mcmel. nothin' cryptic. Actually my mothers family is from Pittsburgh and she once showed me a funny little book about how Pittsburghians pronounced certain words. One of them was filum for film. I also tried to post it as a direct reply to your post and sumfin funny happened.
Is that common for her part of the country? I've heard it before and asked the same question.
Another irritating mistake- I had a client send me an e-mail telling me she "pacificly" told me what she wanted, blah blah blah... she lost me after "pacificly". I was tempted to respond that I "Atlanticaly" was not able to process her request...but I didn't.
I don't know if it's common for that part of the country or just in that family. She also puts the "t" in often and the "b" in subtle. I ignore it because I was always taught that it's worse manners to correct someone else - especially an elder -ESPECIALLY a mother-in-law.
Here's another one that still makes me shake my head: "fixin". When I moved to Florida, I found that people are "fixin to go somewhere" or "fixin to do something". I also found that the use of "them" is highly common no matter what follows in the sentence (instead of these or they).
So, like, you know, everyone like has pacificaly mentioned the ones that like get on their nerves, well, the above, them are mine.
Sorry, Moneyman, but I couldn't live without the expresssion "fixin to," including "I'm fixin to fix supper."
On another note, my pronunciation pet peeve is "eelegal" for "illegal," as in "It's eelegal for y'all not to give me a 15-minute break every four hours."
Very simply, 'fixing' means 'about to'. I'm about to make cornbread. I'm fixing to make cornbread. I'm 'fixin' to go to the store to get cornmeal and snuff.'Fixin' is an abbreviation for fixing, the reason being, it's better to use abbreviations like fixin' than to stand around talkin' so's you can get to the store quicker if you stop talkin' and go on down the street. That's the reason people in the north and yankees who move to Florida are seen standing on the corners in St. Augustine and in the cold fighting the snow in New England...'cause they use words that are too long and they can't get out of the weather 'cause they talk too long. If they would go ahead on and use words like 'fixin' they could move on with life and enjoy it more.
...and while we're at it, when did "ill" become synonymous with angry or mad? My friend in Alabama told me she was ill one day and I asked her if she was running a fever. She looked at me like I had two heads and just rolled her eyes!
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 01-20-04 AT 11:59AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I have to fess up. I always say,"I've got..." Don't know why I insist on using two verbs when one would do just nicely.
And my boss always says, "orientated." Drives me nuts! Course, she's from NY and says, radiator with the first "a" short instead of long.
Thanks, Don. Are you saying that my corporeal temperature will more effectively regulate if I suspend usage of extended verbiage? I now indubitably comprehend the reasoning behind my weather condition enigma. x;-)
Recently I attended a conference where the speaker said "make sure you bulletinize the new policy to all employees". We all knew what he meant but the eyebrows around the room went up and down at each other...kind of funny!
Speaking of well English, will someone who has read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland please explain the portion that begins "Twas Brillig and the ...." to me.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gire and gimble in the wabe all mimsy were the borogroves and the mome raths outgrabe. Beware the jabberwock, my son
It's basically gibberish. I don't know that there is any explanation for it, except Lewis Carroll may have been munching on some serious mushrooms when he wrote it.
I've got one for y'all. x;-) An employee can be TARDY to work, but can you say in their review: Number of TARDIES exceed company policies.
Every time I use the word TARDIES or TARDY'S in Word, it keeps telling me that it's not in it's dictionary. When I check Encarta, it doesn't offer it as a choice. Thoughts?
