How to Speak Southern

[BDSM_Tourguide]

For many years now the Southern American Language has eluded the comprehension of many people from Northern America, Canada, and other countries. This resource looks to make the Southern Language easier for people to understand.

To begin, a few rules of speaking Southern must first be made known.

Rule Number One: There is no "I" in the Southern Language. Anytime one sees and I written in Southern, whether as a proper noun or as part of a word, one should correctly pronouce it as "ah."

Rule Number Two: The word "you" does not exist in the Southern Language. Instead, this word is replaced by the word "y'all." That is the correct spelling of y'all, by the way.

Rule Number Three: The word "ain't" covers many different meanings in the Southern Language. Ain't may mean anything from "is not" to "are not" to "will not." Northerners and foreigners should probably refrain from using the word ain't until they are more familiar with the Southern Language.

Rule Number Four: There is only one soft drink in the South, and it's Coke. It's not Coca-Cola, it's Coke. Southerners have never heard of Pepsi, Mr. Pibb, Tab, or other carbonated beverages; and even if they have, they still call them Coke. To the Northerners visiting the South, it is a dead giveaway that "you ain't from around here" if you order a "pop," a "soda," or a "soft drink" in a restaurant. It is also bad form to insist that those are the correct terms for a carbonated beverage while in the South. Shootings have occured over less.

Rule Number Five: Southerners do not "mow the lawn;" they "cut the grass." Southerners do not eat "fish and chips;" they eat "fried fish and french fries." Southerners also do not eat filet mognon, t-bones, porterhouses, or any other specifically-named cut of meat; they eat "steak."

Rule Number Six: The terms "low fat," "baked," and "health food" are unknown in the South. To a Southerner, a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and biscuits is health food. If fried chicken is not available, then there's always chicken fried steak.

Rule Number Seven: Any state west of Texas, north of Arkansas, or east of Georgia is not the South. Some of these states may claim to be Southern, but the people from the real South know the difference.

Rule Number Eight: The Most Important Rule of All! Chili does NOT have beans. Chili also does not contain tofu, celery, mushrooms, chicken, turkey, mangoes, spinach, or any other unnecessary form of waste. Chili is made with beef and pork, and should comtain some quantity of onion and garlic, and very little else. Presenting a Southerner with a bowl of tofu chili is legal ground for a public hanging in many Southern states.


Use these rules wisely when visiting the South and your stay will be much more enjoyable. Also, it is likely that, if you use these rules, you will leave the South under your own power, and not in a hearse, ambulance, nor being chased by an angry mob.

If you require further help when visiting the South, many Southern Universities and insititutes of higher learning (mainly truck-driving schools, trade schools, and cosmetology colleges) offer classes on Southern Living. It is recommended that anyone from "up north" that plans to be in the South for any extended amount of time enroll in one of these courses.

[BDSM_Tourguide]

In the introduction to speakign Southern, certain items were emtnioned that did not relate to language at all, or so it would seem to a Northerner or a foreigner. So, why were these items included in a resource for Southern Language?

Well, simply put, the Southern Language is a difficult thing with many nuances and inuendo that may assert themselves into other areas of the culture.

For instance, a Southerner may say to you: "Y'all better be careful. The road's a might slick, up'head." And to a Northerner or a foreigner, that is likely to mean: "Watch out. The road may be wet or icy." Nothing could be further from being correct, however. For, in the Southern Tongue, the words "the road's a might slick up'head" literally translate into a number of things, like "the road for the next hundred and fifty miles of so is unpaved, slippery, clay mud," or "there is a puddle the size of one of the smaller Great Lakes flooding the road ahead; please use caution or you may drown," or even "the road ahead should not be travelled by anyone not with the Army Corps of Engineers, or someone with a 4X4 Ford Pick-up Truck with a Cummings Turbo Diesel Engine and at least a 35 inch tire."

It is also important to understand that there is no such thing as snow in the South. Sure, Southerners know what snow is; they get The Weather Channel on their satellite dishes, after all. It's just a freakish weather occurence that never happens in the South. If it ever does snow in any part of the South, then it is the Apocolypse! The world is ending and no one leaves their homes until it's safe again. Northerners should avoid the mention of snow at all costs.

