Monday, July 15, 2024

First Exposure to Southern Lingo



I often write about the difference between British English and American English, but the differences in dialect among the 50 United States is just as wide sometimes. Marshall Patrick illustrates this as he acclimates a new co-worker from outside the South. He doesn't know the words Southerners use yet. While we get the humor, it is hilariously undermined by the fact that Patrick is playing both parts, and he can't turn off his natural Southern accent long enough to play a Midwesterner. There are more stories like this in the YouTube comments. I particularly like this one.

When I joined the Air Force I got stationed in Washington DC. I said "You ought not had to do all that" and nobody understood. I had to rephrase it "Thank you. You shouldn't have" Lol
Now that I have one kid in the Midwest and one in the Deep South, I love to see how their language has diverged. They understand each other perfectly, but can laugh when they hear the other use terms they haven't heard in quite some time.



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