Mite my eyesight be failin' me .. or, what ?

This is getting boring. Good night everyone.

Nope, liking a drawl isn't insulting. My brother regularly teases me because I pronounce the word 'why' with 2 syllables. I just think there is a difference between having an accent and making up your own style of writing. So, I wasn't insulted, just concerned!
Did you like Charlotte? I used to drive there to teach classes and got lost regularly, I am more of a small town girl I guess.

Rachel

Visited many times. My sister lived there many years. My neice lives in Pittsboro. All my visits were in the Spring or the Fall, and the weather was beautiful. April...the flowers and trees in bloom were wonderful. Did the sight-see things. Went to the mountains. "Mined" for stones. You name it. I thought the people were very friendly too.

At the risk of boring someone else, I have to say that the argument supporting the contention that there are no foreign languages here is specious. The instructions for appliances, cosmetics, and so forth are written in four or five languages because they are sold all over the world. It's more cost-efficient to print one instruction booklet in five languages and include it in every package than to print five separate booklets and insert the proper ones in the appropriate packages.

Whoops, I got interested in tv and dawdled on my reply. Now I see there are several posts in between ours. I'm sorry nap, I really was not trying to start a debate. I know that you did not mean anything insulting or derogatory toward Southerners.

Rachel

How did foreign languages get into this??? For goodness sake - the fact that your washer/dryer & other appliances comes with multiple language instructions has absolutely no bearing on the discussion here.

The discussion here has to do with someone trying to write what she feels is 'southern' dialect in her posts & how much or if they bother people.

Where exactly does Spanish, French,, German, etc. come into this?

I'm responding to a couple of posts in this thread, Breezy. I didn't say it had anything to do with the subject at hand. They did, and I'm simply pointing out a flaw in their logic.

and you did it magnificently zuzu. i have to admit you had me reaching for my dictionary. now that's the english language at it's finest. debi

It's only because it's a foreign language to me, Debi. We foreigners speak the best English.

Haha Wow Gosh & Gee Whizz! Did I say gosh?
First off I enjoy Mag's post and her sense of humor in her pictures.

If I was concerned or worried 'bout methods used in various posts Its mesef, I fear.
I happen to regress to different parts of me life sometimes.
-
Writing styles can, and for my part should vary according to a given message content.
____________

There was a time back in tha fifties working for Uncle Sam I had opportunities to travel a few states.

Those that remember Andy Griffith's first recordings. "It was football" etc.
Might also remember it went nat'l.
It also made him a star!
-
If you think that 'tar-heel' made that accent up, you never were around Chapel Hill NC in tha early 50's..

Lol, I had a grl-friend from West Va at tha time.
Did ya know my name charlie can take so long ta say, ya could looose yo breath.

There was a game us young GI's played. Guessing where someone was from.
Some accents were so distinct we could tell what part of town yursef was from.
[honest injun]
__________________

So what changed?
Still in tha fifties and early 60's 40+ % of tha population was moving.
-
Now, even more so.

There came a time in different cities you could ask, anyone from here.
Lol, rarely find a native.

Local accents died for tha most part.
If ya really cared enough ta look, yursef might jus find a jewel here and there.

Two World Wars Korea fer sho was fought by strange talking people.
Haha, Some native east texicans to this day think I'm lying when I tell them I was born in Texas.

Which English do we speak here?
Australian
Belize
Canada
Jamaica
New Zealand
Phillipines
South Africa
Trinidad
UK
USA
Zimbabwe
???

3 of the above - you pick

Hey, why'd you leave out Ebonics?

That is not a complete list by any means, just those that my spellchecker supports. It illustrates that English differs from one country to another and that one persons idea of proper English is not another persons English.

My wife is often sure that she knows proper English but the language that she speaks is not the same as the one that a Brtit speaks.

In Germany there is a thing called "Hoch Deutsch", which is the proper German that is spoken or written on TV and with foreign nationals. Any German speaker will have no trouble understanding Hoch Deutsch and children are taught when they are young to speak it when necessary.

The United States also has a "high english" of sorts that is spoken and written formally. It is clearly enunciated and bereft of colloquialisms and local vernaculars.

As a general guideline, it's appropriate and respectful to use that kind of english when speaking to a group or writing something that will be read by english speakers of different dialects.

Dave

Amen..

I second that Amen!!!!!!

Very interesting!

