Talk like a Texan: "Texisms" 4

[wahnula]

Hello all,

I was raised by foreign-born immigrants from Europe (Czech & Italian) via the Northeast (NY & NJ). I grew up in Miami, FL, and my science-teacher-mom made sure I did not have any perceptible accent. She had a bit of a Northeast accent I detected when she said words like "semesteh" but for the most part was accent-free, a tribute to the mood of the immigrants of the era, to learn English properly and only use their native tongue in the household with their parents. She still speaks Slovak with her old friends.

I have lived and visited all over this grand country, and finally settled in Texas 10 years ago. I encountered an entirely new (to me) dialect. At first I chalked it up to my blue-collar co-workers, but the more time I spent I realized this was the way things are done here, even among the college-educated.

The first anomaly I noted was the use of the word "chunk" for "chuck" (to throw something away). I realized this was regional when a local news announcer said a problem at the county jail was "chunking", where inmates would throw, er, feces at the guards.

Another common Texism is "put your John Henry" (signature) as a substitute for "John Hancock". I asked a co-worker, a college graduate and retired teacher, what the common saying for "signing a document" was and he said "John Henry" followed by a moment of thought and then "No, wait, it's John Hancock"...so he did know the correct way, but chose the Texism instead.

I also noted a tendency for locals to accent the first syllable of words like "insurance" and "umbrella". Other words in this category are "reward", "fantastic" & "potential"...to name only a few. The opposite is true of pecan, which I pronounced PEE-can. I was corrected my first day of work (on Pecan Orchard Road) that "we say pih-CAHN." The Monroe exit off of I-45 is, you guessed it, MON-row.

Being so close to Mexico, one would think the default would be like Spanish, which accents the second-to-last syllable. Who knows, maybe this was chosen as a way to prove one was NOT Mexican???

Another Texism is, when the object (or last word) of a sentence is it, the word it is always stressed. For instance, the phrase"you power down the router and connect the CAT5 cable to it" becomes "you power down the router and connect the CAT5 cable to it"

These are not accent-based, like "may-zhure" for "measure" and "whale" for "well". This is a manner of spoken American English unique to this area. Anyone have any clue how these Texisms got started? How about any local "isms" you find interesting? There are so many Briticisms that we'll need a separate post for it .

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[flapeyre]

Back when Dandy Don was on Monday Night Football, he used to say that the QB could really "thow" the ball.



Da mihi sis crustum Etruscum cum omnibus in eo.

 

[traingamer]

Put your John Henry and your put your John Hancock are pretty much interchangeable throughout the country. So your assessment of the correct way is debatable.

I have friends from Alabama, and I have to ask for a translation every once in a while.

Mash that pedal = step on the gas / brake

Many of your Texisms can be found in Missouri (although the usage is perhaps not as widespread).

And don't get me started on my native Pittsburgh, where we had spigots (usually pronounced spickets) rather than faucets, and we played in the creek (pronounced crick). Pittsburghese can (and does) fill a several small books.

Greg
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. Kierkegaard

 

[Michael52x]

My mother was from Michigan, and my father from Texas.
Born in Michigan, when asked where Im from, I say I am half American. When asked what's the other half?
I proudly say "Texan!"
The only state with the ability to fully cede from the USA, and become it's own entity.
"Texan" is really derived from all the "other" states people populating it.

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[wahnula]

Yes, I'm sure many of these "Texisms" are regional, not just confined to Texas. I was still amazed at how differently people spoke here (not just accents, which occur everywhere), enough for a "stranger" like me to take note, enough to document a handful in this post. It's really like no place else, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

The "John Henry" thing was never heard by these ears anywhere else in this country or others. I guess if enough people do it, it's not incorrect, but the origins of "John Hancock", the bold, flourished signature on the Declaration of Independence is well known (or should be) by every American school child, and at least provides some reasoning for using the phrase.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[SantaMufasa]

During my time in The Republic of Texas, I heard things like:

Mash 'Taters : Mashed Potatoes
Meeyun : 1000 x 1000
Sail : Transact for money
Bale : An object that rings
Y'all : You
Y'all's : Your (singular possessive)
All Y'all's : Your (plural possessive)
Rether : "I don't know rether or not to go."
Bub : an incandescent, light-emitting object
Co'Cola : any variety or flavour of soft drink
Shugah : an attractive young lady
Bubba : any blue-collar worker

Some of the above terms have oozed into (or from) other localities below the Mason-Dixon line.

I also noted a tendency for locals to accent the first syllable of words like "insurance"

...And to be precise, in addition to accenting the first syllable (where Northerners accent the second), Texans also reduce it a two-syllable word:

IN-shurnce

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[ESquared]

My experience is that people who speak regional English in the US can't hear their own differences. I was in Tennessee for two weeks one time and was very fascinated by and focused on the pronunciation differences. I had lunch with one guy and we talked about it. He literally could not hear the extra vowel sound he was putting in to many words.

 

[SF0751]

The only state with the ability to fully cede from the USA, and become it's own entity.

ARRGGHHH!!!! I hate seeing this "fact" in print!

Another Texas-related legend holds that the Texas negotiated an annexation treaty which reserved to them the right to secede from the Union without the consent of the U.S. Congress, but the terms of Texas' annexation contain no such provision.

