Why do people think redneck is the same as being Southern? (live, plantations)

[rdbeard5]

Originally Posted by cil

I say 'you guys' all the time. I suppose I am lacking in couth, but I am not overly concerned about it.

Having spent some years on Long Island, I am also well acquainted with 'youse' and 'youse guys.'

This post made me think of the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" and the classic scene between Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne (better known as Herman Munster)

Vinny Gambini: It is possible that the two yutes...
Judge Chamberlain Haller: ...Ah, the two what? Uh... uh, what was that word?
Vinny Gambini: Uh... what word?
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Two what?
Vinny Gambini: What?
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Uh... did you say 'yutes'?
Vinny Gambini: Yeah, two yutes.
Judge Chamberlain Haller: What is a yute?
[beat]
Vinny Gambini: Oh, excuse me, your honor...
[exaggerated]
Vinny Gambini: Two YOUTHS.

[BlueWillowPlate]

heh
Good one, rdbeard
I love Pesci, and Fred Gwynne was a treasure.

[ontheroad]

I just added the movie to my growing list.

Thanks, rdbeard and cil.

Originally Posted by cil

heh
Good one, rdbeard
I love Pesci, and Fred Gwynne was a treasure.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by sprtsluvr8

I moved from Winston Salem to Atlanta a few years back...it's amazing how much stronger the southern accents are the further south you travel. But again, in and around the city it's not as stated as other areas of Georgia.

Strange...

I've met quite a few people from Georgia. A few of them hardly had a southern accent but most of them had no detectable trace of southern accent. (who are coincidentally still familiar with when to say "y'all" and eat grits, biscuits etc.)

I've heard some Georgians that sound southern on TV, like Jeff Foxworthy, but even his accent sounds a little weak compared to most native Carolinians I've met.

Now that I think about it, the comedian "Cletus T. Judd" has a very thick accent; a little stronger than I'm accustomed to. I know he's a native Georgian, but I don't know if that accent is totally authentic.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by mm_mary73

A-n-d i-t t-a-k-e-s a-n h-o-u-r t-o s-a-y i-t.

LOL!

That's one thing I didn't notice down there on vacation.
Southerners don't normally talk noticeably slower than most people in my family.

1-4 syllables per second is a pretty good pace in my book.

Are you one of those northerners that likes to talk at a machine-gun like pace?

[j33]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Are you one of those northerners that likes to talk at a machine-gun like pace?

I am. I had to be otherwise I would have never gotten a word in edgewise with my family. Between my boston born grandmother and my nyc born grandfather, our large holiday dinners were a loud fast talking affairs, that I'll always remember with fondness (damn I miss them). It isn't something I've ever thought about until I was once told 'hon, you HAVE to slow down'

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

My friend from the Triangle Area speaks like this. He says whole senteces, sometimes paragraphs on what seems like a single breath.

And the ironic thing is about three-fourths of the Triangle area is now people from outside of NC, especially the northeast.

[brightcopperkettles]

I am a Southern lady (South Carolina), though currently living in the Pacific NW. My family, who all live in the South, taught me to say y'all when I was speaking to more than one person. Properly brought up Southern ladies simply do not say "all y'all" or use any other plural forms in combination with "y'all." The dear lady was completely correct when she said "y'all" was simply a contraction of "you" and "all;" thus, "y'all" is always plural and needs no additional adverb or adjective to convey its meaning. If you hear someone say "all y'all," you may safely assume they need additional schooling in grammar.

Have a nice evening, y'all! :-)

[sprtsluvr8]

Originally Posted by brightcopperkettles

I am a Southern lady (South Carolina), though currently living in the Pacific NW. My family, who all live in the South, taught me to say y'all when I was speaking to more than one person. Properly brought up Southern ladies simply do not say "all y'all" or use any other plural forms in combination with "y'all." The dear lady was completely correct when she said "y'all" was simply a contraction of "you" and "all;" thus, "y'all" is always plural and needs no additional adverb or adjective to convey its meaning. If you hear someone say "all y'all," you may safely assume they need additional schooling in grammar.

Have a nice evening, y'all! :-)

Thank you for that excellent clarification. I am a dear gentleman by the way, but my masculinity isn't threatened whatsoever... One question comes to mind regarding posessives - like if I'm referring to "the house that belongs to those people" and I'm addressing those people? Wouldn't I say "y'all's house"? I'm sure I have used "y'all" in that exact way many times, and if I'm incorrect I want to make sure I avoid it in the future.

If anyone wants to sound REALLY redneck, throw in a "y'allses" every now and then....I've heard that one a few times.

[brightcopperkettles]

Actually, kind sir, I was referring to the lady who posted this, marysally, I believe her handle is.

"

I was born in Atlanta and lived there until graduation from Emory University. After that I lived many years in Houston and now I live in Huntsville AL. I mention this to emphasize the point that I am Southern to the core. That being said, any true Southerner KNOWS that "y'all" is the plural form of "you". Any butchering of Southern dialect such as "all y'all" is probably perpetuated by someone who moved to the south at a later point in life and is trying to pick up a southern accent (or possibly make fun of it!)."

I did sound quite a bit like a schoolmarm, didn't I? I was just trying to offer folk not from the South a little explanation, but upon reading these posts again, it seems I missed the humor. I apologize for getting all "preachy" about the subject. :-)