LUMBERJACK!
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart,” so once versed the incomparable Nelson Mandela. The old-time lumberjack, while less poetic, was known among other things for their characteristic way of speaking. In that, it was not very characteristic at all.
THE LUMBERJACK DID NOT JUST LIVE LOGGIN’ HE SPOKE IT. His vocabulary was indicative of his occupation and the musky fragrance of his speech was not entirely unlike the scent of peerless tobacco. \Now, just want you all should know, ain’t no one way what all loggers spoke, no sir. But because all you uppity-yuppie types don’t figure into no good ole fashion working-class talk. What why the following scribble-scrabble is presented for y’all’s consideration anyway. Not because it be accurate but just ’cause it be fun.
P.S. I have known or known of fellas who what use any number of these. Incidentally, I have never met nobody what uses all of them.
- g is omitted from -ing, (such as in goin’, singin’, seein’, etc.)
- If a "t" falls in the middle of a word (not at the end) it’s often spoken with the "t" omitted (hunting → hun’in’ / water → wa’er / beautiful → beau’iful) Alternatively, -tion (as in contraption, automation, aggregation, etc.) is a decisive shun.
- "that" might be replaced with "what" (Is this the thing that was making all the noise? → Is this the thing what was making all the noise?) Also, who may be replaced with who what (Is that the person who what all the fuss is about?)
- "very" may be replaced by "right," "mighty," "helluva" or "powerful" (She was very strong. → She was right strong. She was mighty strong. She was helluva strong. She was powerful strong.)
- would or could may become might would or might could (I could do that. → I might could do that. I might would do that.) The latter implies something of a catch involved (ie. if you..).
- nobody or nothing instead or somebody or anything. Even as a double negative. (I have not found anybody, and I have not seen anything. → I have not found nobody, and I have not seen nothin’.)
- you is replaced with ya (Where are ya goin’?) or in combination with a word contracted (i.e. you know, you see, you hear → y’know, y’see, y’hear). Often this gets added to the end of a sentence like a verbal period stop (I was a lot younger back then, y’know?).
- come up instead of came up / hisself instead of himself / s’pose instead of suppouse / ’em instead of them or him / ’er instead of her / ’bout instead of about / ’spect instead of suspect / ain’t instead of isn’t / got instead of have / if’n instead of if / done instead of did / an’ or ’n’ instead of and.
- The insertion of a pronoun after the noun for emphasis such as "Paul, he," "The blue ox, it," "The loggers, they," similar to French usage (Je, moi,.. etc.) → (Well, the loggers, they, come up right close to the bear, y’see? Now, Paul, he, went and told the jacks, they, better let ’em handle it. See, Paul, he, then goes...).
- And you may have noticed every other sentence starts with well, now or see and every other-other sentence ends with y’know or y’see. (Well, I had gotten up right early, y’know. ’bout five early thirty. Now, the sun never ain’t even come up yet, y’see?)
- Add in a few "It’s like I told ya." or "what I’m sayin’ or "I tell ya" -s
- An acute sense of hesitation to answer a question with "yes." Instead use, "as far as I’ve heard," "to my knowledge," "it’s possible," "I guess," "I should think so," "far as I can tell," "Lord willin’" and the ever infamous, "I reckon."
- Overly complicated directional descriptives ("He ran straight down across the hill and right on back over to the other side.") Think like a game controller combo for a finishing move ← ↑ → ↓ ← etc.
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[ DISCLOSURE: THE FOLLOWING IS REAL!—believe me—READER INDISCRETION IS ADVISED! ]
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