West Virginia...Southern or Northern?

[01va571]

Originally Posted by tallydude02

There's something similar on the General US Forum regarding this topic.

Again, I think alot of this has to do with where in WV one grew up. Being from north central WV, I don't feel like it's southern. Appalachian yes, southern no. There's a difference.

But to call north central West Virginia northern makes little sense too. I think it's own region. A mixture of both regions if you will. A nice mixture at that.

Appalachian dialect is considered a southern dialect.
Southern American English: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

IMHO Appalachian is leaning more to the south.
Appalachian Culture

[tallydude02]

Originally Posted by 01va571

Appalachian dialect is considered a southern dialect.
Southern American English: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

IMHO Appalachian is leaning more to the south.
Appalachian Culture

A good chunk of PA is Appalachian too but you never hear it group with the southern states. Parts of Ohio are included in it too.

But I see your point though.

[01va571]

Originally Posted by tallydude02

A good chunk of PA is Appalachian too but you never hear it group with the southern states. Parts of

Originally Posted by tallydude02

Ohio are included in it too.

But I see your point though.

I just identify West Virginia with a deep state in the south rather than a northern one. West Virginia is almost at the same pace as Alabama, minus the crime.

As far as accent from PA vs. WV is similar but there are some differences. You would hear someone from PA say something regularly like You'ns, younz, and you's, I can’t recall hearing someone from WV talking like that. However, more people in WV say pop than coke (Which is northern), if you go in the Deep South people will always refer any soda as "coke". Some people in WV might speak with a Virginia piedmont or Tidewater like accent that you wouldn’t typically hear in Ohio. However, Pennsylvania might have a few similarities except the northern part of the state which is completely northern in dialect. As far as speaking like washed = Warshed, House = Hoose, out = ote, some Pennsylvanian's might talk like a Virginian slightly, but is much deeper in Virginia of course. The Appalachian accent can be heard into southwest and central Virginia. Allot of people in Ohio tend to speak with a Midwestern "rustbelt" variant, but the Appalachian accent is there.

[appalachick]

I've read back about 4 pages and will read the rest later (I always start on the last page for some reason). Such interesting opinions and so nicely shared!

I grew up in NCWV. My dad's half of the family has been in VA/WV since the late 1600's. My mom's father's side was living in SCWV as far back as the Civil War (before that, I don't know). My mom's mother's side came from central Europe in the early 20th century. My dad's and mom's father's sides of the family are typical Protestant, Scots-Irish people and up to my parents generation, I would strongly identify them as southern in dialect, culture, religion, traditions, food, etc- even though it was my grandparents generation who moved up to northern WV. However, I never thought of myself as southern- until I moved to NC 20 years ago. If I were at a party with a mix of native North Carolinians and transplants from the midwest and NY/NJ ('cause that's how it would actually be, lol)- I would never be identified as someone from the midwest and of course, certainly not from NY/NJ.

My husband's side of the family are all from southern WV (Beckley), though I believe his paternal grandparents' parents moved north from other deep south states in the early 20th century. They are southern, there is no question about that.

Now, this is just my humble opinion, but I believe those of my generation (early 40's) who grew up in ncwv self-identify as NON-southern because we were raised to believe that we were going to have to go outside WV to make our way in the world and taking on the mantle of being southern as well as appalachian (with the negative connotations- whether they're true or not) was something undesired. Sad, really.

I love that quote by Robert C. Byrd that WVPharm included a few pages back. I really believe that historically it's a southern state with a few areas that have a strong influence by their border states.

[tallydude02]

Originally Posted by appalachick

I've read back about 4 pages and will read the rest later (I always start on the last page for some reason). Such interesting opinions and so nicely shared!

I grew up in NCWV. My dad's half of the family has been in VA/WV since the late 1600's. My mom's father's side was living in SCWV as far back as the Civil War (before that, I don't know). My mom's mother's side came from central Europe in the early 20th century. My dad's and mom's father's sides of the family are typical Protestant, Scots-Irish people and up to my parents generation, I would strongly identify them as southern in dialect, culture, religion, traditions, food, etc- even though it was my grandparents generation who moved up to northern WV. However, I never thought of myself as southern- until I moved to NC 20 years ago. If I were at a party with a mix of native North Carolinians and transplants from the midwest and NY/NJ ('cause that's how it would actually be, lol)- I would never be identified as someone from the midwest and of course, certainly not from NY/NJ.

My husband's side of the family are all from southern WV (Beckley), though I believe his paternal grandparents' parents moved north from other deep south states in the early 20th century. They are southern, there is no question about that.

Now, this is just my humble opinion, but I believe those of my generation (early 40's) who grew up in ncwv self-identify as NON-southern because we were raised to believe that we were going to have to go outside WV to make our way in the world and taking on the mantle of being southern as well as appalachian (with the negative connotations- whether they're true or not) was something undesired. Sad, really.

I love that quote by Robert C. Byrd that WVPharm included a few pages back. I really believe that historically it's a southern state with a few areas that have a strong influence by their border states.

Great post!

I've vistied the deep south states of SC, GA, and AL, and honestly I felt out of place in those states. I lived in Florida at one time, but in an area of many non-southerners. But strangely I felt more grounded in Florida than in the other southern states. However, I also knew tons of former WVians in Florida too.

I actually feel more comfortable in northern and central WV and the surrounding states of PA (southwestern portion), OH (eastern portion), KY, VA, and MD.

I guess it depends on your perspective.

[smalltownsouthernman]

I grew up in a smalltown not to far outside of Elkins, and I have to say that everyone outside of Elkins north, south, east, and west, while not considering themselves southern people, carry the morals and values, the accent, and overall culture of the southern people.

[CTMountaineer]

The State has both northern and southern traits and is strongly imbued with Appalachian culture in all areas. The areas from Northcentral northward are a blend of Midwestern/Northern/Appalachian, the Eastern Panhandle is Mid Atlantic/Appalachian, and from Parkersburg south it is Southern/Appalachian.

Huntington is basically like it is in Kentucky and has Southern/Appalachian characteristics but is distinct in that it more closely resembles eastern Kentucky than any part of West Virginia.