

Anonymous said...

I think southerns still have a pretty pronounced accent . And just to throw it out there I think it's adorable.
After certain age it's hard to pick up languages and/or accents. But not impossible if you set your mind to it.
I'm one to pick up accents in a hour but maybe that's just me. =)

Oh and I'm back for a little while. Only while this proxy keeps on working but you know how it is.. =[

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Hey Patti!
I have gotten told that my accent comes out on my vowels, lol!!! Yall did catch on everywhere... lol!
I hope you had a great weekend!