Living in the South

Never really intending for things to end up this way, I have now spent more than half of my existence in The South. My mom grew up in Dallas and we kids always enjoyed making fun of our grandparents' accents. I grew up in Kansas, where there really is no accent, unless you're truly country folk. Then there is this kind of western twang.

Upon landing in Nashville, TN in '82, I was struck by the fact that even news anchors and radio personalities had drawls. I must admit that, despite my best efforts (and prideful denial thereof), I was a snob and thought the local broadcasters sounded unprofessional at best. You see, I had grown up equating a southern drawl with a lack of education or refinement. What I didn't think about then was that a few centuries of refinement had gone into developing the twists and turns of the English language that define a Southern accent.

You may be thinking, "But wait - you live in Florida..." This is true. But what you may not realize is that "The South" extends well into Florida. In fact, Tallahassee has one of the most endearing timbres of all the Southern accents.

Another thing that I've come to learn is that the rest of the English-speaking world is fascinated by a good Southern drawl. This is evidenced by northern tourists who, upon being greeting by their waitress insist she repeat whatever comes out of her mouth.

"She said 'y'all!' Say it again!"

While it is rather obnoxious, they mean no disrespect. Come to think of it, I've actually been on the receiving end of this scenario. While in Cork, Ireland, a few young kids, upon hearing my foreign accent, encircled me demanding, "Say 'Ireland'!" When I did so in my best Cork brogue, there was a unison "Aaah" of disappointment.

There are a couple of Southern colloquialisms that I love. For instance, anywhere else we might say "excuse me?" or "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Where we live, the thing to say is, "Do what, now?"

But I think my favorite is when you have something that isn't working properly, it's "done tore up."

Now, apart from linguistics, there are other oddities you may find only in the South. Here are a few examples of actual business names:

Flags and Afghans Galore

Barstool Variety

Le Salon n' Spa

And my favorite:

St. Nick's Christmas and Knives

The South has such an interesting mix of personalities and cultures that can be at once off-putting and endearing. It's rich in tradition, steeped in history.

You gotta love it.