Many translations may bleed over into other aspects of culture as well. As mentioned in Rule Number Eight, chili does not contain any out of the ordinary vegetable or meat products. Therefore, it is important, from not only a cultural standpoint, but also a language standpoint to know what to say to a Southerner when he starts talking about chili (and eventually, every Southerner will talk to you about chili*). It is also important to note that sayings like "that chili is so hot, it's burning the hair off my feet" and "that's so hot, it's making my tongue sweat" are perfectly acceptable in the South, because if the chili isn't hot enough to induce heart failure, chronic gastrointeritis, or siezure in a typical Northerner, then it just "ain't Southern." Chili hot enough to cause a Notherner's head to explode upon touching the tongue is "just about right" to a Southerner.

Ths South has many cultural achievements that people enjoy talking about. Some of these subjects must be breached delicately and knowingly in order to avoid unexpected violence and rope burns about the throat. For example: The South did not "lose" the Civil War. Indeed not! The South surrendered so they'd be home in time for Mardi Gras. Because not even a little thing like a war can keep Southerners away from a good party.

Parties tend to be big influences on Southern culture as well. And it's just not a party until someone is rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning or sustaining a head wound from being struck by a lightpole while trying to look out the truck window at the girl that just flashed her tits for a three cent strand of beads. However, even in a party situation, certain terms should not be used by people not from the South. For instance, the word "wine" should never be mentioned at a Southern party. This will lead to the offender being expelled from the party; often into a canal full of alligators. The only three acceptable beverages at a Southern party are beer, Budweiser, and a keg of beer**. Any other beverage requests are clear indicators that a person "ain't from around here."

The Southern culture has also been "tainted" by allegations and accusations of political corruption. These fraudulent claims have done nothing but damage the South's sparkling reputation for integrity and fairness of the law. Everyone in the South knows that a business owner offering a campaign contribution to the sheriff or mayor is doing so out of the goodness of his heart, and not because that business owner wants the police or local politicians to overlook the fact that he sells alcohol to minors, has underage strippers in his bar, or wants to host an "illegal" gambling operation in the cellar of his club. After all, every Southerner also knows that the term "minor" is a relative term in the first place. In the South, a minor is someone that can't see over the bar. And "underage" in the South just means the girl doesn't have size F breasts yet. As for gambling establishments, they're all for charitable causes, like supporting the local policeman's ball, or the mayoral re-election campaign. Only a small percentage of the actualy profits are taken home by the owner of the establishment.

It is these sorts of things that give Southerners their rich and deep heritage. For Notherners and foreigners to claim that the South is culturally bereft only shows their ignorance of all things Southern. Notherners would be wise to remember that if it wasn't for Southern cultural beliefs, there wouldn't be any Kentucky Fried Chicken or all those great Girls Gone Wild movies.


* Unless in a region of Lousiana south of the city of Alexandria and north of the Gulf of Mexico known as "South Louisiana." Then all the folks there will want to talk to you about gumbo; and that is a whole other ball of wax.

** In the aforementioned region of South Louisiana, a mildly alcoholic beverage known as a "Hurricane" is also an acceptable party drink.

[BDSM_Tourguide]

Why is religion being brought into a resource that seems to be becoming less and less about Southern Language? Because it is important for people from abroad to understand certain things about Southern religion when talking to a person from the South.

First off, there is only one religion in the South, and that is Southern Baptist. Southern Baptists are like regular Baptists, but with a greater appreciation and closeness to God.

The Southern Baptists know they are closer to God, too, because they can hear his voice louder than any other religion. For, as every Southerner well knows, the proper decibalage for speaking the "true Holy Word of God" is somewhere in the equivilant range of listening to a jumbo jet take off from an airfield being bombarded by mortar fire. Many Southerners are hard of hearing, not because they work laborious and loud contruction jobs, but because their Pastors on Sunday take the extra time and consideration to preach them the word of God as loudly and clearly as possible. Any Southerner that can hear clearly by age 25 is obviously a heathen.

The proper location for Southern Baptist worship is in a small church with no air conditioning and windows that do not open, because the Holy Spirit cannot be properly felt unless the temperature in the building hits at least 100°F. It is usually at this temperature that some of the older members of the congregation begin to fan themselves with their donation envelopes.

