Texas Accent (Houston, Dallas, Weir: school, suburb, Hispanic)

[jm21]

Yes...a while back I did a presentation on black/white segregation in the north and west after Brown v. Board, and it was very enlightening. Then look at how the west coasters treated the Chinese, and all the other groups that the north and west have been racist towards. If I remember right, it was illegal for blacks to even come to OR until the '60s.

It's hilarious to hear people talk about how tolerant the west coast is, then suggest going to get some dim sum in China town, which they think is a great intercultural experience, haha. Can't imagine what would happen if they heard a southerner say "hey, let's go get some ribs in Black Town! Those negroes sure make good ribs!"

Anyways, didn't mean to drag the thread off-topic. Just seems weird that people would have trouble understanding a Texas accent or laughing at it.

I'm curious about swearing down there though. In OR, we swear what seems to me a ridiculous amount, haha. I've seen two county commissioners swearing up and down in an argument in a hallway of a courthouse, and when I'm talking with my friends, the F-bombs seem to drop like a spring rain. The south seems a bit more polite, so maybe that sort of thing wouldn't fly down there.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by jm21

It's hilarious to hear people talk about how tolerant the west coast is, then suggest going to get some dim sum in China town, which they think is a great intercultural experience, haha. Can't imagine what would happen if they heard a southerner say "hey, let's go get some ribs in Black Town! Those negroes sure make good ribs!"

ROFLMBO, They'd think it was a scene out of Mississippi Burning!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by jm21

Yes...a while back I did a presentation on black/white segregation in the north and west after Brown v. Board, and it was very enlightening. Then look at how the west coasters treated the Chinese, and all the other groups that the north and west have been racist towards. If I remember right, it was illegal for blacks to even come to OR until the '60s.

It's hilarious to hear people talk about how tolerant the west coast is, then suggest going to get some dim sum in China town, which they think is a great intercultural experience, haha. Can't imagine what would happen if they heard a southerner say "hey, let's go get some ribs in Black Town! Those negroes sure make good ribs!"

Anyways, didn't mean to drag the thread off-topic. Just seems weird that people would have trouble understanding a Texas accent or laughing at it.

I'm curious about swearing down there though. In OR, we swear what seems to me a ridiculous amount, haha. I've seen two county commissioners swearing up and down in an argument in a hallway of a courthouse, and when I'm talking with my friends, the F-bombs seem to drop like a spring rain. The south seems a bit more polite, so maybe that sort of thing wouldn't fly down there.

Once again, you sound like a mighty good man, JM!

Swearing? Or, cussin' as we call it down here? Good query as to regional perceptions on the topic!

Here in Texas, we KNOW all tbe words. BUT, generally speaking? We have a sense of when and where it is appropriate to use them. ESPECIALLY the "f" word! ~L~

I am totally and absolutely serious (and native Texans here will back me up), when I say that to drop that f-bomb around mothers, granmothers, or ANY elderly lady...in fact, in front of women in general (if not familiar) is a "sin" of the highest order. At best, it is considered "tacky" (another Southern word very hard to translate to a yankee! LOL).

[TexasReb]

And at worst, it will get your butt whupped!

[TexasReb]

I was just thinking, y'all. And this might even be a seperate thread. BUT, for now, I will ask the question here.

Are there any Texas terms/words that you have found very hard to translate to an outsider? Generally speaking, when I say "outsider" I mean someone not from the South...since Texas talk is just the western extention of Southern American English.

But anyway, here are the two that come to mind for me:

"Yonder" and "Tacky."

By way of example, when I say "out yonder" to a yankee, I might as well be talking Greek. So far as "tacky" goes, men don't generally use that word. But our mommas and grandmaws and female kin do, so we have known since childhood what it means.

OK...my own definition:

Yonder: The indefinable distance between yourself and the object or location in question. It can range from ten yards to ten miles.

Tacky: Behaving or acting or speaking in a way that goes against your raising.

Hmmmm...maybe this SHOULD be another thread. What do y'all think?

[GayleTX]

Ah, yes, we really should do that drecly. When? Well, drecly!

All right, Texans.......When is 'drecly' to you?

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by GayleTX

Ah, yes, we really should do that drecly. When? Well, drecly!

All right, Texans.......When is 'drecly' to you?

Hang on a second, GayleTX...I am going to start it! LOL

[blueskies49]

Originally Posted by jm21

...I heard both you guys and y'all growing up quite a bit, but I guess y'all sounds southern, and most "educated" Oregonians have a strong prejudice against the south.

jm21, I understand that the saying of "y'all" in the NW is because there were/are alot of Texans/Southerners who moved to that part of the country. Same as with pockets of California were certain groups say "y'all".

[tstone]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

So far as "tacky" goes, men don't generally use that word.

Maybe not generally but it's still used by everybody.

Like when I see a Cadillac Escalade on 27" rims and mega-chrome kits on the handles, mirrors, doors, etc... and with the fake wood grain all over the interior, that's what I call "tacky."

Or I might call it the "NFL package."

[Darlynn0217]

Oh, absolutely NO cussin' in front of the women or children!!!
Down in Copperas Cove, TX., when I was in Jr. High (about 12 yrs old, I guess), I saw the "f- word", for the first time, written in chalk on the sidewalk. I had NEVER heard it! Went home and asked Mama what it meant...oh my gosh! She turned white and had to sit down!! LOL I didn't get much of an explanation, either!

One of my little idioms is "purty good". That means REALLY great!!
How you doin'? "Purty good!" That means I am having a great day!
How's your dinner? "purty good." That means it's awesome!

How you doin'? "Fine..." That means I am probably having a bad day.

"Fixin' to" is "purty" high on my list, too!

"Djeet yet?" Nope, but I'm cooking beans and cornbread. Ya'll hongry?