Plain ol' Southern Pronuciations

I know I left lots out...

I thought about including this in the last article, but then I thought it would get out of hand.

I researched for ideas I'd not thought of and some help in explaining pronunciation. I found people are as confused as I am. However, I did find some gold.

I'm taking some Southern pronunciations form "The Southern Word" Link and eliminating the ones that are ludicrous or fixing the erroneous ones. Realize, my adaptations reflect my East Texan dialect and could be viewed as erroneous to other Southerns. However, I write what I know. I'll put in italics the ones that I actually say. The rest are ones I swear I've heard. Some, by my own family.

Sposo -- I suppose so
Ool -- oil.
Yurp -- Europe
ah-talian -- Italian
Ay-rab -- Arab
Bail -- bell
Kilt -- killed
bard -- borrowed
Bee-hayve-- behave
Bleeve -- belive
Bob War -- barbed wire. (I don't know how old I was when I realized what the actual spelling was. I no longer say bob war.)
Co'Cola -- Coca Cola
Deptee -- Deputy
Dootcher -- Do what your (mama says)
Fah-ul -- File
Fitty sent -- fifty cents
Ford -- forward
Frunchard -- frount yard
Godziller -- nuff said
Grain -- green
gree-yuhl -- grill
Juicy -- did you see?
Gozinta -- divides. (Goes into)
Holler -- yell
Heidi -- howdy, a greeting
Hah're yew -- how are you
Holt -- hold, as in grab holt
How come...? -- why?
Pertickler -- particular
intar -- entire
itcher -- it's your...
juhere -- did you hear?
juree-- jewlery
kumpny -- company (guests)
Laig -- leg
lectric -- electric
lesson -- unless
lah-lack -- lie like (a dog)
line-- lying
laht bub -- light bulb (I say the laht part)
loom-num -- foil or siding
mahl-anar -- miles an hour
maynaise -- mayonnaise, also "man, they's a lot of folks here."
May-us -- mess
meerfuraminit! -- come here for a minute
melpen -- I'm helping
melpew -- may I help you
mira -- mirror (sometimes its said as "meer")
meer -- come here
orm-- arm
Shasta -- she has to
mizewell -- might as well
mona -- I'm gonna
Munts -- months
New-q-ler -- nuclear
own -- on
ahs -- I was
nekked -- naked (I say this to my five year old when she's running around nekked after a bath)
par -- power
pay-ette -- pet
payum -- pam
peel -- pill
pillar -- pillow (My grandmother says this! And "meer" for mirror)
plight -- polite
pre-shate, preshadeit -- appreciate, appreciate it
prolly -- probably
purtnear -- pretty near
R -- sixty minutes
rurn -- ruin
(days of the week end in -dy like Sundy, not -day)
seal -- sill
Shar-- shower
sinner -- center
skointa -lets go into (town)
sool -- soil
spearmint -- experiment
splice -- supplies
squarsh -- squash (again, my grandmother)
Surp -- syrup
Teeim -- tim
Tal -- Towel
Tar -- tire (sometimes, Tahr)
Thank -- think
Tubafor -- 2X4
twee-uns -- twins
art -- ought
viddles -- victuals
varmints -- vermin
waaaf -- wife
wall -- while
wuhf -- wolf
Wunnern -- wondering
yale -- yell
yeller -- yellow
Yewston -- the way native Houstonions say Houston. I say "Hewston."

Too many I left out, indeed.

misc

Locked Post

Advanced Search

Watch this post

Do not email me updates for this post Email me updates for this post

Successfully updated karma reason!

I had lots of problems with people talking Texas when I first moved here. My husband is from Texas but he lost any accent a long time ago but his parents are about as Texan as you can get. His mom's family is very country so I slowly learned where over yonder was, how it was a big ol' tv or a big ol' boy and his grandma's favorite saying "great days in the mornin!!!" I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and one of my customers wanted a stamp of a "ol derk" I could not figure out what she was saying and I felt like an idiot. It turned out it was an oil derrick. Still learning in TX. I am from Ohio and my husband says I talk backwoods Ohio but I always say I just talk normal. The only thing I can think of that my family says that different is warshed instead of washed.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Oh and I also say cran instead of crayon, and crick instead of creek, and people down here say pink funny too. I can't think of how it is but I know its weird to me.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Oh yeah, I was going to mention the crayon thing! I heard an Ohio friend say "Crown" but she was saying crayon. Wild.

Successfully updated karma reason!