Well, I got my hauling trailer emptied and washed out.
It was full of horse manure. Got pictures. Never unloaded it at night before.
Twas fun.

This day I'll have 60 bushels of E-Tx sweet potatoes here.
Usually haul 80 but 60 is where we'll start.

This thread has been enlightening!

Heh, I think a FEW trailers were emptied here....lol

. . . and, the dump is now closed . . .

. . . So is the poll booth . . .

Ok, maybe it's just me, but there were a few people who said that Magpye's style was annoying and difficult to read.....and then some of those same people posted in another language.....aaaaaannnd.....they're ok with that? I don't get it. What's the difference in posting in Magpye's style and posting in a language not spoken by most DGers? Just my 2 cents worth..............

That's worth more than 2 cents! Like you, I just don't get the fuss.

mgh, there's no difference.

Glad to know it's not just me. ;-)

I came late to this discussion so I will tell you my first impression. When I read Maypye's original post, I found myself reading in kind of a sing-song that sounded almost Irish. Then I decided it was Creole laced with hillybilly, lol.
I do feel that using extreme "southern" accent sometimes demeans the south. My parents are southern but I was born in NYC. I know how people living out of the south still have the idea we are stupid in the south. So I hate to perpetuate that misunderstanding. I do once in awhile use a few of the standards like "I reckon" and certainly you all or y'all, but I stay away from too much of the hick stuff.

Another language;
Indeed!

Haha, now we might remember a given language might be made up, on tha spot!
-
Tha pic shows tha horse-manure [mushroom compost] & last-nite after 10 hours driving, bringing in 80 bushel of taters, omitting certain detail.
-
Taters were so Beautifull I decided on tha 80 instead of 60.
_____________

Before we could leave, got a call from the people we bought our power-plant from.
We took it in for replacement.
They had been broken into tha night before.
Please
they ask, for your protection, come get it!

That was 30 miles in tha wrong direction. More words, languages......
To be quite frank,
We are either loved, liked because of who we are.

Our special personalities.
I'm Irish Dutch and Indian!
Some of my family has really been irish. Tha Fuller's were very Irish, don't ye see!
__________

Thank ye now fer yur time............................

Well, I had some time on my hands, so I ran back over this thread and took a rough tally of the opinions. NOT an exact count, but close. There are approximately 14 writers who are against using the style in question, and approximately 13 writers who are okay with it. There were about the same numbere who's opinion I could not determine. (Diplomatic all the way.)

Alright then, let's compromise: No dialect only on even days of the month, dialect only on
the 29th of February. (Insert compulsory LOL here)

I dont get some of the opinions here.
Dialect written or spoken is not the same as determent that a person is "lesser" in the brain. The two have nothing in common.
offensive, no not that eighter. offensive is when you target your opinion toards a person or origin of persons and "talk" them down.
If dialect is written or spoken then 2/3 off my country consists off idiots or offensive people. I can tell you that one of the greatest personal inventions was created by a person that both talked and wrote in a very colourfull dialekt and I now that ALL of you have or are using his invention almost everyday and that is the zipper in your jeans and coats.
Magpye I for one will continue to read your post, they brighten up my day and make me laugh.
Janett

Wish I had said that !!!

I'll second that. Magpye please continue to post. SheVerne

This all reminds me of that episode of The Waltons, "The Abdication". In it, an old writer friend of John-Boy comes back to the mountain because his screenplay is being filmed there. As they started filming, the spectators (locals) began giggling during what is supposed to be a serious scene. John-Boy has to explain that people there just don't talk that way unless they're being silly and joking. The screenwriter's fired so John-Boy can re-write the dialogue. Anyone remember that one?

This message was edited Oct 8, 2005 4:52 PM

If my post was one that was considered undetermined and "diplomatic," please let me state for the record that I very much enjoy Magpye's posts. They always put a smile on my face. :-)
Terrie

I just found this fascinastibg discussion. My English English often struggles to interpret Magpyes post, but I have always found the content worth the struggle!
Oh and just to be pedantic, way back someone mentioned 'King's English' - for the last 53 years its been the Queens English - it won't be the kings again until Charles takes over!!! ;>))))

Just out of curiousity, what dialect is LOL, ROTFLMBO, IMHO, etc.?

Internetese.

http://www.netlingo.com/lumenu2.cfm?letter=r

internetish?

Geekonics?

netlingo?