Do We Talk Funny?
Has American English become homogenized? Have our regional ways of saying particular things — sometimes in very particular ways — receded into the past? Or do we talk as funny as ever?
One famous colloquial difference in the United States is the way a person refers to a carbonated beverage. There are regional borders that separate the usage of the words “soda”, “pop”, “soft drink”, and “Coke” (used as a generic term and not just to refer to the brand). I grew up saying “pop”.
When I first moved from Wyoming to California, I had to learn to speak differently. I didn’t realize I said “rilly” instead of “really”, “git” for “get” and “crick” instead of “creek”. I’d “mosey” down the street or be “fixin’” to get ready. We did the wash and not the laundry.
Besides colloquialisms, there are also regionalisms, words pertaining to a particular region or state. Obviously, I don’t know where all my readers are from, although I know some of the states. So with that in mind, I went and checked out a few to get us started.
- California: make the riffle — to succeed
- Georgia: burk — vomit
- Hawaii: huhu — angry
- Illinois: scramble dinner — potluck supper
- Michigan: sewing needle — dragonfly
- Minnesota: ish — expression of disgust
- New Mexico: colchon — mattress
- North Carolina: table tapper — amateur preacher
- Oregon: cho-cho — small boy
- South Carolina: cascade — vomit
- Wisconsin - whoopensocker — something extraordinary
- Wyoming: dout — extinguish
If I haven’t listed your state, click here and let us know in the comments.
Our Daily Dose of Helpers
1. This Guy has Fed Dogs of the City’s Homeless for 5 Years
For the last five years of his life, Paul Crowell has been a guardian angel to hundreds of homeless people and their dogs.
It all started when Crowell used to walk to work in San Francisco, California. A self-professed animal lover, he was heartbroken by the number of dogs he would see struggling alongside their homeless human counterparts on the streets.
Coincidentally, Crowell worked at a doggy daycare and boarding facility that would always throw out their extra pet food. Instead of letting it go to waste, Crowell came up with a perfect solution for the excess kibble.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org/...
2. When Hiker finds Injured Spaniel at the Top of a Mountain
When hikers found an injured dog on the side of a mountain, one determined woman slung the 50-pound animal around her neck in hopes of reuniting him with his family.
Tia Vargas found the pup when she was hiking through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming on an annual trek with her father last month. Tia wanted to travel all the way up to the 11,000-foot peak, while her father decided to wait on the trail as she soldiered on ahead.
One mile up, she found a concerned family standing next to an injured English springer spaniel. The dog was limping, but the owners were nowhere to be found in the surrounding area. www.goodnewsnetwork.org/…
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Strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others.