Monday, October 18, 2010

Speaking of speaking in tongues...

Once again Mrs. RWP and I find ourselves in Alabamistan for a few days visiting our daughter’s family. So far we have found no BMDs (Banjos of Mass Destruction), but we are keeping our eyes open.

Natives here are divided into two colorful flocks with two distinct calls. One group say “Roll, Tide!” for no apparent reason and the other group say “War Eagle!” almost constantly.

Aside from those fascinating characteristics, Alabamian is not an easy language to understand at times. One must be alert always to the possibility that the natives are speaking in a secret code to mislead the outsider about the very real threat BMDs pose to our way of life.

Example 1: Ah had a raht nahss tahm last Frahdy naht.

Example 2: Chick at awl?**

Example 3: She kayn’t cookda save her lahf. Wah, she don't eebm know howda bawl wawda.

In this respect, Alabamians are similar to the inhabitants of Richmond, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina, who go into raptures over "the buds that wobble in the sprang."

Travel is so broadening.

**Hint: Heard only at full-service gasoline stations.

3 comments:

  1. Hey, Georgia folk may also speak in impenetrable dialects... "” We’re pore folks and it ain’t much but you are welcome to what they is.”

    Read more: http://socyberty.com/languages/north-georgia-mountain-dialect/#ixzz12tSBOGsQ

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  2. The really scary part of all that is that I didn't have to look twice to understand your selected phrases!

    Wishing you a pleasant time in Alabamistan.

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  3. What fun to travel so far and see so much. Maybe I'll get a wild hair and drive all the way to Washington state someday. By the way, did you do any snake handling in Alabamistan? I wouldn't mind if it was a kingsnake, but I hear that they use rattlers.

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

We are bombarded daily by abbreviations in everyday life, abbreviations that are never explained, only assumed to be understood by everyone...