Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-04-08
A FEW S0UTHERNISMS.
EXAMPLES OF QUAINT SAYINGS IN
GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA.

Peculiarities of Pronunciation Held by
the Southern People as = Class-The
Word Funny Used with Startling Ef-
fects-''To Get to Go"-Examples.
Some years ago Richard Grant White
wrote delightfully."- interesting book on
Americanisms He might well have divided
the sub ects into two parts: Yankeeisms
and southeInisms Absolute correctness in
pronunciation or in the formation of SEN
tences, is a most difficult accomplishment,
and few there be, either north or SOUTH
who have reached such a degree Of perfec-
ton that no exception can be taken by
@carping critics" to their utterances In the
matter of pronunciation the times are
changing. and one can scarcely keep pace
with the innovations being introduced by
the leading ortheopists.
The purpose of this paper is, however, to
present, in a succinct way, few of the
quaintneSses of pronunciation and construc-
tion held by the southern people as a class.
Among these the first that comes to mind is
the custom Of emitting the last two letters
of such words as more" store" -four
which are pronounced mo-" -sto," 10
what O'Clock is it" you ask the Carolinian,
anu DSD 70 one ne UellS you IL
fo'," if that happens to be the hour.
Another common southernism is the use
of like as if, or like" for the words las
if" ~She looked like she knew me-" is a
common expression, or 'she looked as if
she'd die" This is very common in Wash
ington, and in all the states south of Mason
and Dixon's line
ONE USE OF THE WORD "FUNNY."
The word funny" is frequently used, In
stead of strange, and sometimes with start
ling effects A young southern girl was
visiting US once, and caller was telling OF
the death Of her mother through swallow
ing a fish-bone. "Oh! wasn't it funny!" ex-
claimed our visitor, at tine close of the mar
rative. Il think you mean strange" said
the caller, as soon as she recovered from her
astonishment Our girl friend has never
used the word funny" since.
If you happen 70 hear anybody say rye
cheer" you may know it is intended to
mean fright here" For instance: A South
Carolinian will say: Where was be at last
nightn and his fellow citizen will say, He
stood rye cheer with me-" Djear-pro-
nounced in one syllable-is not Russian
word, as might he supposed; it means do
you hear" and is usually addressed to serv-
ants in this form: You, Jiml Bring in
that wood, djearN
TO get to go" is essentially a Georgia
expression They say, DO, don't fail to
come tonight" and the reply is, "I've tried
to get to go three weeks now, so reckon
III be there t'night" The expression do
ion't" is heard in Georgia and South Uaro-
lima, but rarely elsewhere One of the most
laughable things you ever heard is the pc
cuIiar pronunciation of the word about"
1t is impossible to express the South Caro-
hnian pronunciation, phonetically. 1t
sounds like about-pronounced very quickly
in three syllables. "Quare,' for queer" is
another word The use of reckon" for pre-
sumo" is said to have been derived from the
Yankees, as was the expression right
smart" for the word much.
In imitation of English, perhaps, is the
custom of saying I've got it," for Il have
it," and the general use of the word "got"
where it is quite unnecessary. Also Eng
ish is the use OF "obliged," as "I'm obliged
10 do it" for "I must do it," "he is obliged
to CO." for "he must 60" Ambiguity of
expression is too prevalent in Dixie, and too
many people sacrifice sense to sound.
PECULIARITIEs OF PRONUNCIATION.
Low-country people and the residents of
middle South Carolina say "gee-arden" for
garden" "gee-yard" for "guard"-with the
hard sound of @g." So, too, with such words
as card" car and "cart" into which is
introduced the sound of "kee," to take the
place of the first consonant thus: "kee ard" :"
"kee-ar," ''kee-art."
The use of liyhtful for delicious, is such
a sentence as: THE ice-cresm is delightful"
is very common "Pretty is a word very
often misused, for instance: isn't this
pretty day."-and this error is a very
general one. North Carolinians say the
scenery is ''pretty"-meaning picturesque;
the day is pretty fine; and that
persons manners are "pretty"-meaning
well-bred
you all" or, as it is abbreviated, ~ ALL"
is one of the most ridiculous of all the
southernisms l can call to mind 1t usu-
ally means two or more persons, but it is at
times used when only one person is meant.
For instance a caller on taking her depart
ure, says, "Y'all must come to see US" She
means the lady upon whom she is calling,
and her husband may call
The Yankees have quite as many ridicu-
ious figures of speech as those l have men
toned as peculiarly southern, AMI it will be
reserved for another paper to present the
oddities of Yankee conversation. In the
meantime every true-haarted southerner
who reads these lines will declare that he
never used any of these southernisms, and
will be Just as honest il his belief as the
Charlestonian when he VOWS that he never
says "dis-a-way" for this way" and data
way" for that way. Dixie.