Regionalism's

[Mr. Bloom]

OK, all this talk of politics somehow rekindled a memory of an NPR story a long time ago about a comment Bill Clinton made at a press conference. He made a comment using the phrase

"Adam's Off Ox"

In a sentence: " I don't know him from Adam's Off Ox"

So the NPR commentary traced the idiomatic phrase to rural Arkansas although the roots were ultimately traced to 18th century England.

So, what are the idiomatic phrases in your region?

[Crankin]

Let's see: tonic, frappe, wicked pissa, barrel, bubbler, packie, jimmies, dungarees...
Oh and calling everything by some abbreviation that was thought of 200 years ago.

These words are dying out. Nobody I know has a Boston accent and none of my friends use these words. Once in awhile I slip one in to confuse my husband.

[Jolt]

...and let's not forget the use of "wicked" as an adverb--when I am in NJ visiting my family and say something like, for example, "it's wicked hot today", people there ask "where are you from?".

[spotlightmama]

Hehe - I love wicked! I only spent one year in Boston, but I have to keep that one around.

I'm from the South, so ya'll is a big one. "Knee high to a grasshopper" - that kind of thing. DH is from the beach area, so "shaka bra" is quite popular around this area (but not this house, lol).

[SlowButSteady]

y'all

yonder

reckon

I have somewhat of an interest in regionalism both in speech and in regional foods. In fact, I enjoy watching true crime shows on television and "placing" an accent to within a state or two based on the speech of the interviewd persons.

Though I have a doctorate, my speech in everyday life retains the flavor of Appalachia, albeit a "mill hill" of the central piedmont version. Actually, I like it, and I can put a damper on it when the need arises.

Given the constant audio and video media in which we in Western civilization exist, I always thought that regional variations in accent and speech would have been erased. However, I notice these variations more.

Perhaps variations help identify us and promote a sense of community and bonding.

[shootingstar]

I still haven't figured out the regionalisms where we are since I've moved.

Methinks my brain is messed up in terms of terminology and accents because of globalism...seriously in Canadian Pacific Rim city...it's different. Maybe I'm in the wrong social circles here in Vancouver..

One thing I have noticed since coming to Vancouver, is a tendency for people to refer to their cottage as a ..."cabin" when it really is not a loghouse cabin/hut at all. It could be something...closer to a detached home year-round or ...chalet.

Whereas in Ontario, a cottage is truly a cottage and a cabin really means a roughed place.

Yes Vancouverites do mention sushi WAY more often than Toronto folks..because we are closer to the natural sources.

But may I politely add, Canadian English spelling does lean abit more heavily on British English spelling. So we colour our world different than 'color' your world.

The Oxford English dictionary in a Canadian university or for any large Canadian library would be considered a strong preferred purchase for any English literature/language course vs. Webster's.

I love regionalism and dialects for 1 language. The English language worldwide, of how it manifests itself in different countries is truly interesting.... when various 'patois' are born.

[Geonz]

Grammar Police! Grammar Police!! I have my regionalisms... Actually I can't think of any 'round here... in Culpeper ( in the foothills of hte Blue Ridge) you could be a career "woodchuck" - person who works wiht trees, especially if you take a pickup truck full of firewood into D.C. to sell it ... and my favorite "I feel like a biscuit!" ("I felt like a complete idiot!") ... but I'm not sure that wasn't a family phrase for one of Culpeper's bigger sets of cousins - now *those* I have a fair number of...

[bmccasland]

Baby
Term of endearment to be used with any small child, or adult you're particularily close to - and used by all races with all races.

(when I was reading this thread, I thought of a couple of others, but now they've gone pfft out of my head.)

[kelownagirl]

I still haven't figured out the regionalisms where we are since I've moved.

Methinks my brain is messed up in terms of terminology and accents because of globalism...seriously in Canadian Pacific Rim city...it's different. Maybe I'm in the wrong social circles here in Vancouver..

One thing I have noticed since coming to Vancouver, is a tendency for people to refer to their cottage as a ..."cabin" when it really is not a loghouse cabin/hut at all. It could be something...closer to a detached home year-round or ...chalet.

Whereas in Ontario, a cottage is truly a cottage and a cabin really means a roughed place.

Yes Vancouverites do mention sushi WAY more often than Toronto folks..because we are closer to the natural sources.

But may I politely add, Canadian English spelling does lean abit more heavily on British English spelling. So we colour our world different than 'color' your world.

The Oxford English dictionary in a Canadian university or for any large Canadian library would be considered a strong preferred purchase for any English literature/language course vs. Webster's.

I love regionalism and dialects for 1 language. The English language worldwide, of how it manifests itself in different countries is truly interesting.... when various 'patois' are born.

"Cottage" is definitely an eastern word. I always think it sounds funny. We call them cabins regardless of the size.

[bmccasland]

I remembered!
Camp - your vacation home on a lake, bayou, or beach. Can be something close to a shack that is a marvel it survives thunderstorms, to a very fancy home with gold plated fixtures. "go'in to your camp this weekend?"

[littlegrasshopp]

BBQ. Here it means to either slow cook (for several hours) with dry rub, or to use a BBQ sauce, and it MUST happen in a grill. In some other areas, BBQ covers anything cooked on the grill. We call that "grilling out." Imagine my surprise when I went to a BBQ that a newly relocated coworker from the North East held. I was expecting ribs, pulled pork, something from a big animal, cooked slowly and yummy. We had hot dogs.

My husband, from Oregon, says "is what it is, is...." He insists everyone says it in his home town.

[OakLeaf]

you could be a career "woodchuck" - person who works wiht trees

The name of the animal itself is a regionalism - just five hours away it's a "groundhog." My sister and I agree that it's an awful garden pest (although the four babies under my porch right now are just too cute), but we can't agree on what it's called!

In the country, a private road connecting a house to a public road is called a "lane." I've lived here 11 years and still call it my "driveway" more often than not... trying to learn.

[Ciao]

This is fun..

What to you get when you mash English with Irish, Polish, German, Greek, and the other large immigrant populations that came right after the war? Pittsburghese from da 'Burgh obviously!

nebby (nosey)
yinz (plural of 'you')
yinzer (a blue collar worker with a heavy Pittsburgher accent)
hoagie (submarine sandwich)
redd-up (clean up)
babushka (headscarf)
n'at (and all that)
... far too many to list.

Moved to Northern CA after school, but there's not really a noticeable local dialect in the bay area or Marin. Too many transients.

Now in Florence, I'm learning the different Italian dialects. The locals swap their 'c' with an exaggerated 'h'. So coka-cola becomes hhoka-hhola; cassa (house) becomes hhaza. But they make fun of the other regional accents - especially the more southern ones... and Sicilia?! They're not considered Italian...

[wackyjacky1]

Here in San Antonio, a convenience store (i.e., 7-11) is called an ice house. And if you're getting ready to do something, you say you're fixin' to do it.

"I'm fixin' to run up to the ice house to get some more beer."

[yellow]

The most classic Utah line...

"Oh my heck!"

I'd never heard that before I lived here. I still giggle to myself every time someone says it.