Southern Talk: A Disappearing Language

by Ray Cunningham

Book Overview

Ray Cunningham was born in a hundred-year-old log cabin in Alabama, where most folks were "short on book learning." Desiring to save his native dialect, Ray traveled extensively, cataloging the terms... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0914875221
• ISBN13: 9780914875222
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: Bright Mountain Books
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

GREAT BOOK!!

This book is so neat. If you grew up in the south around the 40's and 50's everyone talked this way and I love to just sit down with anyone still using this language but when us older ones are gone I am afraid it will disappear. I bought my aunt a copy and she loves it. Those were the happy days when things were simple and there was a lot of love in the home. GREAT BOOK! for sure. Thanks Mr. Ray Cunningham.

Ah...the memories!

I'm a native of South Carolina who lives in North Carolina presently, and I've traveled all over the southeastern United States studying the history and culture. For years as I was growing up I tried hard to lose my southern accent. These days I am just so pleased and proud of my southern accent and heritage. This book brought back so many words and phrases I had long forgotten that I heard so frequently when I was growing up. The author presents "southern talk" with a sense of humor, but does not mock or put down those who speak it. In fact, the reader can tell that he has much respect for the folks whose speech patterns and colorful vocabularies inspired him to write this book. He's right--- Because of television, etc., we are all sounding more and more alike. It's sad to think that someday we could no longer have areas with distinct ways of speaking. The U.S. will be much more bland if we lose the phrases and accents that add spice to our lives. It's sad that the younger people on Ocracoke Island have lost their brogue. We should treasure Louisiana Cajun French/English, the Gullah of the Georgia and South Carolina sea islands, the Texas drawl, the Appalachian Mountain twang and all of the different ways people speak. It's beautiful!!!! I am grateful to Ray Cunningham for his efforts to preserve the colorful speech of the South.