It is also important to know that the fanning of the donation envelopes directly preceeds the end of services. When the Holy Spirit has been properly appreciated, and the people begin fanning their donation envelopes full of cash money, that is a clear signal to the Pastor or Reverend to begin the collection and the closing prayer.

Religion in the South is a big event. Churches tend to opoen early on Sunday and services run longer than they do in other areas of the world. Some Southern Baptist services can run two or three hours long, only coming to a close once an offer of a free meal has been made by one of the congregation to the Pastor. Except in the fall. In the fall, church services are all concluded by no later than 11:45AM, regardless of whether the plate has been passed ot the Reverend has been offered a meal. Services end prompty at a quarter til noon in order to give everyone in the congregation time to get home to watch the football game.

If there's one god bigger than God in the South, it's football. Any Pastor keeping his flock on a football Sunday past the noon hour is probably visiting from the North. Keeping Southerners away from football is akin to keeping a Northerner away from snow. It just ain't gonna happen.

And if there's one god among the football gods in the South, it is the Dallas Cowboys. No Sunday in the South is complete without seeing the Cowboys on TV. This event almost transcends religion, and crosses the boundary into phenomenon. Of course, the game of football just hasn't been the same since the Cowboys let Troy Aikman retire and lost Jimmy Johnson to the announcers' booth. The times since then have been known as the "dark times" in the South.

Visitors to the South should refrain from using such sacreligious terms as "Catholic," "Jewish," or "Mormon" during their trips to the South. These other strange religions, with their odd practices and rituals are likened to cults in the South. And Southern men and women won't stand for cults, unless it is a beknighted organization like the Klan.

Notherners should also not attempt to shop, eat, travel by air, or visit the hospital until after noon on Sunday, as many establishments are not open until after church service is open. During football season, most of the South shuts down completely on Sundays. Besides, any person with a broken leg on a Sunday wasn't in church anyway. So that person was clearly a Northerner, a foreigner or a heathen. They're all perceived about the same in the South anyway.

It is probably best for Notherners to leave the South entirely on Saturday night and return again on Monday morning, just to avoid any confusion or hanging.

[Finding_Fantasy]

Oh - my - God! :funny: :funny: :toofunny:

[Ranai]

or "there is a puddle the size of one of the smaller Great Lakes flooding the road ahead; please use caution or you may drown,"

The image this brings to my mind are the endless endless endless sodden swamps traversed by a trio of escaped convicts in Jim Jarmusch's wonderful movie 'Down By Law'. Are you telling us the South of the US is really like this: damp and moskito-infested?


Ah, finally, this is the thread where I can ask the all-important question:
What does 'sug' mean?

'A kind of worm or larva' ?
'Southern University Group' (that would be the Cosmetics and Truck Departments) ?
'Southern University Games' (that would be the football) ?
something else?

And how is it pronounced?

(Yes, this is a real question: The above defintions are the pitiful results of a web search. I suspect that it's an abbreviation of 'sugar', but I'm not sure... Also, if so, is it pronounced like the first syllable of 'sugar': shoog?)

[BDSM_Tourguide]

Are you telling us the South of the US is really like this: damp and moskito-infested?

(Yes, this is a real question: The above defintions are the pitiful results of a web search. I suspect that it's an abbreviation of 'sugar', but I'm not sure... Also, if so, is it pronounced like the first syllable of 'sugar': shoog?)

Yep. Parts of the South really are little more than swamp and bogs.

And you are absolutely correct. You get the booby prize. See why I said only states east of Texas, south of Arkansas, and west of Georgia were included in "The South?" You're from Virginia, a supposedly Southern state, and you didn't know what "sug" meant. LOL

[Curiosity21]

ROFL . . . that post was HILARIOUS! Just thought I'd add that although the god of professional football may be the Dallas Cowboys, the college world in Texas is strictly divided between A&M and UT. Everyone you meet is either a graduate or a fan of one of these schools . . . and God forbid you don't have an opinion on which one you like! So if you're going to visit Texas, be sure to pick a school! (I'd suggest A&M, but then I'll admit I'm biased )

Until later, y'all . . .

[Xelebes]

Wudiver yuh toggin a-butte, eet made sendz tuh mee.

[BDSM_Tourguide]

Wudiver yuh toggin a-butte, eet made sendz tuh mee.

