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This may be helpful if you want to speak with southern accent:
Step 1
Buy a book or CD on the market if you want an elaborate education in the southern accent. Otherwise, just interchanging a few of your daily words with southern choices or understanding how to draw out some syllables will get you there.
Step 2
Use "y'all" every chance you get. This is appropriate in referring to a single person or a group of people. Never say "going to" again but insert "fixin to" and you will already seem like a pro.
Step 3
Stop differentiating the "e" and the "i" in a word. If you're doing it right, then someone should wonder whether you're wanting to sew or write when you ask for a "pen."
Step 4
Take words and add some syllables. "Why" should be "waa" and then "eye." The word "nail" should be "nay" and then "eel."
Step 5
Take two syllable words and shorten them to one, like change the "tar" (tire) on the car.
Step 6
Perfect a small vocabulary. Purdy, reckon, awfullest, gol darned, critter and breetches, and tarnation are all a good place to start.
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I'm from the south... and nobody talks anything even remotely like that.
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There are several "Southern" accents in the USA, not just some generic hillbilly accent. What county in what state are you trying to imitate?
I say "y'all". This is common. I don't say "fixin' to" because that's more of a country expression. "I'm fixin' to make supper." is something a lady in her sixties or seventies might say to her husband. If he were from the big city he would reply, "Why? Did you break it?" I hope you get the joke. Laura Braun doesn't understand when I am joking and when I am not, apparently. So, y'all, this here is a joke alert.
Step 3: Yes, a lot of people don't differentiate between these vowels, and no, I don't like that fact. I don't know what my neighbour's daughter's name is for sure because I don't know what dang vowel he is saying. On the other hand, he probably knows the difference between "Dawn" and "Don". What is that? Maybe it's that cot-caught thing.
There is some dang rule about syllabification, but I forget what it is.
"Jewish" becomes "Joosh" for some people, but "Jew" becomes a two or three syllable word. I'm not kidding, much. That may be a Texas thing.
Do you have any idea how MANY Southern states there are? It's not like Nashville, Atlanta, or Richmond is our capital and we don't have a board to designate exactly (or 'zackly) how to speak. Now don't you go turning this into some hate rant because I mentioned "Jewish" here. This here is a forum about languages, that's all.
Fire is "Fahr", that much I know.
"Step 6
Perfect a small vocabulary. Purdy, reckon, awfullest, gol darned, critter and breetches, and tarnation are all a good place to start. "
I don't say "purdy". I know an AA woman who was NOT pleased when her little daughter started saying this. Yeah, some say "awfullest", don't you? I've never heard "gol darned", but "critter"- sure, my professor even used this word to get our attention. Dialect is powerful. Yes, I say "reckon" and I think they say it in Australia too-SO THERE!
I don't say "breetches", but there ain't nary a woman who wouldn't use it in a language emergency. "Young'un, get yer britches on. What if there's a fahr and you have t' run out in the cold?"
I don't say "tarnation" much neither (so to speak), but I understand it.
So there. Usually I write in standard English-mostly to impress y'all, I guess. Of course, seeing as y'all like Damian's colourful speechifying here, maybe I should pounce on y'all with more dialect.
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1). Why would you want to speak in a Southern accent?
2). Even in the South, people that talk like that are made fun of. Those are hick or redneck accents.
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<<Those are hick or redneck accents>>
What's wrong with being a redneck?
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Not all Southern accents are "hick" accents, some are quite genteel, almost courtly. Of course, if someone is learning English overseas, he or she would do well to have some sort of standard accent.
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Danny, seriously -- go visit a bathhouse already, and get it out of your system. I recommend lots of lube and some happy thoughts, if it's going to be your first time.
K.T. is right, southern accents run the spectrum between dirt poor to almost aristocratic.
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Go talk to a physician who has seen it all. The thrill and aftermath of all kinds of activity often ends up badly. Or talk to your counselor at school.
Enough.
If you like English or languages, join in the discussion, Danny, instead of playing Bart Simpson.
Btw, I don't usually write in dialect. I'm not a playwright. I don't write in standard English to impress anyone either. In my city, there is a lot of diversity in speech. You can hear foreign accents, transplants, and most interesting-to me- is the accent of children compared to the accent of their parents. Mom and Dad in their forties and fifties have a country accent, but the kids have accents that are so muted, only a trace of the country is there.
