southern dictionary
On August 29th, 2007 | Filed under living in florida, stories | 
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the job’s been such a roller coaster that i’m not really capable of writing objectively about it at this time. the expletives might be a bit overpowering, so i’m going to look at another form of language tonight instead…
i’ve been learned by several southern scholars down here in pensacola in the correct use of the english vernacular and thought it was time to share some with y’all.
plumb - adv. - there seems to be no yankee equivalent to this one. example: “I plumb forgot.”
fixin’ - v. - yankee equivalent: “getting ready to” - example: “i’m fixin’ to kick your ass” or in the immortal words of country joe mcdonald, “i feel like i’m fixin’ to die”
reckon - v. - yankee equivalent: “guess” or “suppose” - example:
Scott: Looks like a big storm is brewing.
Southerner: I reckon so.
right powerful - adj. - yankee equivalent: “big” “huge” “monstrous” - example: “That there’s a right powerful storm brewin’!”
y’all - n. - yankee equivalent: you, singular - example:
Scott: Hey, Cole, what’re y’all doing?
Cole: I’m not doing anything.
all y’all - n. - yankee equivalent: you, plural - example:
Scott to his class: All y’all need to sit down, eyes up here and ready to work on writing!
of course you can mix and match these as you please (and everyone down here does):
“I reckon I plumb forgot all y’all was comin’ over tonight for dinner. I’m fixin’ to make me a right powerful feast for dinner.”
so please, take a moment and practice with a partner so that when you come to visit I reckon that you, too, will be prepared to speak southern.