Susan
"When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers." - Oscar Wilde, An Ideal husband, 1893

 

[Michael52x]

A BIG state, with BIG whoppers! Yes, it is not in the available info of the publically viewable treaty. The original is a well kept secret, and for the good of the union is not available for arguement. It is recompense for the nations "Emminent Domain" clause.
Any old Texans out there that know?

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[SF0751]

You must be a Larry Kilgore fan.

Actually, you may be referring to this:

Texans are justly proud of living in a state that was once an independant republic and that entered the Union by treaty, not by act of Congress. Surprise! Texas did *not* enter the Union by treaty. Though at the time of its admission the two countries were negotiating a treaty of annexation, President John Tyler, as one of his last acts in office, offered statehood under the terms drawn up by the House of Representatives. As a result, Texas got a better deal than it would have under the treaty. For example, it became a state immediately, without having to pass through a probationary period as a mere territory.

The terms of the congressional bill included a requirement that Texas cede to the US all forts, barracks, navy yards, and other property pertaining to the public defense, but it also allowed Texas to keep its public lands, a generous condition rarely found in annexation treaties. However, in exchange for that concession, Texas also had to maintain responsibility for its own public debt.

From "The Truth About Texas" by Anne Dingus

Susan
"When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers." - Oscar Wilde, An Ideal husband, 1893

 

[mmerlinn]

Here in the Northwest "John Henry" is common. I can't remember that last time I heard "John Hancock" which means I have not heard it for decades.

And I even had a customer about 20 years ago whose name was "John Henry Smith" and he always signed everything "John Henry", never using the "Smith" part of his name.

mmerlinn

http://mmerlinn.com

"Political correctness is the BADGE of a COWARD!"

 

[LNBruno]

"John Henry Smith" and he always signed everything "John Henry", never using the "Smith" part of his name.

And all the lawyers in the house said....

;-)

< M!ke >
[small]Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?[/small]

 

[wahnula]

...And to be precise, in addition to accenting the first syllable (where Northerners accent the second), Texans also reduce it a two-syllable word...

...then there's always the one-syllable words that become two syllable (or more) like bridge becomes BREE-yudge...

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[dgillz]

I have never heard of the John Henry thing ever in my life. The rest of what you call Texisms is just a southern accent, IMHO.

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

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[Opieo]

I have lived in Michigan my whole life.

I am a believer that wherever you live, the people there do not have an accent. It is everybody else who has the accent. Living in Michigan the speech here feels normal. We often describe some people as having a southern accent considering one of our plants is in South Carolina, and another in Georgia.

They say we have a northern accent.
I think it is great how everybody has accents. I feel that it shines more light on the language and its ability to adapt. I realize that even though I do not feel like it, simply because I am used to it, I do have a Michigan or Midwest accent.

One of the things people do here that twist speech is to add an S to a title for no good reason. Take the store of Meijer for example. People call it Meijers. There is no S in the title, yet one is added. I must say that this slightly bugs me, but not too much. I tend to curse myself when I find myself calling it Meijers or adding an S to something. However, I would be lying if I said I didn't do it. ^_^

~
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

 

[wahnula]

I have never heard of the John Henry thing ever in my life.

Thanks for the validation. I had never heard of it either.

The rest of what you call Texisms is just a southern accent, IMHO

I grew up in the deep south, and went to the rural part of central Florida for my college, and I heard some real redneck southern accents there.

My point is there is a totally unique and specific regional dialect developed and used here in Texas, foreign enough to my ear to become noticeable and noteworthy. It may be more regional than just Texas but I haven't spent enough time in the western and northern neighboring states to make that call.

The attitude here is so different, too. People wave to each other. People hold open the door for you. Strike up conversations in line. When I first moved here from Miami I wondered why that guy held the door for me at the convenience store, smiled, and said hello. Did he want some money? Was he going to jack me? Nope, just a Texan being a Texan.

There's a bumper sticker that says "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could". That's the way I feel after 10 years here.


Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[imnotcourtney]

Some disconcerting Texisms:

Fixin' to (getting ready to)
Cut off (turn off) the light
Get down from (out of) the car

And yet I have found myself on occasion letting one or more slip.
"When in Rome..." (Maybe I got here TOO soon.)

 

[AnotherHiggins]

-> Fixin' to (getting ready to)

I live in NC. On a particularly lazy day, you might hear someone say that they are "fixin' to get ready" (to leave).

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[tcsbiz]

As far as signing one's name by putting your John Henry:

I live in Wisconsin, or as Texan's say it, WesCONsin. We say "write your John Smith". I don't know why John Smith is used. I have also heard John Hancock but not John Henry.

Fixin' is used a lot in the South.

You can get a meal with all the fixins'.
You ask a mechanic about your car and he would say "I'm fixin' et." The "et" is intended.
Ask someone to so something and they may reply, "I'm fixin' to."

A friend from Texas was visiting. He "fixed" a part on my car. It didn't work right. He then proceeded to fix the fix. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "I'm fixin' to be fixin' the fixin'." I took it to a mechanic.

 

[Opieo]

John Hancock.
Pft.
Its Herbie Hancock."

~
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.