Do ya'll talk funny?

[k0ua]

I have told this story before, but it seems appropriate to repeat it here.

I went to Home Depot to get some Rid-X for my septic tank. I couldn't find it, so I asked one of the clerks where the "Rid" for septic tanks was. She took me to a certain aisle, and then asked: "Is the color of it "rid", or is the name of it "rid"?

I laughed, said the name of it was "rid", R-I-D. Then I said, "Where you from, Alabama?" She laughed, and said "yeah". We both had a good laugh then.

Good One!

In my job I speak to people from all over the United States on any given day, perhaps the majority in the South, and I don't have much trouble with them, but sometimes also people from the eastern and north-eastern parts of the US.. it can get interesting at times.

James K0UA

 

[bigtiller]

I worked at the receiving dock of a very large warehouse for awhile. One day a truck backs up to the dock and the driver comes inside. He was a black guy from somewhere down south with a heavy accent mixed in with a large dose of ghetto/gangster lingo. He asked two of us the same question twice and my coworker and I looked at each other, shook our heads, raised our hands and said I have no idea what you are saying.

Then he pointed to the area just below his belt and then we figured out that he wanted to know where the restroom was.

 

[Ted Summey]

We have a term here "a case quarter" as in "Hey Bubba, do you have a case quarter? I want to buy a coke." Meaning a 25 cent piece not two dimes and a nickel.

 

[cqaigy2]

One was, 'just drive to the end of all road and turn left', wouldn't you know there aint no all road. It was where they stopped the oil or tar as in chip seal. Another was my Wife talking to an operator that was probably from south of the mason dixon, discussing, for some reason something about a tire, no not tar, tai aye are ee is coming out of my Wife's mouth. To which i raise my eyebrowses meaning what the heck are you talking about to that operator??

And yes, i do have a problem understanding my cousins from NC!

 

[deepNdirt]

What do Y'all call the rear lid that opens of your cars? I call them the ( Trunk ) but most everyone else here calls it the ( Boot ) Boots are what I wear on my feet, I call what I park my cars in a ( Garage ) many call it their (Car-Port) another one is the top of a house I call the ( Roof ) I hear it often called ( Ruff ), I call the siding on my house ( Lap siding ) I've heard it call ( Clapboard siding ) Clapboard is what Milk does when it spoils,
Growing up working in the House construction industry 35 years, I've heard things of a house named many different terminologies but is suppose to be the same thing, it's almost like having to be a foreign language interpreter to know what it is some people are talking about ,

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I recall when I was a kid, that it was a big thing to know and tell everyone what your favorite food was. I recall mine was "BBQ ribs, Roasneers and orangeade". Of course I had never drank any orangeade, but I knew I liked it because lemonade was so good. BBQ ribs are self explanatory, but "Roasneers" was my rendition of "Roasting ears", which is what they called fresh corn on the cob. Even the adults rendition came out something like roastn' ears, at least that's what I heard. I never hear that term any more, and haven't for probably 50 years or so. Don't know the origin, but think maybe it was to distinguish it from field corn. Field corn makes good roasting ears, or so I'm told, but you have such a short window before it gets too tough and hard to eat.

 

[Bird]

"Roasneers" was my rendition of "Roasting ears", which is what they called fresh corn on the cob. Even the adults rendition came out something like roastn' ears, at least that's what I heard. I never hear that term any more, and haven't for probably 50 years or so. Don't know the origin, but think maybe it was to distinguish it from field corn.

I don't know if it's just because we're both originally from Oklahoma, but yep, that's what we called corn on the cob, and still do.

Field corn makes good roasting ears, or so I'm told, but you have such a short window before it gets too tough and hard to eat.

Yep, not just been told, but personal experience. Both are right. It's very good, but a relatively short window for it to be so.

 

[dragoneggs]

I remember as a kid going back to my grandparents farm for the first time (and first time riding a tractor) and was told to go wash up for dinner... I looked at my grandma and thought she was crazy and said, "really... do I have to, I am just going to get dirty again" thinking I had at least 5 more hours jumping off the hay loft in the barn.

 

[dragoneggs]

Okay the map that really cracked me up was... "what do you call it when the rain falls when the sun is shining?" Answer in Mississippi/Alabama = "the devil is beating his wife"... REALLY???

 

[two_bit_score]

Grew up with "The Sumbitch lit afar when ooool was throwed on".

:laughing::laughing:

 

[two_bit_score]

We have a term here "a case quarter" as in "Hey Bubba, do you have a case quarter? I want to buy a coke." Meaning a 25 cent piece not two dimes and a nickel.

You mean a "solid" quarter?

 

[farmgirl19]

2Lane; I grew up eating field corn. I still think it has more flavor than sweet corn. But we always called them "roastn ears". I still find myself calling them that, and others having no clue to what I am referring.

