PSA: southern U.S. english is a darn-tootin' mess.

[@youbinsou6786]

I'm just shocked that we also have the exactly saying" Oooo, You're telling stories" in my hometown( a small southern town of China, a dialect belongs to Wu Chinese which kind of very differenrt from Mandarin! That's just amazing

[@elyssedavega]

Hahaha wow! That's so funny and unexpected.

[@katherinebalic2253]

It's really cool that you appreciate where you are from. I spend a lot of time in Germany, but I am from Adelaide, Australia and we share some of these phrases, but I often find it difficult to appreciate because I am too busy thinking about how tasteless/feral it can be. This video helped me remember that it's only a tasteless few that can erroneously skew my language view.

[@sarabea4817]

Haha it is so true that the language used in the Southern states of the US have a synergy with the way we talk here in the UK. In Scotland we also say 'stay' in the way you mentioned, meaning to reside or live.

[@elyssedavega]

Damn that last one I’ve never heard from someone in the UK!! I’m discovering even more after publishing this video. Wowow

[@shylarosethevintagelittleg590]

I have lived in the south all my life and when I go to other parts of the US they are always so surprised about my accent. The expect me to be like ain’t nothin’ much (I actually do say that but you get the point.)

[@hawyee9090]

the portion about aave is very interesting! i'm from southern alabama (it's basically florida if i'm honest) and i'd say the overlap is so prevalent that the rich folks are the only ones who don't speak that way in my area. not everyone uses aave regularly, but i'm certain that everyone i know uses at least a couple words from aave in daily life. i try not to buy into aave that becomes trendy (the current rise in "be so fking for real" comes to mind) because it just seems exploitative, but there are some words that are just so natural for me!

[@Devourthebook15]

My favorite Texan phrases growing up had a lot to do with "bulls" : "That's a whole lotta bull" and "bull-honky" Never wanna hear a southern parent/grandparent say "I'll switch you one!" 😂

[@elyssedavega]

OMG not the switch... hahaha these are gold

[@kayteweeks9706]

As a native Texas, yes!

[@kristinmhowitt6305]

both "to jack" you explained are also in Mississippi! :D

[@elyssedavega]

Hahaha wow!! I’m not surprised since Memphis is so close to it. Gives a whole new meaning to JACKson Mississippi hahaha

[@farrellwilson5468]

nice! no one is really talking bout this topic

[@amiesvarney]

Til the cows come home is also very British!

[@elyssedavega]

really?? I had no idea, add that to the list then!

[@amiesvarney]

@@elyssedavega yes it's very common in England to say something like 'ah you'll be waiting til the cows come home'. Interesting to know you guys say it too!

[@katherine1541]

low key we have some the exact same expressions in russian (till the cows come home - пока коровы не придут домой) and (telling stories - басни рассказывать)

[@none4530]

I really like Southern accents!

[@connorwalton2020]

Loved this vid! I’m from England and found it interesting to hear about the linguistic similarities between the UK and southern US 😋the English accent triggered me so much though😉 Thanks for this!

[@elyssedavega]

Hahahah my ridiculous impersonations mean no harm!! I’m glad you enjoyed the video

[@mspococurante]

I have a confession to make. I tell my students that Florida (although geographically, but culturally) isn't included in "the South" because it's another world, with a different culture I thought? 😂🙊 Plus Miami which is just ... Miami. I'm here to learn more from my fav Floridian though 😂❤️

[@elyssedavega]

so true honestly, in FL the more north you go the more southern it gets. florida is a different animal entirely especially miami, that’s basically part of cuba 😭

[@ash_phoenix3282]

Texas born and raised. We share a lot of southern slang and speech but have plenty of our own unique additions of course. I grew up in a community of immigrants from Asia, Latin America, etc, as well as, a large African American community so my speech has been greatly influenced by AAVE for sure. I also learned English as a 2nd language so AAVE was the dialect I was brought up in. “Why you/y’all always telling tales?!” Is something I might say to lol kids that make up stories or lie for attention.

[@elyssedavega]

what a rich mix! i would love to see what your natural speech is like 😹

[@philipminton9771]

I’m from Pennsylvania (Philly Suburbs specifically) and I’ve heard a lot of people say the “telling stories” thing here too.

