Historical Nonfiction

fun facts, quotes, and pictures from history

Texas Would Call It’s Accent A Language

In 1975, radio personality Jim Everhart published a three-volume Illustrated Texas Dictionary of the English Language:

  • ARN: A silver-white metallic element. “Mah muscle is as strong as arn.”
  • TOAD: The past tense of tell. “Ah toad you never to do that.”
  • PRAYED: A large public procession, usually including a marching band. “That was some prayed they had downtown.”
Four years later, Chase Untermeyer (former Ambassador to Qatar and Texas State Representative) contributed a “Texlexicon” of words uttered by his colleagues in the state legislature:
  • HARD: Employed, as “I hard him to do the job.” Also a man’s name, as “Mah wife’s a cousin of Hard Hughes.”
  • RULE: Nonurban, as “He comes from the rule area.”
  • FORCED: A large group of trees, as “Lemme showya mah pine forced.”
  • BAR SHUN: The termination of pregnancy, as “Bar shun is murder!”
  • WHORED: Difficult, as “That was a whored one.”
  • WON’T: To desire, as “Ah won’t to seeya tonight.”
And according to Everhart, he has never met a Texan who disliked these terms. In fact, he claims they are the most enthusiastic about the dictionaries!

(Source: futilitycloset.com)

  1. pigeonbound reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    he should meet me ill be the first to tell him this is terrible and he should feel bad
  2. texasishome reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
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  7. jujubrains reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    oh my god this makes me want...die, mostly because i can 100% believe that this
  8. lydiaolydia reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  9. dakotawolf846 reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    I really want this to be a language option in high school!
  10. kristenann1989 reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  11. bhreathnadoir reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    In 1975, radio personality Jim Everhart published a three-volume Illustrated Texas Dictionary of the English Language: A...
  12. thenextfewphases reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  13. cheapnightmares reblogged this from railways-and-roses
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  16. curlyqed reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  17. jekaclover reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  18. meghanjh reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    I use toad all the time. XD
  19. quirkyturkey62 reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    Having been born and raised in Texas, I can attest to the accuracy of these definitions and their pronunciations. Some...
  20. my-own-believing reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  21. knockturnallie reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  22. gamma-fief reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    heheheh,
  23. odiosus-majordom reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    (No wonder there...fuckin’ chainsaw massacre down there… I bet good old leatherface
  24. columbusoftoday reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  25. coeur-du-lion reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  26. lizzywishballs reblogged this from historical-nonfiction
  27. wieberstein reblogged this from historical-nonfiction and added:
    “Bar shun is murder!”
  28. pirulesenvinagre reblogged this from historical-nonfiction