And when it comes time to harvest corn, have the water boiling when you go out to pick. Corn, of any variety, begins to lose it's flavor, the minute you pick it. So, want to get it cooking or frozen, ASAP!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

2Lane; I grew up eating field corn. I still think it has more flavor than sweet corn. But we always called them "roastn ears". I still find myself calling them that, and others having no clue to what I am referring.

And when it comes time to harvest corn, have the water boiling when you go out to pick. Corn, of any variety, begins to lose it's flavor, the minute you pick it. So, want to get it cooking or frozen, ASAP!

You are exactly right. The story goes like this: once you pick an ear of corn, it triggers an enzyme that turns the sugar in the corn to starch; thus the quicker you get it into the boiling water (to either blanch or cook) the quicker the enzyme is killed by the heat and the sweeter it tastes. We always go to the farm and get our corn right out of the field (early in the morning!), clean it, blanch it and freeze it the same day. That way it is just as good and sweet on New Year's day as it was on the 4th of July.

P.S. I'm glad to find out that there are some more folks out there who called them roastn' ears; I simply don't hear the term any more...the older generation of my family are all gone now, and I miss them a bunch...my Granddad used to say "haint" instead of "ain't"; he would say "fit" instead of "fought", and I miss hearing some of his big BS stories.

 

[dragoneggs]

Not sure how this thread turned from talking funny to cooking fresh but here in the the great Northwest we say put them in screaming. Normally we are talking about boiling live crab but it also applies to corn. That said, I haven't 'eared' corn scream before but I have heard a 'Dungy' whistle.

 

[k0ua]

We ate a lot of roast'n ears up here in southwest Missouri too, as a kid, but most folk's around here now just say corn on the cob. If wonder if it is a generational thing.

James K0UA

 

[farmgirl19]

Not sure how this thread turned from talking funny to cooking fresh but here in the the great Northwest we say put them in screaming. Normally we are talking about boiling live crab but it also applies to corn. That said, I haven't 'eared' corn scream before but I have heard a 'Dungy' whistle.

We put stuff in screaming too, from crabs to crawfish! Don't know that I've ever heard one really make noise before though.

 

[/pine]

2Lane; I grew up eating field corn. I still think it has more flavor than sweet corn. But we always called them "roastn ears". I still find myself calling them that, and others having no clue to what I am referring.

And when it comes time to harvest corn, have the water boiling when you go out to pick. Corn, of any variety, begins to lose it's flavor, the minute you pick it. So, want to get it cooking or frozen, ASAP!

Field corn is very good (if picked early) especially roasted...!...by early I mean a day or so after the exposed silk starts to turn color...the locals here say any corn should be picked in the AM before the dew has time to dry on it...

As for "talking funny"...around here the hominy based food stuff that is normally served with eggs at breakfast (and often with fried fish) is pronounced "grey-its"

 

[forgeblast]

In the area where I grew up it was all considered Da Valley, and you could go Up the Line or Down the Line. There is a whole book written on how we speak. The Anthracite idiom; or Sundays we are closed go around the back; revised edition by Klopfer, Tom: Castle Publications, Scranton Signed by Author(s) - Bolerium Books Inc.
The book is called "The Anthracite Idiom, Or Sundays we are closed go around the back" (it refers to the blue laws when bars were closed on Sundays, but if you knew the owner all you had to to was go around back.
I had never though we spoke that different until I lived in Raleigh for a few years and realized what I was calling something was not the same as what someone else did.

 

[deepNdirt]

I think the worst thing ever to happen to our southern language was when Jeff foxworthy and Larry (the cable guy) came along, in the 80's We were just about to overturn the southern hick accent when suddenly these two characters came along, Not only did they make mockery of the way some of us southerners talk they decided to kick it up a notch by adding their own twist & twang to it, Little did they know our young Red-necks were to idol them, and the trend started, However it wasn't just a passing trend, it continues on today,

I can remember when my son was in his teens, was an animated program called Bevus & Butthead on TV, My son seemingly was inspired by these characters and he and his friend would go around talking like them, ( actually was a good take off of them ) But it drove me crazy with all that huh! huh! huh! and Bungholio something-another,

It was a relief when my son grew up and his friend parted and became distended, However they do still get together from time to time even as adults they still talk like Bevus and Butthead, only now I can find it a bit humorous . I think these characters will always have a lasting effect on the both of them,
So even though language is inherited from everyone parts of their region, I think some of us are mostly effected by what we hear and watch on TV,
We may innocently start out only mocking what we hear but then it ultimately becomes a way of languages,

 

[2LaneCruzer]

That is so true. I saw it with my wife's nephews, who watched old reruns of the Three Stooges on TV. We were afraid they were going to really hurt each other trying to imitate all their stunts. I am also reminded of an incident with my young grandson...I bought him a tape of Peter Rabbit. It was narrated of course in English, but I didn't realize that it was a British production, and with a veddy veddy British accent. He happened to be watching it when the wife and I went over to visit one afternoon; I saw Peter Rabbit come on to the screen, and I asked: "Who is that guy?"...and in a very British accent, he said very loudly: "Pee-tah"!