Get the US out of the UN NOW!

Aaron's calling me a hillbilly now. Does that mean this Yankee is gaining a little acceptance here in the Mountain State?

Good luck with that.

I've been here since '93 and married a hillwoman. I'm still the "yankee" to all my neighbors.

No worries. I'm not holding my breath or anything. Besides, I'm proud to be a RI native. Being married to a hillbilly doesn't change who I am.

I remember one night while lying in bed when I was pregnant with Leah, our first child together, my husband whispering in my ear, "So, how does it feel to have a little hillbilly in ya?"

No worries. I'm not holding my breath or anything. Besides, I'm proud to be a RI native. Being married to a hillbilly doesn't change who I am.

I understand.

I was taught, however, that if the natives rub blue mud in their belly buttons, you should too. If you stand out in a crowd, you may be removed from it...

TerryRC wrote:No worries. I'm not holding my breath or anything. Besides, I'm proud to be a RI native. Being married to a hillbilly doesn't change who I am.

I understand.

I was taught, however, that if the natives rub blue mud in their belly buttons, you should too. If you stand out in a crowd, you may be removed from it...

Well I consider those to be words of wisdom. I just choose what "crowds" to stand out in. In some situations I've very, very quiet. Can you talk like the natives? I can't. When I try I make people laugh till they cry.

Can you talk like the natives? I can't. When I try I make people laugh till they cry.

Nope.

They know I'm not from around here but they can't always tell I'm from north of the line.

Being from Chicago I had always believed that my accent was so typical that it would not be criticized (we don't turn our R's into H's or have a drawl). Then I moved to West Virginia.

I was part of a group that ran a bingo hall (it was a dark time, to be sure). I was asked if I would call Bingo (you know, announce what balls had been picked) and one of the ladies said, in a thick, thick West Virginian accent "you can't caa-aaal with yer funcky acc-ent!"

I knew then as I know now, that no matter how Baptist, no matter how much I love biscuits and gravy, no matter how much a fan of the Mountaineers, that I would never be a West Virginian.

Stephanie wrote: Can you talk like the natives? I can't. When I try I make people laugh till they cry.

Stephanie, just "think a little slower" ......... and speak accordingly, ........ and you will do "just fine".

And fer gawds sake, ....... don't be "bite un" the ends of your words off. Meaning, don't close your mouth so quick, let your words resonate a tad longer, like 100-200 milliseconds longer.

And as noted there, ....... use "uns" more often than "ings".

Such as ....... "win--un" verses "winning", .... or "win--er" verses "winner".

And don't be worrying about a "permanent change" in your speaking, ...... your "sub-conscious" will automatically "switch your voice" depending on who you are talking to.

,

And don't be worrying about a "permanent change" in your speaking, ...... your "sub-conscious" will automatically "switch your voice" depending on who you are talking to.

Ain't that the truth!

My husband, born and raised in WV doesn't speak like the people here. Unless he is in a group of them. To me he almost has no accent at all. I guess he sounds mid-Western or something. You know, like news anchors etc. He said he spent years working on ditching the hillbilly thing.

It amazes me how differently he speaks depending upon who he is speaking to! He does have a couple of words he says "funny" though.

For example, when he says color, it sounds like collar to me. I have a funny story about that I'd tell you all in person if I could.

He says the word I say the worst is drawer. I say it like draw, without the 'er' and it makes him nuts.

An accent can be a good thing. I work for a company with locations all throughout the east coast and midwest. I speak to people throughout the company and it's never taken more then two calls before I'm recoginized and when I attend meetings, anyone that's never talked to me on the phone, once they hear me speak, they know who I am.

Aaron do you need to ship stuff?

shermangeneral wrote:Aaron do you need to ship stuff?

I have a couple of company trucks and my business is seasonal so I'm not shipping much right now. What I do ship is on Flat beds.

I do use common carriers t oship loads down into eastern TN quite a bit in the summer.

Did you guys ever stop to consider maybe us natives are not as dumb as you think?

Just goes with the turf I guess.

But even somebody born and bred right here in wv will do it too if they leave for a couple years and come back they think they know more than the rest of us.