Southern Slang & Prejudice (13 posts)

1. Southern Slang & Prejudice
Wed, Jan 13, 1999 - 10:47 PM/EST
Atropos

Howdy Kru,

Atropos here. A funded research project I am working on deals with prejudice against those who have a "southern drawl." As a generality when a southern dialect is observed, the observer will form an opinion of the speaker as a less educated or as a racist individual. Any observations would not only be appreciated, but might also lead to a lively discussion.

2. Very Lively!!
Wed, Jan 13, 1999 - 11:06 PM/EST
JimP

I'm southern. I have a southern accent, and at times I even emphasize it on purpose.

I'm very aware that there are folk who immediately connect a southern accent with "a less educated or as a racist individual." It is something I have to bear, just a fact of life. I don't think I am either.

I also live less than 20 miles from Duke, UNC, and NC State. Wake Forest is 65 or so miles, and there are numerous institutions of higher education between them all.

In the ATC thread, Gayle just said that possibly we could use a thread on Political Correctness. This could be as good a place to start it.

I detest the term "redneck", even when used by southern comedians. Redneck used to be a term of respect. It was derived from the red necks of farmers working in the fields and getting sunburned necks.

In my introduction, I said that I dislike labels. When accent is used to label persons, it seems to me to be another separator. Communication is difficult enough without another barrier.

3. Continued
Wed, Jan 13, 1999 - 11:26 PM/EST
JimP

I reckon (another good southern word) my last post was somewhat disjointed, and this one may not be any better.

Southern slang is the subject of a lot of derision. This area, being the destination of many DY (Damn Yankees) provides numerous examples of miscommunication. One column writer in the News and Observer recently wrote about the first time she asked for some assistance with her computer from a co-worker. The co-worker told her to "mash" a button. She didn't know what mash meant; the only thing she could relate to mash was potatoes.

BTW, do you know the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee? A Damn Yankee is one who came south and stayed.

Joking aside, it grates on me when people decide that because we speak slightly differently here that we are somehow less educated, less intelligent, and racist. My daughter lived in New York for six years. At that time we lived in Maryland, and my accent wasn't quite as pronounced. When we visited her, the slang, accent, and, I thought, rudeness of the New Yorker confused me.

Defensively, I will place my ability to use the English language up next to nearly anyone's. I will definitely place my personal record on race, gay and lesbian, and gender discrimination up for examination by anyone, anywhere.

O don't know where this thread will lead, but I am glad we are having it.

Jim

4. mmac
Wed, Jan 13, 1999 - 11:51 PM/EST
mmac

oh the southern accent.gawd bless the south. u know he lives here ;) shoot i love my accent. i even laugh at movies that betrays the south as it does. my personal opinion is somehow hollywood and those yankees are somewhat confused and partly jealous. i sure do see a lot of em moving to oklahoma. and not very many oklahomans moving up north.btw the south is where the political power is. maybe thats why them yankees are so jealous. ;)

5. One Damn Yankee Reporting
Thu, Jan 14, 1999 - 2:36 AM/EST
Gayle

?:)

I was born and raised in upstate New York, close to the Pennsylvania border. As kids, we had the usual between-states rivalries and prejudices, and residents of each bordering state were given a somewhat derogatory nickname. The mid-west was considered wild and wooly, like the old west. Florida equaled fun in the sun, and we all aspired to move to the paradise that is otherwise known as California. The south, however, was filled with gun toting hillbillies in straw hats, all smoking corn cob pipes, carrying jugs of moonshine, leading mules, and who were nearly illiterate. The perception for each of those geographic areas was instilled by the movies we saw and the books we read.

In 1980, I moved to Kentucky, but didn't find a single stereotypical hillbilly. I did, however, find a small language barrier: I said bag; they said sayak. I said oil; they said ol. I said pen; they said pin. Etc. It took a few months of confusion and some embarrassing moments, but north and south finally began to understand and communicate with each other.

Now, after nineteen years, I find myself pronouncing Louisville like a native: Lou-a-VUHL. I say things like y'all and big ol', and my speech no longer hits the typical New York 90 mph. I have a soft, slight drawl that gets a lot of attention from family, friends, and strangers when I visit home. No one laughs at my accent but are instead fascinated and attentive. But the accent I've developed was influenced by people in the larger Kentucky cities where I've lived. The southern 'city' accent seems to be perceived in the north as more gentile and somewhat educated. While the 'country' accent, being more drawn out and twangy, is often still perceived as cute, funny, and/or semi-literate to illiterate.

6. Levels of drawl?
Thu, Jan 14, 1999 - 2:18 PM/EST
JimP

It sounds as if we may even divide the southern speech into classifications. The gentle, (I assume gentile is a typo) "city" accent is more refined and educated, while a strong twang connotes semi-literate.

Where would Senator Sam Ervin, of Watergate fame, fall in this classification structure? How about the Senator from Alabama, (I can't think of his name)? Once we assign attributes and quality of intellect or education by color, sound, location, etc., we begin to separate ourselves from an ability to know and accept that which is different.

