A-huntin' The Sources of Appalachian English

Backcountry Notes ^ | March 26, 2010 | Jay Henderson

[jay1949]

An order of the Virginia Colonial Council dated May 4, 1725, concerned an allegation that "divers Indians plundered the Quarters of Mr. John Taliaferro near the great mountains [i.e., the Blue Ridge] . . .[and carried off] some of the Guns belonging to and marked with the name of Spottsylvania County . . . ." The Council concluded: "It is ordered that it be referred to Colo. Harrison to make inquiry which of the Nottoway Indians or other Tributaries have been out ahunting about that time . . . ."

Now, the Colonial Council was an august body and its proceedings were formal, so we can be sure that "ahunting" was not common slang. It was, on the contrary, an accepted usage which is now obsolete except in Appalachia and the Ozarks, where folks still go "out a-huntin'."

[Boonie]

More southernese.....

“I’m a-fixin’ to do something...”
and
“I’m gettin’ ready to do something...”

[Boonie]

You got ‘em, thar!!!!*G*

Also, per J Foxworthy....”If you’re naked, it means you got no clothes on...If you’re nekkid, itmeans you got no clothes on and you’re up to somethin’...”

[varina davis]

He’s/she’s a mess! (mess — funny, nutty, etc.)

Goin’ to carry my folks to church. (carry — drive)

Greens and pot likker

[Texas Mulerider]

I’ll try to thing of something while I warsh my truck.

[Texas Mulerider]

Greens and pot likker

No cornbread?

[varina davis]

You betcha! Tomato gravy and grits, too

[RegulatorCountry]

Mr. John Taliaferro

He has descendants in Surry County, NC. That surname is on a memorial at Guilford Battleground National Military Park.

[OB1kNOb]

Scotch-Irish speech found in the Appalachians and the Ozarks is also called southern highland or southern midland speech.They say whar for where, thar for there, hard for hired,critter for creature,sartin for certain,a-goin for going, hit for it, far for fire,deef for deaf,pizen for poison,nekkid for naked, eetch for itch,boosh for bush.

That's pert'near common language from 'round this neck of the woods. ;-)

[Boonie]

I’m gonna cook up a mess o’ greens....

[Madame Dufarge]

According to Fischer, the foundation of American culture was formed from four mass emigrations from four different regions of Britain by four different socio-religious groups. New England's constitutional period occurred between 1629 and 1640 when Puritans, most from East Anglia, settled there. The next mass migration was of southern English cavaliers and their servants to the Chesapeake Bay region between 1640 and 1675. Then, between 1675 and 1725 thousands of Quakers, led by William Penn settled the Delaware Valley. Finally, English, Scots, and Irish from the borderlands settled in Appalachia between 1717 and 1775. Each of these migrations produced a distinct regional culture which can still be seen in America today.

Albion's Seed

[RegulatorCountry]

They say whar for where, thar for there

"Uppahr" for up there, "ovvahr" for over there.

[Boonie]

A few years back, I was at the warehouse selling my tobacco and a TV crew was there...They interviewed an old mountain farmer who said, “We call it backer (tobacco), but thu city folk call it terbacker...”

I got a kick out of that....*G*

[Genoa]

far for fire

A Tennessee holiday joke: Q. Why did the three wise men smell like smoke? A. They came from afar.

[RegulatorCountry]

Pert’near but not plumb, depends on which hollar. Up one hollar, they talk this a way, up anothern they talk that a way.

[PAR35]

I’m a fixin’ to bookmark this here thread.

[Semper Mark]

"There are similarities today between Appalachian speech and dialects of English still spoken in the UK."

I've noticed that too. Heck, some of those English folks speak the language almost as good as we do in East Tennessee. ☺

I also hear a lot of similarities with the Scots and the Irish in the way that they round off their g's the way that we do, e.g. fishin', huntin' and cookin' etc.

[Boonie]

“That Suzie....She’s shore a rite purdy gurl....

[jay1949]

There are Taliafferos (aka Tolliver) all over Virginia and NC, including s few up here in the mountains where I live. Pleased to know that a Taliaffero was at Guilford CH; four of my ancestors were there as well (one cavalry officer, two gunners, and one militiaman). Good company!

[TankerKC]

I feel like that da da da.

Yep...I've noticed that.

[Joe 6-pack]

“I just changed the oil in the D-9. What I did...I’ve always wondered where this came from.”

The structure and conjugation are suggestive of Cajun/French English. I bet if you dug into his background you'd find either some Louisiana or Quebec connections and influence.