Appalachian A B C's

This post is about Appalachian English or Mountain Speech, whichever you want to call it.

People often make fun of the language of the mountain folk of the Appalachians.

But I don't regard the speech of these old folks and mountaineers as bad or poor English.
I regard it as colorful and beautiful .

These mountain people lived in partial isolation and their customs, speech and traditions were passed down through the generations.

Many words are still used today, but unfortunately, this colorful language is on the way out, forgotten and vanishing.

They favored r's, liked to add a to the beginning of a word, put un on the end of a word and took the 'g' out of words ending in 'ing'.


Here are a few for you to enjoy.

A is for All-git-out. He was as big as all-git-out!

B is for Book Read. Well informed, well educated.
is for Beholdin'. I'd be beholdin' to you if you could do that for me.

C is for Crick. A stiffness. I got a crick in my neck.

D is for Druthers.
is for Directly. Later. I'll get to that directly.

E is for (help me here, I can't believe I can't think of an E word)

F is for Fell-off. Lose weight.
is for Fetch. Fetch me a piece of cake.

G is for Gully Washer. Very hard rain. It came a gully washer last night.
is for Guam. a mess

H is for Hesh up. Quiet down.
is for Hankering. I have a hankering for a piece of pie.

I is for If'n. If. I'll go with you if'n it's all right.

J is for Jinly. Generally; usually.

K is for Kiver. Quilt, blanket, etc.

L is for Layin' off. Postponing. I've been layin' off to get the roof fixed.

M is for Mater. A red thing that grows on a vine.

N is for Nary. Not any. I ain't got nary a one.

O is for Order. Ought to. He order go home now.

P is for Peaked. Thin, pale or sickly looking.
is for Peert. Lively, sprightly, pert. You look right peert today.
is for Plum or Plumb. completely. I'm plum tuckered out.
is for Ponm'onor. upon my honor
is for Piece. distance
is for Poke. brown paper bag

Q is for Quair. Strange, eccentric

R is for Rat cheer. Right here. She sat rat cheer.
is for Reckon. I reckon I can do that.
is for Right Smart. A long ways. It's a right smart piece down the road.

S is for Sair. Not sweet. That dill pickle is sair.
is for Swan. Declare to be true.

T is for Tuckered Out. Tired. I'm all tuckered out.
is for Tolerable. How are you feeling Grandma? Oh, tolerable.

U is for ( help me out here, too. Give me some U words)

V is for Vittles. Food.

W is for Warsh. Wash. To clean.
is for Wooden. I'd rather live in West Virginia than anywhere else, wooden you?

X is for (any X words?)

Y is for Yonder. there Our house is over yonder.
is for Young'un. a young child You young'uns are driving me crazy.

Z is for Zackly. Exactly.


How many more can you add to the list? A right smart I'd say.
Let me hear your words, if'n you have any.
I'm all tuckered out and got a crick in my neck.