[@kayteweeks9706]

My great-grandmother is an old Central Texan gal, and I make her the beacon of southern accents. My favorite southern sayings of hers are "skewl" or school or "winda" or window. Other good ones are "moatha and daeeeedddyyyy". Another is saying greasy like "greeeeezzzy" . Can other people hear the southern accent in those?

[@elyssedavega]

hahaha the way you spelled them made it so clear. i need to spend more time in TX!

[@spokenme08]

Southern phrases are something else. If you have heard Kacy Musgraves speak that's my dialect. I'm also around older southern folks so my phrases can get interesting sometimes.

[@elyssedavega]

I haven’t heard her speak before, I’ll go give it a look!

[@theepickle]

I feel like a lot of these phrases might be more specific to the Mississippi floodplains of the south, just my view from the opposite side of the state in northeast TN. Like “clamdiggers” is a completely foreign name to me, just because clams aren’t found in the rivers and creeks in this region (and I assume the same for the Piedmont region of the states in the south). Fixin’ is a phrase I’ve heard throughout my life though, also usually in the context of food, but I’ve heard it used differently too. Generally I’ve heard it as when you’re about to start doing something, such as “I’m fixin’ to make lunch.” You have making lunch on your mind, but you’re preoccupied with something else (doing a chore, resting, etc.) and just haven’t started the process of making lunch yet. But also of course “I’m fixin’ supper” as you mentioned :) One of my favorite southern phrases though stems from “y’all.” It’s already generally stereotyped that southerners say y’all (though y’all gets used everywhere in the country), but phrase that helps me decipher whether someone is really from the south is when they use “all of y’all” (most times dropping “of” to say “all y’all”). How I understand it I think is mostly based around group size, to me “y’all” addresses 2-4 people, but “all y’all” addresses a much larger group. I’m not sure if that’s a phrase that gets used much outside of the Appalachian region, but I’ve never heard it used outside of the south!

[@hugoepcastro]

Thanks, I learned some southern US slang from this video! Aqui no nordeste brasileiro (mais especificamente na Bahia) temos algumas gírias interessantes: "Laranjada" (situação difícil / trouble), "Vei | Cero/a" (amigo, cara / dude) e o melhor "Receber a galinha pulando" (problema ou situação inesperada.) Exemplo: "Ohh vei você vai me deixar aqui pra receber a galinha pulando, que laranjada é essa?" Frase 100% baiana kkkkkk

[@elyssedavega]

KKKK já conhecia vei e cara mas os outros não! Laranjada, que engraçada hahah

[@hcmichele]

nossa, laranjada é daqui da bahia??? juro que nunca ouvi UAHAUHAUHAUHAU mas bom saber !!!

[@hugoepcastro]

@@hcmichele Acredito que seja só da Bahia, mais uma coisa de Salvador mesmo e cidades próximas kkkkkk

[@alanz4819]

Maybe the reason there’s more overlap between southern and British English is because the south may have a tendency to hold onto its way of life more than other regions? So many sayings/expressions are passed down more. Also wanted to make a note that you said “hootin n’ hollerin” which is also super southern haha

[@elyssedavega]

Bahahahah hootin and hollerin, that’s true! And yeah, I think people in the south are a lot more proud of their ways of being and have a stronger purpose to pass it down... worth observing!!

[@verdebusgo]

não conhecia clamdiggers mas achei o máximo! em português tem uma expressão similar (e também falamos calça capri, com a tônica na primeira sílaba): calça pula-brejo hueheu. o michaelis ainda dá mais uns sinônimos: pega-frango, pega-marreco e pesca-siri!

[@elyssedavega]

Hahahaha que engraçado!! Parece que os nossos idiomas são muito práticos mesmo hahaha

[@PumpkinMozie]

I live in the North but I’ve heard capris called clamdiggers too. I think it’s an old person thing.

[@elyssedavega]

They dig for clams all over the place so i imagine so!

[@benrofcien6969]

We use reckon and supper where I'm at in the midwest

[@dyskr]

Am I the only one who prefers the southern accent to the valley girl type

[@elyssedavega]

California bad florida good 😎

[@mirakle9375]

11:15 Interesting! The same saying also exists in French and creole (C'est le diable qui bat sa femme). My mom's family is from Haiti and they say it all the time.

