Being born and bred in the South is a total advantage. The people here tend to be friendly, the pace is slow, the weather is good, prices are cheap, some of the girls are prettier, and our Southern language is easier to speak. Almost everyone who has lived in the South very long is bilingual: They speak Regular and Southern. (Some among us are also bicuspid—can cuss in both languages.) Those who immigrate to the South can learn the language, but it takes passion and experience to have just the right feel for it.
Most words used around here are common English, but a few are special enough to be spoken Southern. Lots of people think “Ya’ll” is the only truly Southern word. Not so! I am writing a Southern Dictionary. (Do you know anyone else who is writing a dictionary?) Here are words and definitions from my seventy-three-word “Revised Standard Version Dictionary of the English Language.” I used forty-four of these words in a recent book. With so few words remaining, my next book may have to be a book of Short Stories.
Other than “Ya’ll” here are four additional words and definitions for everyone who wants to become bilingual: Heah and Ther (adverbs) Southern words for denoting separate locations. (Heah is opposite to Ther.) “You can’t get ther from heah.” “It’s neither heah nor ther!” Heah is dog language for “come ‘ere Spot.”
Brang (verb) means Bring.
Yonder (adj.) A good distance away.
Let’s try a sentence translated into Southern: “Ya’ll go over yonder and brang the dog that’s over thar over heah!
If you are not from the South your friends will think you are a linguist if you teach them these words and meanings. If you are from the South friends will recognize you as “a Country boy.” Either way, YOU’R O.K.!
