Texas Tawk Part II (San Antonio, West: public school, plantation, associations)

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

OR...maybe eastern NM has something in common with far West Texas...? *grins*

Actually, Cathy, I am not being a smarta$$. Eastern New Mexico WAS, for a long time, referred to as "little Texas" because that was the western most extention of Texas/Southern settlement.

Yes, Eastern NM does have many things in common with WT....as does South Central where I now live (Alamogordo)...it's much like EP with more mountains and scenery. The mix of people here is varied.....lots of Texans..AND Midwesterners, too!

I also have High Rolls and Cloudcroft very close by when I want out of the heat/desert and into high, cool piney woods!!

That is the worst thing about Texas...it is SO dammed HOT. 3/4 of the state is humid, too.

Having said that, it's not going to be any picnic here over the next few days.....highs in mid to upper 90s for 2-3 days. The saving grace is that it gets hotter later, and the nights always cool down quite a bit. Even Midland isn't as dry and cool at night as it was 25 years ago.

It may prove too hot here too, but I still have to drive back to WT to check on the folks, so I'll be here for the foreseeable future. I love it here, though, and I do wish it were in TX....!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Yes, Eastern NM does have many things in common with WT....as does South Central where I now live (Alamogordo)...it's much like EP with more mountains and scenery. The mix of people here is varied.....lots of Texans..AND Midwesterners, too!

I also have High Rolls and Cloudcroft very close by when I want out of the heat/desert and into high, cool piney woods!!

That is the worst thing about Texas...it is SO dammed HOT. 3/4 of the state is humid, too.

Cathy, my friend, I was JUST thinking about you when I came across this map on another thread! LOL

http://www.noerf.com/irk/ANE.JPG

I am not really sure why eastern New Mexico is "colored" different than what is labeled "Texas South" dialect (mostly West Texas), so I have a few problems with its validity in terms of linguistics....but all in all, I don't find much to argue with.

What do you think? *curious*

Also, I liked your mention of the "cool" piney woods! We (meaning my family when I was growing up) used to vacation in Ruidosa (sp?) New Mexico...and I can STILL recall, even in summer time, that crisp smell of the mountain pines! Loved it! Quite a bit different from the piney woods of East Texas (which I love..don't get me wrong) and have a totally different "aroma" about them. More that "sweetish", humid, scent of the Deep South.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Cathy, my friend, I was JUST thinking about you when I came across this map on another thread! LOL

http://www.noerf.com/irk/ANE.JPG

I am not really sure why eastern New Mexico is "colored" different than what is labeled "Texas South" dialect (mostly West Texas), so I have a few problems with its validity in terms of linguistics....but all in all, I don't find much to argue with.

What do you think? *curious*

Also, I liked your mention of the "cool" piney woods! We (meaning my family when I was growing up) used to vacation in Ruidosa (sp?) New Mexico...and I can STILL recall, even in summer time, that crisp smell of the mountain pines! Loved it! Quite a bit different from the piney woods of East Texas (which I love..don't get me wrong) and have a totally different "aroma" about them. More that "sweetish", humid, scent of the Deep South.

Hmmmmm......I am not sure that I agree with that diagram. I am assuming that the entire gray area is "South." The crosshatching for "Texas South" stops just barely outside of the state line, and should extend a little farther west, IMHO.

Another question......Alamogordo falls barely outside of the medium gray area, into the white, as do South Texas, the Alpine/Big Bend area and El Paso.

Where do they fall? Maybe I don't understand the diagram??

There is a huge difference between the mountain piney woods and East Texas piney woods, for sure. While ET piney woods are beautiful, the humidity is just choking. The smell you mention (sort of a muddy, earthy damp smell) is also present in LA/MS.....it doesn't take long for me to just wilt and drag in that kind of climate. I didn't feel good the entire time I was east/south....a line a few miles out of Abilene is when I really start feeling the humidity!

