[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: southern chatter

[Iggy McSnurd]

> Suzanne, a former Southerner
>
> If you think all Southerners are rednecks, you are
> very sadly mistaken,
> sir. There are indeed rednecks and there are also
> cultured southerners
> and the accents have little in common.
>

Iggy here:

*laugh* I never said all Southerners were rednecks.  For one, I happen to be
half Southern (my dad was born and raised in the Carolinas) myself, and am
married into a Southern family.  I also pointed out that I happen to be
rather cultured and well educated myself, and even I find myself using
"relaxed English" on occasion.  I wasn't saying that everyone who was raised
down here, or who lives here for more than a year, will automatically start
sounding like the cast of Deliverance.  All I was pointing out with that was
the fact that, no matter how articulate and educated you are, after living
here for a while, you WILL pick up some of the Southern-isms and
occasionally relax you English.  (Just like not all New Yorkers talk like
the Sopranos, and not all Southern Californians sound like Bill and Ted.)

This basic rule would apply to an American moving to Britain (or vice
versa), someone from either place moving to Australia, Someone from
California moving to the South or to New York...  It's a basic social
psychology rule of "social merging with one's environment" and modes of
speech are one area most basically and profoundly effected by this rule.

One other little side note.  Part of the intent of the whole thread is to
make light of something... which is something I was doing.  I'm sure people
would say the same thing if we were having a thread about "New York Slang"
or "British-isms."

Iggy McSnurd