Don't go getting all smug just yet. I'm writing "How to Speak Canadian" next.

[truckinnhorsin]

lmao that was awesome...

one discrepency... "4X4 Ford Pick-up Truck with a Cummings Turbo Diesel Engine and at least a 35 inch tire." EVERYONE knows, a cummins aint EVER gunna be in a ford. And nobody speaking of a ford would acknowledge a cummins diesel is worth anything, and vice versa. Fords have powerstrokes. just a fyi. lol


and you forgot to mention florida is NOT southern.


can't wait for the canadian version.... i go up there every weekend hehehe

Teni

[BDSM_Tourguide]

lmao that was awesome...

one discrepency... "4X4 Ford Pick-up Truck with a Cummings Turbo Diesel Engine and at least a 35 inch tire." EVERYONE knows, a cummins aint EVER gunna be in a ford. And nobody speaking of a ford would acknowledge a cummins diesel is worth anything, and vice versa. Fords have powerstrokes. just a fyi. lol

and you forgot to mention florida is NOT southern.

Shit! I knew there had to be one truck person out there that would catch me. Dodge uses Cummings, Ford uses Powerstroke, but everyone knows that everybody in the South drives a Ford. LOL Except my uncle. He has a Dodge, so I went with the Cummings instead, because I respect the Cummings.

I mentioned that anything east of Georgia is not Southern.

[Ranai]

You get the booby prize. See why I said only states east of Texas, south of Arkansas, and west of Georgia were included in "The South?" You're from Virginia, a supposedly Southern state, and you didn't know what "sug" meant.

Thanks for the new word. And thanks for the booby prize, I will treasure it.
I believe you got me confused with Jadetiger there, sug.

I mentioned that anything east of Georgia is not Southern.

Oh no, I live waaayyyy too far east of Georgia to qualify! What can I do?
Maybe I need to reflect on the enormous benefits of the South of Germany: Cryptic dialects (even spoken by public figures on public occasions), slow people with slow reactions, cow dung everywhere in summer, sloshy snow everywhere in winter.

A positive point would be the peaceful coexistence of breweries and vineyards.

[ProjectEuropa]

Oh no, I live waaayyyy too far east of Georgia to qualify! What can I do?
Maybe I need to reflect on the enormous benefits of the South of Germany: Cryptic dialects (even spoken by public figures on public occasions), slow people with slow reactions, cow dung everywhere in summer, sloshy snow everywhere in winter.

Are you thinking of the Swiss? Now that is a country where one person doesn't know what language another speaks. God knows how they all know they belong to the same country.

The Southern drawl in the southern states is about the only American accent I can recognise, hmm maybe New York too but for the rest, I'm baffled, it's all generic north American to me. I don't think I'm alone in that over here. At least southerners can say they unique. Take unique in anyway you care to .

[Aeneas]

I once had to virtually act as a translator between a Cajun from Alexandria, Louisiana and a Downeasterner from Bar Harbor, Maine. The Cajun (of exiled French Canadian ancestry) could manage to get the name "New Orleans" down to ONE syllable--"Narls". The Yankee pronounced his home as "Baaa Haaabaa". As a teen, I had trouble finding "Cuber" on the map when Kennedy spoke.

I love regional differences, it would be a boring world without them.

[Finding_Fantasy]

, so I went with the Cummings instead, because I respect the Cummings.

Although, I think Cummings up here also makes heavy machinery. I don't know if they do down there or not, but I know they have a few of their machines at the mill where my father works.

[Microwave0ven]

oh man! we can look forward to a "speaking canadian"?! Awesome, I can't wait!!

[Katmandu]

I LOVE IT! (Especially since I live in Florida, and am NOT considered part of the South!YAY)

Sooooo, where is this coming from, and what makes you such an expert? After all, you are from Texas, and everyone knows that Texas is it's own, autonomous place on this earth.

As for:
Posted by Curiosity

god of professional football may be the Dallas Cowboys, the college world in Texas is strictly divided between A&M and UT.

Phfffttttt! I attended New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. There, we consider Texas A & M to be the largest dirt heap mankind has made to date. :yuck:

BTW, this is what we REALLY deal with here in Florida, Retirement Community Of The wORLD:
An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!" she cried. The dispatcher said, "Stay calm. An officer is on the way."

