I just had an amusing conversation with a friend who shared one of my best pet peeves… ignorant misuse of the English language. This goes way beyond saying things like “beeench” instead of “bench” or “winder” instead of “window”. I detest the habits that people get into (especially in the South) of saying things like “ya know” 50 times in a conversation.
Another on my list is “upar” (short for “up there”). Really? Is it that difficult to say it properly? I mean… I’ve heard the Jeff Foxworthy bits about “geeownoutaheer”. And I admit, it is pretty amusing coming from him. But, he is paid to be funny. Surely no one with any amount of education would actually communicate this way!
Now, there are those few things that are considered “Southernisms” that are quite endearing. One of which is “hey, how ya doin’, how’s ya mommanem?” You just picture a skinny little lady wearing red lipstick and closed-toe pumps carrying an umbrella talking to the town hottie. The most popular has to be “how r y’all”. Or just plain “y’all”. This word could be singular or plural, it could refer to a group of people, a group of dogs, or just to the person standing in front of you. Then, there’s “jew”. That’s a question, by the way. Like “did you?” This can be made plural by combining it with “y’all”. Ex: “j’all”
So… here’s a list of a few more. Feel free to add more!
Y’onder – that way – “He went up yonder to set for a spell.”
Deddy – Your father – “Where’s your deddy?”
Mess – a bunch of something – “I’m gonna fix a mess o’ collards fer supper tonight.”
Fixin’ to – Just about to do something – “Me ‘n yer deddy are fixin’ to head up to the Wall Marts.”
Plum – totally – “You’re jest plum cute!”
Didja – Did you – “You did-n bring yer truck widja, didja?”
Caddywompus – Crooked or wrong – “Can you straighten that picture? It looks all caddywompus.”
Sumpin – Something – “You cain’t go to dinner on the grounds without bringing sumpin to eat.”
Dinner – Lunch – “We had grilled cheese sammiches for dinner.”
Supper – Dinner – “Hey, grandpaw, what’s fer supper?”
Reckon – I suppose – “I reckon I should quit goofin’ off and get to work.”
Brian said,
April 4, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Why do you sound like ‘Mater?
Sharon said,
July 14, 2009 at 10:52 am
I was reading your blog and found you comment about supper interesting. I just though it was a TX/GA thing. We always call the noon meal lunch and the evening meal supper. Anyway, I looked it up and here is what the dictionary said..
Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English – ordinarily the last meal of the day.
The term is derived from the French souper, which is still used for this meal in Canadian French, Swiss French and sometimes in Belgian French. It is related to soup. It is also related to the German word for soup, Suppe. (The OED, however, suggests that the root, sup, retains obscure origins. OED Online, Accessed 31 October 2007.)
[edit] Other meanings
In Britain, whereas “dinner”, when used for the evening meal, is fairly formal, “supper” is used to describe a less formal, simpler family meal, but also the fairly formal variety in others. In working class British homes, as in Australia and Ireland, “tea” can be used for the evening meal. In the United Kingdom, supper is a term for a snack eaten after the evening meal and before bed, usually consisting of a warm, milky drink and British biscuits or cereal. In the United Kingdom, particularly in Scots, Scottish English and Ulster Scots, a fish supper is a portion of fish and chips. The word is used also as a modifier in this way for a range of other similar meals, such as a “sausage supper”, “pastie supper”, “haggis supper” and indicates the addition of chips.
In Australian English, supper may refer to a late light dessert or snack (such as toast and cereal) had some time after dinner. In New Zealand it is similar – generally cake and tea/coffee served later in the evening, particularly when people have visitors.
In most of the United States and Canada, “supper” and “dinner” are considered synonyms. In some areas either term may be rarely used. It is typically served between 6pm and 8pm, although in the rural American South serving between three and five o’clock is common.
In the South, traditionally “dinner” refers to lunch (mid-day meal), and “supper” refers to dinner (evening meal), though folks understand that outsiders typically are referring to supper when they say dinner.
In rural areas of the Upper Midwest dinner is a larger noon-time meal, and supper is a lighter evening meal and similar to eating customs in northern Europe where most of the inhabitants originate from. Supper is the last of three to five daily meals: breakfast, (morning lunch), dinner, (afternoon lunch or “coffee”) and supper. The main meal is between 11.30am and 1pm. Supper is usually lighter and often consists of bread with cold meat, cheese, soup, salads, fried potatoes, egg dishes and / or dairy products. The decline of typical Midwestern farm culture and urbanization of American language and habits has led to a change in Midwestern eating habits in the past thirty years. Supper is still usually considered lighter fare and a more casual setting, and may be served before a usual dinner time so that evening activities may be unaffected.