Southern English

Southern English is a collective term for several spoken dialects and varieties of American English spoken in that part of the American South. When written, it follows the rules established in American English, but Southern English can be represented colloquially in writing also. See the classic American novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Differences

Pronunciations

• The word cot and caught do not have the same pronunciation in Southern English. However, terms such as card and cord, as well as pin and pen, have much more similar pronunciations than other varieties of American English.
• A non-rhotic glide in "tote carry", "carry escort", "snapbeans" string beans, and before /u/ in terms like news and Tuesday.
• A monophthongal /a/ in "skillet" frying-pan, "poke" paper sack, "green beans" string beans, and nice time.
• Greasy, /s/ pronounced as /z/.

Shortenings

• Howdy, of "How do you do?".
• Y'all, of "You all".

Various

• Double modals such as might could can be used in circumstances such as: He might could come Friday.

Dialects

• African-American Vernacular English
• New Mexican English

References

• "SOUTHERN ENGLISH" in theConcise Oxford Companion to the English Language