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Yea
What...What
Check dis out right (Yea)
Lil' Jon and the motherfuking East Side Boyz
The Kings of Krunk
Back at you with some new shit
Now just because we went platinum and shit don't mean we gone change nigga
We the muthafuking Kings of Krunk and we gon' always keep this muthafucker krunk
Now let's talk about some more music
If you roll up in the club and them niggas wanna fuck
When you step up to they face what they gon' do shit
If you roll up in the club and them hoes aren't acting up
When you step up to them hoes what they gon' do shit
What they gon' do shit [repeat 8 times]
Fuck nigga what's up,
Hell nah you aint gon' fuck all that poppin' at the mouth gon' get you fucked up...
Fuck nigga what's up,
Hell nah you aint gon' fuck all that poppin' at the mouth gon' get you fucked up...
You don't came in the club wit yo muthafucking click...
We don't give a fuck hoe, ya'll pussy like bitches
You don't came in the club wit yo muthafucking click...
We don't give a fuck hoe, ya'll pussy like bitches
It's some East-side niggas and they keeping this bitch,
and they step the ass nigga that be talking that shit
It's some West-side niggas and they keeping this bitch,
and they step the ass nigga that be talking that shit
It's some North-side niggas and they keeping this bitch,
and they step the ass nigga that be talking that shit
It's some South-side niggas and they keeping this bitch,
and they step the ass nigga that be talking that shit
My brains is taking in too much pain
I'm bout to explode first and then take names
But its cool lil' shorty don't be so alarmed
I learned to bruise nigga without jabbing the arm
I don't play wit muthafuckers cause this shit be real
Make ya hold ya breath longer than a navy seal
And them hoes will leave yo ass dead in the path
Like the way you came nigga yo dick from yo ass
I break bones with my niggas
Fuck hoes with my niggas
How the fuck you think I feel bout deforming yo figure
It's a close casket
For them hating basket
Its some g's that's real and some messed up fagots
Who you talking to bitch?
What you gon' do trick?
When its obvious to see that you aint gon' do shit
Lil' Scrappy the Prince and I aint taking no chump
I'm a quiet krunk nigga and fuck being the punk
Yea... Yea... Yea
I'm looking round dis muthafuking club (What)
Them niggas still muthafuking looking over here and shit (looking over here and talking and shit)
Think we gonna get some muthafucking straightening in the muthafuker (Yea)
Dis what we gon' muthafuking do (What's up)
We gon' walk over to dis muthafucking niggas (Yea)
And talk to their ass like dis
Only bitches' talk shit (What)
Only bitches' talk shit (What)
Only bitches talk shit that's why we bustin' yo shit
Only bitches' talk shit (What)
Only bitches' talk shit (What)
Only bitches talk shit that's why we bustin' yo shit
We real niggas (what) ya'll hoes (ya'll hoes)
We real niggas (what) ya'll hoes (ya'll hoes)
We real niggas (what) ya'll hoes (ya'll hoes)
We real niggas (what) ya'll hoes (ya'll hoes)
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<< go visit a bathhouse already >>
Please could you explain the meaning of 'already' here? I'm a native English speaker, and I have NO idea what it means. Already is like 'yet', isn't it? When you're saying something that's already been done...
Oh, and we say reckon in England too. I think it's standard, isn't it?
"What's wrong with her?"
"I reckon she's split up with her boyfriend."
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Caspian- "OED Already 3. N. American colloquial, used at the end of a phrase or sentence as an intensive, often to express impatience. Influenced by Yiddish use 'That's enough already'." Hope that helps, it's kind of difficult to explain and I didn't even realize it was a usage specific to N. America.
"Reckon" is a deadly word. I recall a time about a year ago when I was OD'ing on British TV and it slipped into myi vocabulary. I asked someone, "Do you reckon that 2X4 going to be long enough to serve as a joist?"
Gah! Still trying to live that one down.
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"Why" should be "waa"
Not really, most Southern accents are Wales ~ whales unmerged:
why [hwa(e)]
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I like Molly Bancroft, she's from Atlanta, her accent is awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob6lnYmOBuQ
Obviously, she is cot/caught merged and has [A] in ''all, mall, Doll, Moll''
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