| Imagine my surprise when I went to Jamaica a | | | | to govern our speech. For example, when I'm |
| few years ago and learned that I do, indeed, have | | | | talking with my family, I'm liable to let down my |
| an accent. You see, unlike my paternal | | | | guard a little--use a bit more Appalachian English |
| grandmother, I don't stretch the word | | | | and a bit less Standard American English. In a |
| "cornbread" into four syllables. She might say, | | | | more formal situation, I'll try to employ a lot less |
| "Here. Have ye some co-orn-bray-ed;" whereas I | | | | Appalachian English. Even though I know from |
| might say, "You want some corn-bread?" See? | | | | personal experience that most Appalachians are |
| Two syllables on the cornbread; "you" rather than | | | | not "dumb hillbillies," I'm afraid that others might |
| "ye." | | | | see me that way if I use the language I naturally |
| Unlike my maternal grandmother, I say "carrion" | | | | use. And yet, some phonological differences are |
| rather than "kyarn." In fact, I had no idea what | | | | so inbred, that I can't not use them. |
| she was talking about until recently when I | | | | Did you know that the t at the end of slept is not |
| mentioned the word to my husband. I told him, | | | | silent? You might say, "I slept in this morning." I |
| "Grandmother used to say, 'That stinks like kyarn.' | | | | would say, "I slep in." To me, that "t" just doesn't |
| I never figured out what 'kyarn' was." He said, | | | | feel right. It reminds me of an episode of "All in |
| "Road kill." My jaw dropped. "You mean, carrion? | | | | The Family" where Edith met a Jewish baker and |
| Kyarn is carrion?" "Yeah," he said. "Put the | | | | he called her "Edit." She told him, "My name's Edith! |
| Appalachian accent to it." It made sense. | | | | Th!" So then he called her "Edit-th." To me, "slep-t" |
| Unlike my mother-in-law, I say "they fought," not | | | | would be every bit as awkward. |
| "they fit." | | | | Do you say "exactly" or "exackly"? And how |
| Thus, I concluded that I have no accent. After all, | | | | about ten? I've actually heard people say "ten" |
| I'm fairly well educated. I studied French for three | | | | with a short e sound--like in the word "bed." How |
| years, and I did some self-study of German and | | | | weird is that? Tin and ten are words with the |
| Greek. Plus, I'm well read, and I've authored | | | | "exack" same sound but different meanings. |
| several books. Ain't I the berries? I couldn't | | | | The linguists also point out some lexical |
| possibly have a hillbilly, Appalachian accent. And, | | | | differences in Appalachian English. For example, |
| yet, in Jamaica, everyone I met asked, "What | | | | the Standard American English word might be |
| part of the South are you from?" | | | | faucet, but the Appalachian English version would |
| So, I did a little research and learned that the | | | | be spigot. If somebody looks sick, we might say, |
| Appalachian region has its own language. Linguists | | | | "he's peaked" (that's peek-ed). Did you hurt your |
| call it "Appalachian English." The Scots-Irish settled | | | | finger? Then we might say you "stoved it up." I |
| the entire region known as Appalachia (all of West | | | | once knew a man who substituted "for" for |
| Virginia and portions of Virginia, Pennsylvania, | | | | "because." He'd say, "I need to go to the store, |
| North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia) | | | | for I'm out of milk." My brother would substitute |
| in the mid-1700's. At the time, physical boundaries | | | | the entire remainder of our family with the word |
| kept modernization out. Then in the 1940's, the | | | | "nim." He'd ask me, "Did Mama and nim go to the |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park was | | | | store?" Some people say "knowed" rather than |
| created; and that brought tourists to the area. By | | | | "knew." We're famous for our double negatives. "I |
| the 1950's, highways and telephones were more | | | | don't have none of that." Our present perfect |
| prevalent throughout Appalachia, bringing the | | | | tense has raised some eyebrows, too. "He's done |
| modern world another step closer to its rural | | | | done it now!" |
| inhabitants. | | | | This little foray into my Appalachian heritage has |
| Now, I don't want you to think we in Appalachia | | | | given me new insight. We might chop off some |
| are a bunch of snobs. We realize that the same | | | | of our "-ings"; we might "reckon" rather than |
| immigrants who settled here settled land | | | | "guess" sometimes; and we might have places |
| elsewhere, but the linguists tell us that our speech | | | | with such outlandish names as "Lick Skillet," "Frog |
| patterns will not be found in any other dialect to | | | | Holler" and "Sugar Loaf," but we have a rich |
| the extent that they are in Appalachia. In addition, | | | | history. We know where we came from and, for |
| we Appalachians use variants of our own speech | | | | the most part, where we're going. And if anyone |
| patterns. Just because I don't use the same | | | | thinks we're a bunch of ignorant hillbillies, then you |
| words as my grandmothers doesn't mean that I | | | | ought to come and get to know us a little better. |
| don't have an Appalachian accent. In fact, the | | | | If you stay long enough, we might be able to |
| linguists say that each region has its own speech | | | | teach you how to talk right. |
| patterns and that most of us allow our situations | | | | |
