My Lexicon

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 12:22 pm

Walden wrote:I'd also mention that, while the dialect on the movie of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" may have been a good try, it wasn't entarly ackret. I don't recall ever hearing someone from around here saying "evrathin," it would more likely be pernounced "everthang." However, they did hit the nail on the head with "cain't."

Another place they missed it was pronouncing Claremore "Clay-uh-moah". You would "nevuh heah" that pronunciation anywhere west of Little Rock. Sounds like Veronica on the Archies cartoon to me!

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 12:29 pm

WyoBadge mentioned "crick" for "creek" way back. My Dad, from Humboldt County, way North California, says that even though it seems like an Appalchian type of thing.

But during my genealogy days, I was corresponding with my cousin Rhonda in Barnegat, NJ, where her (and part of my) family has lived since 1690, when they moved there from Huntington, Long Island. I asked her if they had any peculiar accent. She couldn't think of much, except that they say "crick" too. In NEW JERSEY!?!?

If any of you ever read "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett Fischer, you will be surprised to find that terms "cracker", "hoosier" and "redneck" all come from north England/Borders region prior to Ulster Scots immigration period (1715-1780), and are not original to US. I wonder if crick is too.

Oh yeah and also, since I read a lot of CA Gold Rush history primary sources, I have come across the proto-"ain't", which is spelled "han't". Its not used in past tense, so its not "hadn't". The first line of "The Unhappy Miner" is "Oh, I Han't Got No Home, or Nothin' Else I 'Spose"

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 12:35 pm

Here's one: a wee fish, the crappie. Hereabouts it's pronounced as if it had a haircut, or "croppy", rather than as if it were an opinion of quality.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:11 pm

BrassBlower wrote:Another place they missed it was pronouncing Claremore "Clay-uh-moah". You would "nevuh heah" that pronunciation anywhere west of Little Rock.

No, but the old timers do say "Claymore" or "Clam-more."

Nanohedron wrote:Here's one: a wee fish, the crappie. Hereabouts it's pronounced as if it had a haircut, or "croppy", rather than as if it were an opinion of quality.

Pronounced croppy here, too.

Steven · Post by **Steven** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:58 pm

The Weekenders wrote:But during my genealogy days, I was corresponding with my cousin Rhonda in Barnegat, NJ, where her (and part of my) family has lived since 1690, when they moved there from Huntington, Long Island. I asked her if they had any peculiar accent. She couldn't think of much, except that they say "crick" too. In NEW JERSEY!?!?

I think "crick" is more of a rural thing than a regional thing. My wife's family (mostly Penn Dutch, from a rural area north of Philadelphia) says "crick" too, as does my father's family (from Ohio, Indiana, and northern Kentucky).

Speaking of "cricks" makes me think of another interesting construction, which is to use "to" (or t') instead of at. "Where's paw?" "He's down t' the crick."

Steven

markv · Post by **markv** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 2:51 pm

The only language oddity in these parts is that somehow all the dropped "R"s in Boston migrate here to fall into the word "Warsh".

My mom and dad both came from ranching backgrounds so if we ever need to get another family members attention we treat them like errant cattle and instead of using the persons name we substitute "Hey". Say you're in a store and find a particularly nice...mango for instance, "hey! look at this mango". Drives my wife nuts.

The "bob wire" reminds me of a former girlfriends grandma from down south who came to the store I worked at. I thought she was asking me "Wheres tha hog wire?" Now the store was a KMart so I was a bit confused what this neatly dressed lady was going to do with hog wire and why she thought we would have it. After politely berating my midwestern apparent lack of wit I figured out she was wanting to know where the hardware department was.

Mark V.

LimuHead · Post by **LimuHead** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 2:59 pm

I remember my first semester at Oklahoma Baptist University (being fresh off the plane from Hawaii). One of my dorm neighbors came in to ask if I had an "arn". It took me more than a few minutes to figure out that he was asking to borrow an "iron"!

The same neighbor also once asked me if I wanted a "chaw". I said I didn't know, because I had no idea what it was. It turns it's chewing tobacco ...

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 3:03 pm

Steven wrote:I think "crick" is more of a rural thing than a regional thing. My wife's family (mostly Penn Dutch, from a rural area north of Philadelphia) says "crick" too, as does my father's family (from Ohio, Indiana, and northern Kentucky).

I'm definitely from a rural area, and we don't say crick for creek where I come from.

Speaking of "cricks" makes me think of another interesting construction, which is to use "to" (or t') instead of at.

We definitely DO use that construction, though.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 3:21 pm

some words/sayings from the North East of England;
Why aye = of course
norr = no
Beeyah/Beeor = Beer
clarts = mud
divvent/dinnit = don't
Dunch = bang into (hence the "Divvent dunch us,we're Geordies" sticker seen in rear windows of vehicles).
Hoy = throw (as in "Hoy ya hammer ower here"= please pass me your construction tool.)
Aall ower = all over
Canny = o.k.,good,clever,quite (learn this word and 'Why aye',and you can virtually converse in a Northeast pub!)

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 9:20 pm

Dja forget about fixin'?

ErikT · Post by **ErikT** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 10:14 pm

Here's one. How well do you know your capitals?

It's pronounced "Peer".

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 10:25 pm

Aaron wrote:Dja forget about fixin'?

Kinda no, but not exactly.

Do these two posts count?

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... PLE#117835

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... fer#117569

fatveg · Post by **fatveg** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 10:27 pm

So only the Brits on the board will get this, but I know of several people who used to watch <a href="http://www.pagan.clara.net/rab.htm">Rab C. Nesbitt</a> with the subtitles on

-- for me working out what the heck he was saying was half of the fun.

For those who have never heard what Glasgow Scots can sound like click the above link.

I spent 10 years in Bristol, and my favorite local book was called:
"Krek Waiter's Peak Bristle"

Post by **Nanohedron** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 12:17 pm

ErikT wrote:Here's one. How well do you know your capitals?

It's pronounced "Peer".

Those last three words are ingrained in anyone who has lived in South Dakota.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 12:52 pm

Jumping off from the name of the capital of S. Dakota, many towns in the US were named after biblical or European places. However they are almost never pronounced like their namesakes. For example, in Ohio we have:
Milan pronounced MY-lan
Mantua pronounced MAN-two-way
Toledo = Tuh-LEE-do
Mentor = MEN-ter
I'm sure there are plenty of other good ones out there.
Mike