[@lahagemo]

isn’t cone basically con with a southern pronunciation and a slight change in meaning?

[@elyssedavega]

Not really, it's more to describe the person than the action-- we also use this word just to mean a lame, kinda broke guy so I don't think it comes from that

[@raymondmiller5098]

Don't southerns also often say: "bless your heart"? , and the translation is secretly along the lines of "what a dolt!"? Also, I've seen the use of "supper" for the PM meal in Iowa, but that may just be with older folks.

[@elyssedavega]

I haven't really heard that much, it's more in movies and stuff hahaha

[@raymondmiller5098]

@@elyssedavega It's probably fair to say that there are silly stereotypes everywhere. Many people think that Californians all: 1) live near the beach and play volleyball often, and 2) talk like (Moon Unit Zappa) "Valley Girls". All untrue.

[@JamesWilliams]

It's less about "bless your heart" per se and more the vibe of shady cutting critique but delivered in, to the casual observer, a nice package...like inflecting differently on "They tried their best."

[@andreaevans5325]

I enjoyed watching this so much. Thank you!

[@malfunctioninggoon5292]

In Maine we call lunch dinner and dinner supper

[@elyssedavega]

No way... how did that happen?! Hahahaha

[@carloslima-vl3xj]

O youtube me recomendou seu vídeo. Adorei demais!!! você além de linda, e muito inteligente, e seu português está ótimo. Parabéns. Sou de Manaus-AMAZONAS, e como Manaus fica pertinho de Miami, eu sempre passo minhas férias na florida , incluindo Miami e Orlando (disney).

[@alanz4819]

So exciteddddddd

[@mspococurante]

Ok finished. Just have to tell that I laughed A LOT. Dadgum good one.

[@lane6136]

I really liked this video. Thank you.

[@elyssedavega]

i'm really glad you did, thanks for checking it out!!

[@Braddowski]

Being from the UK I can never get over how the US has so many more people and so much more landmass and yet only 3 accents. There are more accents than that in my town! I also have never called dinner "supper". That's only for posh people.

[@elyssedavega]

Right? I tell my students this all the time, just Southern, West Coast, Midwest, and Northerner at the most basic level. Of course there’s a rich variety within those- I can tell when someone is from South Carolina or Louisiana WITHIN the south- but they generally share a lot anyways. It’s cool but strange

[@elyssedavega]

And that’s also funny because I feel like only poor people say supper, it generally sounds like you’re just slopping some gruel in a bowl if you call it supper hahahaha

[@dextroflipper1678]

We alot more than 3 accents

[@Emiliafs]

love the video!!

[@elyssedavega]

awesome thank you!! hope you got something good out of it :)

[@lapislazuli9338]

So I'm apparently a New Yorker who can get mixed up for a Canadian, Briton, or a Southern American by how I talk. Hm.

[@elyssedavega]

🤔 You need to watch some NYer movies then to re-NY yourself

[@saharadessert8917]

As a southerner, I can confirm that the only people that sound even close to the stereotypical "movie southern" are the people that are 90 years old and above lol

[@youtubizer743]

NOT A CONE

[@vgarzareyna]

Florida woman

[@elyssedavega]

That’s me that’s me

[@vgarzareyna]

@@elyssedavega :0 Just wanted to say I'm loving your content! I really enjoyed your video comparing mexican and US american(? feminism as a mexican myself. Y me estoy dando cuenta de que estaba escribiendo en inglés cuando entiendes perfectamente el español xD En fin, me encanta tu trabajo, sigue así!

[@raymondmiller5098]

Don't southerns also often say: "bless your heart"? , and the translation is secretly along the lines of "what a dolt!"? Also, I've seen the use of "supper" for the PM meal in Iowa, but that may just be with older folks.

[@elyssedavega]

I think bless your heart is something more seen in movies and TV, i almost never hear it hahaha. For supper it probably goes into rural midwest too’

[@raymondmiller5098]

@@elyssedavega I will defer to you on this, Elysse. You're a true Southerner; I'm a lifelong northern Californian. ("Slap my grandma and call me Jim". I've never, ever heard this. No worries. I won't borrow it out here. My assumption is that after only speaking half the sentence I'd have a SWAT team in my face!) Seriously, though, truly great videos! All the best to you!