The Southern dialect of the English language is the largest accent group in the United States.
The range of Southern dialects collectively known as Southern American
English stretches across the states which seceded to form the
Confederate States of America.
There are two main rules to American Southern English, talk slow and emphasize. -Olivia Brodock
"A - prefix added to most everything to make it prudier (I'm
a-working, she's a-playing dolly, he's a-reading the paper)
afore- the real pronunciation of before
Bless yore heart! - A nice
expletive, expressing approval or encouragement.
Britches- n, Pert near anything worn over the legs: pants,
dungarees—trousers...
Chicken fried steak- n. A steak dipped in
batter like chicken then fried until crisp. Some cooks will then smother it in
gravy to hide the evidence.
Co-Cola - n. The most famous of the cold
dranks.
Doohickey -n. A
Southern thingamabob.
Dinner -n. The
meal et around the middle of the day.
Everbody- pro.
Not excluding anyone. (The pronouns "everyone", "someone", etc. with "one"
instead of "body" are avoided by real Southerners.)
Fetch v. Go,
get, and bring back. Another example of clever compacting in the Southern
dialects.
Fixin v. aux.
Getting ready to: "I'm fixin to leave."
Goober pea n.
Peanut
Hafta v. aux. Modal auxiliary indicating
obligation. (Must is a word not found in most Southern dialects).
Ida Claire int. The saint Southerners turn
to in moments of surprise: "Well, Ida Claire! If that don't beat all!
If'n conj. Variation
of "if". (Southerners love their new suffix, -n
, so much, they stick it everywhere. See
young'n and his-n
Are you a Southerner? Take this speech test
Yankee or Rebel
My results: 100% Southerner, is General Lee your Grandfather?
