Planning a
trip to the southern part of the United
States? If you've ever been down south, you
are probably familiar with southern
hospitality. If you haven't, you have a few
friendly lessons to learn. Folks in the
south are really friendly! You can meet as
strangers and within a few minutes, become
the best of friends. If you are planning
your first trip below the Mason-Dixon Line,
you should brush up on the southern culture.
Who Are They Waving At?
In the south, people like to wave. You may
think the Southern Belles are practicing for
the Miss America pageant. Nope, just being
friendly. They wave hello, they wave
goodbye, and they wave just to let you know
that they saw you. Whether you are driving
through downtown or down a long country
road, if anyone passes you, you can bet they
will give you a wave. It's just the friendly
thing to do!
Small Talk
In maintaining their hospitable image,
southerners love to chat. If you are running
errands, make sure you allot yourself time
for chit-chat. From the grocery store to the
local caf, you will find someone that wants
to chat.
Passers-by will offer you a cheerful
"Hey," that's southern talk for "Hello." You
will probably hear the phrase, "Good day,
ain't it?" numerous times. Just reply with a
"hey" and a "Yep, sure nuff is."
How's Your Mom and them?
When you are greeted with "How's your Mom
and them?" this just means, "How's the
family?" Just smile and say "They're all
fine, just fine. Thanks for askin', and
how's your mom and them?"
Ya'll and Ain't
Y'all and Ain't are two words that a
northerner wouldn't utter, but are commonly
used by southerners. Y'all is used in
reference to mean you all, everyone or every
one of you.
Ain't is that word that your English
teacher said not to use, because it wasn't a
word. Your English teacher apparently never
wandered down to the south, because it sure
is a word down there.
Phrases and Sayings
Some other words you should be prepared
to hear include fixin', which means about to
or getting ready to. As in, "I am fixin' to
go to the store." "Young-uns" are small
children; "reckon" means "I suppose so"; and
"yonder" as in "Over yonder", which means
"over there".
If you hear any other sayings with which
you aren't familiar, just ask what it means.
Remember, southerners are hospitable,
they'll be glad to help you out. Just don't
make fun of their accents or tell them how
things are done up north. That just might
cause the hospitality to come to an end.
