It was raining here the other day and I said to a co-worker, you had best hove to. This person looks at me in bewilderment, She had no clue what it was I was saying. I had to explain that "hove" meant to just wait somewhere. Usually this advice was given before an impending storm. She thought it was an odd saying. It is just one of those things that you grow up with and is perfectly normal and natural to you. I forget that this is Greensboro,Md. A wonderful place to live but certainly not a coastal town like where I grew up. Nautical terms were a frequent part of our language. The custom was dying out as I was growing up, but still frequently used with the old folks.
We all know about distinct dialects. We laugh about them and imitate some of them. We had our own dialect growing up where I did. I suppose these sayings and expressions are a part of that dialect but not necessarily exclusive to it. Regional terms are just that,regional. I would expect anyone growing up on the coast would use pretty much the same terms. Nautical terms. This is especially true if it is an Island. The water and the ways of the water controlled our lives for many generations. It is only in fairly recent generations that has changed. With the advent of automobiles and railroads our ability to travel and import/export goods changed dramatically. A shift in the economic base happened along with that. Boats and boating became a recreation, more so than an occupation. Like horseback riding is today as well.
I listen to the folks around here talking and sometimes get lost. This is an agricultural community and so the language reflects that. They say things like, " I was getting the beans off. " Tractors are everywhere and chicken houses. I have become accustomed to these little nuances in speech and so it is not as noticeable to me. They don't really have an accent here, at least none that I have noticed. Some say I do, but that isn't so, I speak fine English ! We have for generations.
I do enjoy hearing new expressions. Different ways of saying things keeps the conversation interesting. I do not like the current trend of just using four letter words to describe everything ! Especially a certain noun used as a verb or adjective ! Creative speech is one of life's little pleasures. Three sheets to the wind is one of my favorites. HaHa, what a way to say it. Cat got your tongue ? Where did that come from ? There are other ,more colorful, expressions that I grew up with but they are not for this forum. By today's standards they are quite tame, but I do not go by today's standards. It is my belief that creativity in speech is becoming a lost art. Maybe it has something to do with " sensitivity ? "
We all know about distinct dialects. We laugh about them and imitate some of them. We had our own dialect growing up where I did. I suppose these sayings and expressions are a part of that dialect but not necessarily exclusive to it. Regional terms are just that,regional. I would expect anyone growing up on the coast would use pretty much the same terms. Nautical terms. This is especially true if it is an Island. The water and the ways of the water controlled our lives for many generations. It is only in fairly recent generations that has changed. With the advent of automobiles and railroads our ability to travel and import/export goods changed dramatically. A shift in the economic base happened along with that. Boats and boating became a recreation, more so than an occupation. Like horseback riding is today as well.
I listen to the folks around here talking and sometimes get lost. This is an agricultural community and so the language reflects that. They say things like, " I was getting the beans off. " Tractors are everywhere and chicken houses. I have become accustomed to these little nuances in speech and so it is not as noticeable to me. They don't really have an accent here, at least none that I have noticed. Some say I do, but that isn't so, I speak fine English ! We have for generations.
I do enjoy hearing new expressions. Different ways of saying things keeps the conversation interesting. I do not like the current trend of just using four letter words to describe everything ! Especially a certain noun used as a verb or adjective ! Creative speech is one of life's little pleasures. Three sheets to the wind is one of my favorites. HaHa, what a way to say it. Cat got your tongue ? Where did that come from ? There are other ,more colorful, expressions that I grew up with but they are not for this forum. By today's standards they are quite tame, but I do not go by today's standards. It is my belief that creativity in speech is becoming a lost art. Maybe it has something to do with " sensitivity ? "
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