A few minutes later, the officer radios in. "Disregard." He says.

"She got in the back-seat by mistake."



TG, (by the way, LOVE the newest Avatar! Please keep this one!) you forgot to mention G.W. Busch as being from Texas, and his brother as being from Florida.....unless you're trying to keep politics out of this. Wise choice, Grasshopper!

And, I do believe. that all those who are members of this Forum, can be classified as "Sugar"!

[Katmandu]

I LOVE IT! (Especially since I live in Florida, and am NOT considered part of the South!YAY)

Sooooo, where is this coming from, and what makes you such an expert? After all, you are from Texas, and everyone knows that Texas is it's own, autonomous place on this earth.

As for:

Posted by Curiosity

god of professional football may be the Dallas Cowboys, the college world in Texas is strictly divided between A&M and UT.

Phfffttttt! I attended New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. There, we consider Texas A & M to be the largest dirt heap mankind has made to date. :yuck:

TG, (by the way, LOVE the newest Avatar! Please keep this one!) you forgot to mention G.W. Busch as being from Texas, and his brother as being from Florida.....unless you're trying to keep politics out of this. Wise choice, Grasshopper!

And, I do believe. that all those who are members of this Forum, can be classified as "Sugar"!

[Barton]

Remember Kats. Our bush is a non-native specis.He came from Texas as well.

[Mita512]

For all of you who are interested in the Southern culture (specifically Texas) or if you just want a good laugh, I suggest reading Molly Ivins Can't Say that Can She? She talks about Texas politics and culture...which is VERY amusing.

Living in Austin (the capital of Texas), it's ironic how the city isn't a good home for traditional Southerners.

Austin's slogan is "Keep Austin Weird." Austin is the little, liberal city surrounded by hardcore conservatives. Traditionally, a homeless man with a full beard and a skirt named Leslie runs for mayor. He actually got second place in 2000.

As a student at UT, I must break the myth that there is a huge UT-A&M rivalry. If there is, I've never seen it. Yes, A&M is our traditional rival and we do traditional things before the game, but the rivalry is a lot more observable with the "Aggies." I believe OU is more of our rival since we haven't beaten them in football, which is really the only sport that matters here, in the past six years. I think it's a lot safer for outsiders to call themselves Aggie fans since most people at UT wouldn't care. Actually, I take that back. I think it's safer just because there is "the corp" at A&M. The rest of the Aggs are prob normal. BTW, did anyone catch that Rose Bowl game?

Anyway, I'll leave with some quotes from the book I recommended.

"Texans invent their own metaphors and similes, often of a scatalogical nature, which is kind of fun. As a group, they tell stories well. The reason why they are good stories is because this is what anthropologists call an oral culture. That means people here don't read and write much."

"One of the more brain-spraining aspects of Texan culture is Baptist sex. As we all know, Baptists (who fundamentally stand for the entire Southern fundamentalist world view) are agin sin, which they define as drinkin', dancin', and carryin' on. Carryin' on is the worst. That Baptists see nothing wrong with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleades, who are indisputably open-air coochie girls, is one of those anomolies we all live with here."

[Curiosity21]

As a student at UT, I must break the myth that there is a huge UT-A&M rivalry. If there is, I've never seen it. Yes, A&M is our traditional rival and we do traditional things before the game, but the rivalry is a lot more observable with the "Aggies." I believe OU is more of our rival since we haven't beaten them in football, which is really the only sport that matters here, in the past six years. I think it's a lot safer for outsiders to call themselves Aggie fans since most people at UT wouldn't care. Actually, I take that back. I think it's safer just because there is "the corp" at A&M. The rest of the Aggs are prob normal. BTW, did anyone catch that Rose Bowl game?

Perhaps I misphrased what I said . . . I am aware that there are differences of opinion between our schools on where the rivalry is . . . what I meant to say is that people usually choose one school or the other to be loyal to. Everyone from my high school class had a list of colleges they wanted to attend that started with UT or A&M and then continued with other schools. Most of the people in my hometown are Longhorn fans or graduates. The rest of them are usually Aggie fans or graduates. This is what I was trying to say, not that there was as huge a rivalry as people like to think there is.

Anyways . . . just wanted to clear that up.