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I've never heard any of those things said by anyone since I've been here, whether they are a NC native or not. Most of the native NC's I know barely have any accent. My friend who went to UGA for 8 years of schooling has a heavier southern accent than them, and uses more southern phrases than they do (she asked for sweet tea her first trip back to NY and the server was like "whaaaat?").
My kids have given me a few though. THey've "yes ma'am"ed me a couple of times and the other day one of them asked me for an "ink pen".
Doesn't everyone ask for an ink pen? What do you call ink pens where you came from?
My family on my Daddy's side goes way, way back in Bladen county. Down there in addition to the aforementioned "carry you to the store" they also say "low" as in short, like "Stuart got all the height in the family—Martha's right low." Like she's low to the ground or a low-rider. My 90 yr old aunt still uses "low" this way to describe herself. (She is quite on the "low" side at about 5 ft.)
My Daddy also used to say AM bu LANCE with emphasis on the first and last syllables.
Is your family from or from near Harnett County by chance? I live in Raleigh, but work in HC. I was told this: most of the bills back in the olden days in HC came from Dunn (which was the "big city" of HC apparently), so people said "I got a Dunn in the mail today". This is just what one of the old-timers told me.
Not sure what county my granny was from but it was her that mostly said dunn, she's passed so I can't ask her.
One of my grad school classmates shared a similar story; a mother was telling her child that she was "actin' ugly", and my classmate thought it was SO horrible that a woman would call her child "ugly". She found out later it refers to behavior, not looks. LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by twingles
I think you just answered your own question. Perhaps many natives are like you and talk one way at home and another way when out in public. The question you should be asking is why do you do that?
I think I do that because some people think you are uneducated or a hick if you use the words you were raised with or have a southern accent. I don't know how that started but it seems a lot do it. Even news casters dont have accents anymore to seem... educated? Not sure...
By the way I don't know where in NJ that guy was from but I've never, ever heard any one from the northeast say "switch off the light" - maybe HIS ancestors came from a different part of the country??? Although I'm from NY my mom is from NH, the child of Canadien immigrants and she says some things strangely that got passed down to us kids. We also used to say "crack the window".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Walter
When a southerner say a pack of nabs, they are talking about the orange Toast Chee from Lance out of Charlotte.
How bout a mater sammich with Duke's mayo and black pepper? Or a Nease's liver pudding sammich toasted wonder bread with Duke's and peppers. Those are both some kinda fine eaten.
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