Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

[nrandolph]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

I live in the tip of the northern panhandle of West Virginia and grew up in the north central part of the state. One thing that I can depend on is the diversity of accents, even here in Hancock County.

I think I could come up with at least four variants of the general accent here in the county. In Upshur County, where I grew up, there were three variations that I can think of at the moment, but with less distinction between them as opposed to here.

Here in Hancock County, it runs the gamut from the Youngstown/Pittsburgh "Yinzer" accent to the hicky, Ohio Valley accent, on to a more "country WV/Ohio thing and then a mish-mash of all of the above. Then there's also a more northern "educated" type accent.

Always interesting to listen to folks speak around here!

Neil Randolph
1st WV

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

What about words like "crick" for creek or adding an "r" to wash so that you say "warsh"? I've lived in Iowa all of my life, and I've used these colloquialisms all of my life. What type of linguistic mode does that represent? I have no idea where I picked these modes up, they just are (and they drive my wife nuts sometimes.)

[redtemplar]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

Pom my word nonner he was caught pilferin and got seven yurs in th penatinchur.

Johnny Combs

[ConfederateMissionary]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

Didn't notice if anyone else already mentioned this:
Concerning the "y'all" versus "you'uns" There is a book called "A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech" where a certain feller (I've forgotten his name) mentions that y'all was more of a Texas phrase that I guess gradually migrated whereas you'uns was much more native to the secluded hill country of the Ozarks.
I find it very interesting that the Appalachian region has the same speech pattern in this respect.

[TheGilmerRifleman]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

This is only scratching the surface of Appalachian speech. I live in West Virginia and we got some doozies round here and down in the coalfield hollers.

[Phil McBride]

Re: Appalachian Speech: By Craig Hadley

I'm responding to a 15 year old post, I think, by Terrre Biederman, but I didn't know anybody anywhere but me remember Pomac bottle drinks--sodas, that is. Mama liked 'em, so I did too.