I haven't been to Ruidoso (48 miles northeast of here) since 1984, so I'm looking forward to visiting again!! I would have gone this winter had there been any decent snow for skiing--nope!!

[TexasHorseLady]

Coming in late here, I took the test and ended up with a Neutral accent by their lights. But it's not really fair - my father, who had a very STRONG Texas accent (East Texas - as we all - well, most of us know, Texas, being the melting pot that it is and as big as it is, has several different accents), always corrected my pronunciation by the dictionary when I was a little girl. The result is that no matter where I go, even East Texas where I grew up, everyone thinks I have an accent from somewhere else, they just can't quite figure out where that somewhere else is!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Hmmmmm......I am not sure that I agree with that diagram. I am assuming that the entire gray area is "South." The crosshatching for "Texas South" stops just barely outside of the state line, and should extend a little farther west, IMHO.

Another question......Alamogordo falls barely outside of the medium gray area, into the white, as do South Texas, the Alpine/Big Bend area and El Paso.

Where do they fall? Maybe I don't understand the diagram??

I agree that lots of things about this map lack for sure! Now, I DO particularly agree with what seems to be a connection with the North/West Texas are labeled "Texas South" being associated with the areas of north Alabama and east Tennessee. Accents and dialects are very similar, from my own experience.

But yes, I think you are right that the Texas South extention should have been the "shade" into Eastern New Mexico...!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Coming in late here, I took the test and ended up with a Neutral accent by their lights. But it's not really fair - my father, who had a very STRONG Texas accent (East Texas - as we all - well, most of us know, Texas, being the melting pot that it is and as big as it is, has several different accents), always corrected my pronunciation by the dictionary when I was a little girl. The result is that no matter where I go, even East Texas where I grew up, everyone thinks I have an accent from somewhere else, they just can't quite figure out where that somewhere else is!

LOL Touche' THL!

But seriously, I truly confess to being surprised that so many of us "regulars" on the Texas thread, do not register as "strongly" as the linguistic studies say we should. If that makes sense.

At the same time though, a lot of ones "accent" depends on lots of variables. My brother, for instance, is a software designer for Sprint, and now lives in SouthLake. He had at LEAST a strong Texas/Southern accent as anybody growing up. BUT...he has lived down there for the past 10 years, is surrounded by a lot of migrated northerners, and his once "strong" Southern American English, has been diluted considerably.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

I agree that lots of things about this map lack for sure! Now, I DO particularly agree with what seems to be a connection with the North/West Texas are labeled "Texas South" being associated with the areas of north Alabama and east Tennessee. Accents and dialects are very similar, from my own experience.

But yes, I think you are right that the Texas South extention should have been the "shade" into Eastern New Mexico...!

I would probably agree that eastern TN is very similar....but I don't know about northern AL. I DO know that the central and southern areas of AL ARE very much what I would consider a heavy "deep south" southern accent!!

[TexasHorseLady]

I went to that map, and went back to the main website that it was on (which isn't being updated regularly now, it says), and it appeared to be a site about some TV show or other.

[Cathy4017]

But seriously, I truly confess to being surprised that so many of us "regulars" on the Texas thread, do not register as "strongly" as the linguistic studies say we should. If that makes sense.

Again...you are assuming that all native Texans should have a heavy "deep south" accent...and strangely enough, SOME do. It's even noticeable to someone like me who has lived in WT most of her life!

We always had friends who came to WT to deer hunt every year from Morgan City, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, etc. LA.....now there is a distinctly heavy southern accent...and many from ET sound the same to me.

One guy from Morgan City walked into our kitchen one afternoon....

"Oh, ah see thayat yawl got a nyew refrijarahtuh! And it's a FrigiDAH!!!"

Even at the tender age of 8 years, I have never forgotten that!

[Alatex]

I would probably agree that eastern TN is very similar....but I don't know about northern AL.

Just the northeastern corner of Alabama is what I'd consider Appalachian. A good example is the country music group "Alabama" from Ft. Payne.