I try to use the language I grew up with when I write my books. Much of it is distinctive to the mountains I love and some of it, I suppose, is pure Loudin. I found this poster of Appalachian words that includes several of my favorites.
I will point out that the poster lists “ya’ll” at the top, which is NOT Appalachian. It’s southern. In the mountains they say, “you’uns.” Several of the others, however, are right on. Including “piddle,” a favorite word of mine that I’m pretty sure I got from my mother. I refer to things (of little consequence) as piddling all the time. And one of my favorite things to do when I have a day off is just piddle around.
Then there’s persnickety, which I hadn’t thought of as being particular to a region, but apparently it is. Turns out it’s a variant of an old Scots word–pernickety. It means overly fussy.
Cattywampus is Scottish, too, perhaps derived from cata (diagonally) and wampish (to flop to and fro). I like that because cattywampus isn’t as simple as catty-cornered (diagonally opposite), it’s more about something that’s wildly askew. Like a child with a shirt on wrong-side out and one arm out the neck hole–now that’s cattywampus.
Learning about words like this can lend real flavor to writing (not to mention talking). Of course, you’d best use the words right or a persnickety reader might have a conniption over it.
What are some of your favorite, colloquial words?
Some I learned from my fourth graders in the 70’s: filth( brush or weed , needs cutting); physic – probably spelled wrong-( laxative, to take a physic); holler ( homonym, to yell or a small valley)
Not necessarily favorite but they bring memories of my early classroom.
Filth! I hear that all the time. One of those words I forget is particular to a region.
My Scottish heritage delights in these words. I’m known to utter “conniption” as in having a conniption fit. I might fit in with Appalachian folk right nice after all.
I reckon you would!
I grew up in east Texas saying “wallago” instead of “awhile ago”. Lol. I love that you discovered that cattywampus has a legitimate history. My grandpa lived in Oklahoma his whole life, but he always said “you’uns”.
Isn’t language fun?!?
Yes!
My Aunt used tarnation when asking us (me and her 4, my Coy’s in what in Tarantino are yu’us doing). “Bumit” was a substitute for an ugly word and my Mawmaw wouldn’t let me play at the crik because of snakes or if a pole cat had been in the area! This us from N E Alabama on Sand Mountain.
Crik and pole cat!
Creek and skunk–I know them words!
Love bumit! I may need to adopt that.
In our family we “rench” (rinse) the dishes, sit in a “cher” (chair), and water the plants with a “hose pipe” (garden hose). We say you’uns too. We live in eastern-middle Tennessee.
Hose pipe! I know that one . . .