Advice to a Yankee Moving South

slcboston said:

I have found Southern accents to not be too difficult. Rather it's the pace, that inexorable slowness to their speech. It's not localized to the South, as I had one boss in the midwest who told me he couldn't understand me because I spoke too fast.



But accent-wise, even the hard core drawl isn't too bad. I've heard much worse. Even here in the US. (Like, say, Boston's South Side. I swear it's not English.)

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Ha! DH talks really, really fast. When we go back to visit his parents, his Kentucky accent gets really thick. Pair that with the fast speech, and I feel like I need a translator to understand the man I've been married to for almost eleven years!

slcboston said:

I have found Southern accents to not be too difficult. Rather it's the pace, that inexorable slowness to their speech. It's not localized to the South, as I had one boss in the midwest who told me he couldn't understand me because I spoke too fast.

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Come to think of it, we do speak pretty slowly. I never noticed that before...

kaitiepaige17 said:

Oh, and accents of course. That will probably take some getting used to I for one don't have much of a southern drawl, but when I spoke to some guy over the phone once who lived up north he thought I sounded really country. He thought it was cute, but I disagreed entirely

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My momma says only Yankees have accents.

Midnight Star said:

Two words you need to know:

Ya'll
Definition(s):
1. A contraction of the words "you" and "all".
Example: "What can I get ya'll for dinner?"

Ain't
Definition(s)
1. Substitution for "is not".
Example: "That ain't very good."

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Don't forget:

Hale
1. The place General Sherman is goin' after he burnt down Etlanta.

Medievalist said:

My momma says only Yankees have accents.

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I thought you grew up in New Hampshire.

robeiae said:

Don't forget:

Hale
1. The place General Sherman is goin' after he burnt down Etlanta.

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Richtyonder
1. Over there. *points*

Only one suggestion. Accept the people for what they are and the state for what it is. Don't try to change SC into NJ. In turn, you will be accepted. And if you see Cale or Junior, tell 'em I said hey.

I don't agree about the racism, here where I am. It's more like the people you don't know at all might let a word slip thinking you might agree with its use. Then they change their MO when they see that you don't, still friendly, if that makes any sense. There's no need to argue about it, true. They know exactly where most folks stand on it.

I had a lady from England do the same song-and-dance with me on a long flight, so chances are you know the drill anyway

We hold the door for everyone, btw, and smile at everyone if it's a nice day. I held the door for what on closer inspection were gang members in a convenience store on the outskirts of DC, and I swear I nearly got my head handed to me on a platter. It's just habit! I had no idea it could actually be dangerous. I was young.

Beware of the uber-sweet ladies who gossip way too much. They don't like you, either Best to just nod a lot and find an excuse to go.

"Bless your heart" is not always a compliment, for the record

backslashbaby said:

Beware of the uber-sweet ladies who gossip way too much. They don't like you, either Best to just nod a lot and find an excuse to go.

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Definitely. I know a lot of these people. They cause A LOT of trouble.

Midnight Star said:

Ya'll
Definition(s):
1. A contraction of the words "you" and "all".
Example: "What can I get ya'll for dinner?"

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That applies to as few as 1 person to the proverbial 5000 or more.

sassandgroove said:

People will smile and wave when you walk by and waitresses will call you "Honey."

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Can we call the waitresses "Flo?"

MattW said:

Can we call the waitresses "Flo?"

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They'll probably tell you to eat their grits if you do.

Komnena said:

They'll probably tell you to eat their grits if you do.

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Which is another thing. Grits in the south = good. Grits in the north = not good.

Whatever you do, don't put sugar and milk on your grits. Salt, pepper and butter should do it for you.

Strangers will nod, smile, and wave at you when you pass them on the street (when walking and driving). They aren't being creepy stalkers. They're being friendly.

People are big on manners in the South. Say please and thank you, even at the drive-thru at McDonald's.

Your new neighbors will probably stop by to say hello and exchange phone numbers. It's a little weird, but when you're out of town, you'll appreciate the fact that a nosy neighbor is keeping watch.

In the South, sometimes 'dinner' really means 'lunch'. So, when scheduling meetings with people, nail down a specific time of day.

And lastly, when driving, don't honk your horn excessively or yell at people. It's just not smart to provoke people who keep guns in their trucks.

Smish said:

Strangers will nod, smile, and wave at you when you pass them on the street (when walking and driving). They aren't being creepy stalkers. They're being friendly.

People are big on manners in the South. Say please and thank you, even at the drive-thru at McDonald's.

Your new neighbors will probably stop by to say hello and exchange phone numbers. It's a little weird, but when you're out of town, you'll appreciate the fact that a nosy neighbor is keeping watch.

In the South, sometimes 'dinner' really means 'lunch'. So, when scheduling meetings with people, nail down a specific time of day.

And lastly, when driving, don't honk your horn excessively or yell at people. It's just not smart to provoke people who keep guns in their trucks.

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I think this is my favorite reply yet.

Haggis said:

I thought you grew up in New Hampshire.*

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I did; I am lovingly referred to by my Southern Stainless Steel Magnolia mother, native of Edgefield County, SC as her "Yankee changeling."

Haggis said:

Which is another thing. Grits in the south = good. Grits in the north = not good.

Whatever you do, don't put sugar and milk on your grits. Salt, pepper and butter should do it for you.

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Grits in Charlestown area--buttered, and served with shrimp, green onions, bacon, and grated cheese.

No, my arteries don't work--why do you ask?

C.bronco said:

LOL, my cousin, who will be right down the street from me, grew up in the Live Free Or Die State. His accent is heavier than his native wife's.

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My entire family mocks me ruthlessly. I have the intrusive R, for instance.

But my mother's sister is my Ant, not my Aren't, which was the standard where I grew up; I inherited a bastard dialect from my Floridian father and South Carolinian mother.

There's a lot of great advice! The only thing no one has mentioned is that even if you learn to pause for a short silent blessing everytime you say "Junior" and follow all the rules,... you'll need to remember that we still don't want you here, and secretly hope you'll go back home soon.

There,... now you're ready

[QUOTE="Bless your heart" is not always a compliment, for the record [/QUOTE]
Too true! All kinds of criticism follows the phrase "Bless her heart!" And usually with a smile to go along with it.

I've lived in the South all my life so I don't really know anything else. But friends of mine who have moved here from the North comment on how friendly everyone is and how slowly life moves down here.

Also, a friend from Chicago complained that someone can sit through an entire green light and nobody even says anything or honks their horn ... they just wait until the light turns green again.

Y'all will have a great time here in da South. I'm a transported Yank too, C.b Hope you'll luv it 'n much good luck. s