Sand Mountain Language

We were coming up the mountain at the Roden Gap when we started talking about the different language  used in this part of the country.  Sand Mountain has a dialect all its own and we are quickly reminded of that when we visit other areas.  One would have to live on a mountain to use the term “coming up the mountain at the Roden Gap.”  There are numerous gaps – Dawson and Hayes to name two nearby.  “Up the mountain” is another phrase that is misunderstood by my friends who live in another state.  They think I mean to climb higher toward the peak, when I mean to go north on this plateau we call “mountain.”   “Brow road” is another usage we only hear in these parts.  “Down in the valley” has meaning here that would not apply in the flat country.

Our daughter was using the phone in her church – one of Atlanta’s largest – the man next in line overheard her say “out yonder.”  When she finished he asked where she was from.  He said he knew she had some Alabama connection because she used the word “yonder.”

Some years ago, my southern drawl got attention in Lincoln, Nebraska.  I was reading for some quilt judges and read the date as 19 and 10 instead of 1910.  I was immediately asked why I read it that way.  How do I know?

In Europe with a group of quilters one time, I was really scared and held up at Heathrow Airport in London as I was questioned over and over.  The young man at the gate finally asked, “Lady, where are you from?”  The same group was riding the Metro in Paris during rush hour – standing shoulder-to-shoulder – and I was nearest the door.  I was told to say “pardawn”  (pardon) as best I could when we reached our destination so we could exit.  Well, I did and nothing happened and I said it again – same thing.  In this southern drawl I loudly said, “Make way for the lady with the baby please.”  That group parted like the red sea and we had all the room we needed.

The way we speak not only delineates our place of residence, it also dates us.  I can’t keep up with the usages of young people today.  When I was growing up “hippy” meant with large hips!  “Grass” meant just that – not anymore.  “Tough” meant mean and now, as I understand it, it means good looking.  Duh!!  “Modem” meant what Pa had done to the hay patches – he mowed ‘em.

The two Windy Knoll residents speak the same language making for a relaxed atmosphere. We “sit on the porch,” eat “blackberry cobbler,” “roasneers and hot biscuits.”  Country is a good place for seniors and country living.

Roden Gap in the Fall