Originally Posted By markedward My cousin Billy Joe took this Southern tendency to use brand names generically to new levels. All sodas were cokes. All refrigerators were Fridgidaires. All mopeds were motorbecanes. All motorcycles were hondas. What kind of honda you got? A Kawasaki. Got any cokes in the fridgidaire? Yeah, you want Mountain Dew or Crush? Coke and honda were the most widely used by others.
Originally Posted By markedward When I briefly moved to Oregon, from North Carolina, and got a job at a bakery a friend with Western and Midwestern roots told me instead of saying "Do you want a bag for your soda?" (Which to her implied a trash bag for your fizzy water.) I should say "Do you want a sack for your pop?" (Which to me implied a large burlap thing with your father inexplicably stuffed in it.) She is also the person who introduced me to butter pecan ice cream. Because of learning about butter pecan ice cream from non-Southerners, I found it odd on reflection, yet perfectly natural to have butter pecan (pu kahn) ice cream with pecan (pee can) pie.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <"Do you want a sack for your pop?" (Which to me implied a large burlap thing with your father inexplicably stuffed in it.)> LOL! As a southerner I can totally see that, heehee.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.<< The refined folks in the Carolinas would never *dream* of using "y'all" for addressing a single person. Only yahoos like Texans would say such a thing. ;-P
Originally Posted By markedward But, alexbook, it would not at all surprise or confuse me to hear someone say "How ya'll doing?" when addressing a single person. It isn't singular. It is just understood that it means "How are you, your mama, and your grandmama doing?"
Originally Posted By avromark What do you call take-out? The 11th State (Canada) is caught between British (Traditional) and American (New Influence) english so for example a Rubber in US is, well you know. In Canada it's that as well as what Brit's use the term for (Eraser). Even within a Region there are city variations, or variations due to ethnicity of local residents. No matter what our speech tendancies in how we pronounce things may still be distinct (or affect neighbouring regions) Ie. The Canadian Rising (Ontario not BC thing), but spreading to Michigan, Upstate New York. Are you rhotic or non-rhotic (ie do you or do you not say "r" Is it a car or a cah? As well in the old days "Standard American" was Mid-West (close to my accent), since this is where all the newscasters such as Walter Cronkite). I was born in the same city (within km's) of where Peter Jennings was born, so you can guess how I sound. But with many shows being taped in California, Vancouver and Toronto these days, Standard American may be changing slightly eh?
Originally Posted By markedward In The Incredibles, Helen Parr calls up a pilot friend to get a fast jet. She tells him she needs "a solid". That just doesn't ring true. Her character is a forty-something suburban stay at home mom. I'm pretty confident her word should be "a favor". There aren't many people over thirty five who say "I need to call in a solid". Outside of trendy circles, that is. And no offense (I'm a stay at home parent myself) Ellen Parr doesn't seem to hang out in trendy circles. Edna Mode, on the other hand ....