Enough soapbox!

There are really very interesting distinctions in dialect that can identify the specific region one hails from. In San Antonio, pronounced San Antunyuh as I remember, when greeting someone on the street it was "Howdy". In South Carolina, its "Hey, how yew?"

In NC, the city folk define the country "redneck" as a family that has a mobile home and two cars that aren't.

I guess that there are still centers of the southern population that provide the grist for the comedians mill. Illiteracy is a problem, especially in the older folk. I've worked with the NC DOT, and as we begin to bring computer technology to the field (field being defined as outside Raleigh and not Division headquarters) there is concern that some of the old road maintenance people will be unable to understand.

I find that attitude, while not throughout, certainly widespread - degrading. To be sure, there are road workers who do not have much education. But, they have been building roads for decades, and know how to do it very well. They are the kinds of individuals who are the butt of the southern illiterate jokes.

I apologize - I said enough soapbox. Let me close.

Jim

7. Oh, yeah!
Thu, Jan 14, 1999 - 8:55 PM/EST
Gayle

You're right, Jim, it's a typo plus lack of sleep. I posted in the wee hours.

Come to think of it though, I am a gentile. ?:)

8. To JimP
Fri, Jan 15, 1999 - 10:10 AM/EST
Gayle

"Once we assign attributes and quality of intellect or education by color, sound, location, etc., we begin to separate ourselves from an ability to know and accept that which is different."

I believe most prejudices are taught, passed down from one generation to the next. Or as I mentioned before, from things like the movies we see as children, when our minds are being formed. Hearing something from a person (or place) we trust as a child is accepted as truth.

It takes re-education through positive personal experiences, an open mind, and the individual's willingness to see where s/he has been making blatant generalizations. Only then will we begin to start accepting each other.

9.
Fri, Jan 15, 1999 - 11:51 PM/EST
JimP

"It takes re-education through positive personal experiences, an open mind, and the individual's willingness to see where s/he has been making blatant generalizations. Only then will we begin to start accepting each other."

Well said. I would add what I've stated elsewhere, life is incremental. Through small, incremental growth experiences, we are developed. As you said Gayle, I think in your Introduction, we continue to learn and to grow.

I know that I have prejudices, and am attempting to learn more about them. Speaking, as we are supposed to be, from my experience, I can say that even in areas in which I have revised my primary thoughts about prejudice, I still have to keep my mind open, and question why a racist, or homophobic, thought enters my mind.

I led my church in Maryland to be an open, accepting congregation of gay and lesbian folk. Many of my closest friends are gay and lesbian. I have no problem relating to them, at many levels, both as friends and as spiritual questioners. However, if you were to meet these folk you would not be able to determine from their appearance their sexual preference, nor from their actions.
When I meet some of their friends who cross dress, or are what we straight folk call drag queens or butch, I feel a very distinct unease. To me, that is prejudice. They aren't really any different from my friends, but I react differently. I am working on recognizing this in myself, and incrementally to adjust to that knowledge.

I think that the key is recognition of what your emotions are telling you, examining them for their relation to reality, and changing them. As I said, it's incremental.

Another long post. Regards, Jim

10. thanx for the info...
Wed, Jan 20, 1999 - 2:03 AM/EST
Atropos

thanks for the info so far. do any of you have any specific examples of when someone was discriminated against due to dialect (any dialect, not just southern).

11. I do
Thu, Jan 21, 1999 - 10:56 AM/EST
Gayle

When I was working for an aerial survey/engineering company, a point came when they had to hire a new comptroller. The most qualified person to apply was an East Indian gentleman. He was called in for four interviews, the first three being with those he'd work in direct contact with. Everyone was impressed with the man's personality, professionalism, and ability. The final decision, however, belonged to the CEO, the man's last interviewer. He didn't hire the man because, "His accent is funny and I can't understand him. If I can't understand him, how can I trust him!" Needless to say, the non-accented person hired was not as qualified and ended up being fired in three months.

This incident took place in Kentucky, not up in the 'nasty' north.

12. Question for Gayle
Thu, Jan 21, 1999 - 4:02 PM/EST
JimP

Is that prejudice, stupidity, or an assertion of the boss's rights to be able to understand his employee? Or all three?

13. Humph!
Thu, Jan 21, 1999 - 4:38 PM/EST
Gayle

The first two! Prejudice and Stupidity, both with caps! His practice, once a government bid package arrived, was to immediately hire people from minority groups. If we won the bid, the minority employees stayed as long as the job took, then were let go immediately after. If the bid was lost, so were the employees.

The man didn't like women either, but he admitted allowed that it had been his experience women were faster and more precise when it came to mapping and drafting...and especially for "use" when we had USGS-Quads in-house. So there were several very useful commodities hired, but we were also a minority.

He was truly the most sexist, racist, bigoted bas...ummm...poop I've ever run into.