When I was stationed in Texas and Mississippi - I heard a number of great expressions that I still use today, y'all, all y'all & a 'fixin. I never heard just 'fixin, it was always said "a 'fixin", as in, "we're a 'fixin to go to chow." I prefer the southern y'all to the northwest version, "you guys"
>When I was stationed in Texas and Mississippi - >I heard a number of great expressions that I >still use today, y'all, all y'all & a 'fixin. I >never heard just 'fixin, it was always said "a >'fixin", as in, "we're a 'fixin to go to chow." >I prefer the southern y'all to the northwest >version, "you guys"
Trying to suck up to Don D, now? x;-) Forget your Northwest heritage and the fact that you speak plain, unaccented American English? Huh? Huh, Mwild? Huh? x;-)
'I'm a'fixin' is associated with really rural 1940's conversation in the South. Fixin' however is everyday 'speak'. Nobody I've heard says 'I'm a fixin'. That's classic 'Hee Haw' talk and exaggerated to the max. Maybe you were in the brig when you heard that and the speaker was from the North West. Parabeagle's footnotes notwithstanding. MWild, can you please tell him you don't require a support group of one to respond to a post???!!!
Parabeagle, I don't require a support group of one to respond to a post. x;-)
Don - you're the expert, I was only stationed down there for a short time - in the brig - my goodness! Every time I heard it, it was always said aloud as "a 'fixin" - but it was a military crowd - maybe they didn't know better? x:-)
All this aside - does anyone have an answer on the Tardy vs Tardies question?
Don't know about being tardy but my favorite expression, having moved from the north to the south is "might could" as in "I might could do that." Well, can you or can't you?
Tardy is an adjective so it can't be made into a plural noun. Well, it can in the spoken language which we use every day and everyone understands, but that is the reason why spell check won't accept it.
Comments
I also tried to post it as a direct reply to your post and sumfin funny happened.
That's my mother-in-law. Nice lady from Reading, PA.
Another irritating mistake- I had a client send me an e-mail telling me she "pacificly" told me what she wanted, blah blah blah... she lost me after "pacificly". I was tempted to respond that I "Atlanticaly" was not able to process her request...but I didn't.
Our finance director says "pacificaly."
So, like, you know, everyone like has pacificaly mentioned the ones that like get on their nerves, well, the above, them are mine.
On another note, my pronunciation pet peeve is "eelegal" for "illegal," as in "It's eelegal for y'all not to give me a 15-minute break every four hours."
And it's not "EYE-rack," it's "e-ROCK." (Iraq)
And my boss always says, "orientated." Drives me nuts! Course, she's from NY and says, radiator with the first "a" short instead of long.
Recently I attended a conference where the
speaker said "make sure you bulletinize the new policy to all employees". We all knew what he meant but the eyebrows around the room went up and down at each other...kind of funny!
did gire and gimble in the wabe
all mimsy were the borogroves
and the mome raths outgrabe.
Beware the jabberwock, my son
It's basically gibberish. I don't know that there is any explanation for it, except Lewis Carroll may have been munching on some serious mushrooms when he wrote it.
Every time I use the word TARDIES or TARDY'S in Word, it keeps telling me that it's not in it's dictionary. When I check Encarta, it doesn't offer it as a choice. Thoughts?
When I was stationed in Texas and Mississippi - I heard a number of great expressions that I still use today, y'all, all y'all & a 'fixin. I never heard just 'fixin, it was always said "a 'fixin", as in, "we're a 'fixin to go to chow." I prefer the southern y'all to the northwest version, "you guys"
>I heard a number of great expressions that I
>still use today, y'all, all y'all & a 'fixin. I
>never heard just 'fixin, it was always said "a
>'fixin", as in, "we're a 'fixin to go to chow."
>I prefer the southern y'all to the northwest
>version, "you guys"
Trying to suck up to Don D, now? x;-) Forget your Northwest heritage and the fact that you speak plain, unaccented American English? Huh? Huh, Mwild? Huh? x;-)
I do not speak "plain, unaccented American English", it usually sounds closer to Canadian, eh.
Don - you're the expert, I was only stationed down there for a short time - in the brig - my goodness! Every time I heard it, it was always said aloud as "a 'fixin" - but it was a military crowd - maybe they didn't know better? x:-)
All this aside - does anyone have an answer on the Tardy vs Tardies question?