Southernisms

[duriyah]

I had a Southern moment the other day. I was picking up a few grocery items for a friend who wasn't feeling well. One of the items on the list she gave me was "Coke". I asked her if by "Coke" she meant that she actually wanted a Coke, or if she wanted a different carbonated beverage. Because, you see, where I grew up (South Carolina), "coke" is

Comments

[caitilin]

My theory on Y'all. I personally love and abuse this non-word.

Y'all - can be used singular or plural
All Y'all - plural and addressing a group
Y'alls - singlular or plural possessive. Ex: Jane, grab y'alls stuff and lets go!
All Y'alls - plural possessive and also usually addressing more than one. Ex: *yelling from the front porch* Jane! Dick! Grab all y'alls stuff and lets go!

I often times fluster people with this. I also find many people in the area around where I am who break up "another whole story" into "a whole nother story". I guess that is oppsosed to another half story. I don't know. It just seems to be something we do.

[duriyah]

I agree that y'all is a great word. However, I disagree with its use in the singular. I always use y'all as plural. I have, though, heard and I think used the "all y'all" when addressing a group. I think maybe a larger group, though. Or maybe more when I am trying to see if there is a consensus among the group, as in: "Do *all* y'all want to go to the movie?"

I agree with the use of y'all's as a possessive.

I do the whole 'nother thing, too. That's common in both Ohio and South Carolina.

I love this kind of stuff!

[pixiecrinkle]

I've never heard the devil saying, but I used the phrase "as the crow flies" the other day and no one had ever heard it before.

And I wouldn't say "ain't" isn't used in Ohio. I heard it all the time growing up, but that was a more rural area, so that might be why. I almost never hear it here in Columbus.

On the "permit" thing, I have always used it as follows:

PERmit for noun form, meaning the piece of paper that lets you have a parade or whatever

perMIT for the verb form meaning "the piece of paper permitted us to have a parade."

I love the Harvard study--it's fascinating!

Re: I love this kind of stuff!

[duriyah]

That's odd that no one knew the phrase "as the crow flies". The people I work with use it. Of course, they are engineers and geologists, who like maps and geography, so that might have something to do with it.

If figured if ain't was used anywhere in Ohio, it would be in a rural area. I was just thinking that I had never heard it, but I have lived only in cities (Columbus, Dayton) in Ohio.

You use the word permit the same way I do. Yay! Another one!