Member Review Words between the lines

[Bentonville]

(They asked for a prefix. I'm lost on that so if this theadbneeds to be moved, by all means)

Bless your heart.

My mom is from Wedt Tennessee and there is as I'm sure you know there are at least two different connotations of it. One is genuine. The other is mildly backhanded. There may be more.

I'm re-reading Co. Aytch and i.noticed in the first chapter, 'We Are One And Undevided', that Watkins seems to veil a bit of a grudge at the most. One and undevided doesn't mean you like it or you were wrong. I think it's really the stark reality of how things were at the time it was printed in serial form.

It like talking to my wife about the use of therm 'boy'. Barring the obvious racial use. 'Good old boy' to young man... I can't think of all the ways I've heard it used and all the modifiers.

Or I may be totally out of it. Insomnia.

So are there any terms, southern or not that you can think of in writings about the war?

 

[Rhea Cole]

The period use of uncle & aunt when referring to African Americans was derived from West African cultural practices. Family relations, cousins e.g., that have nothing to do with genealogy, were & are common in the South. Once again, that is not a European custom.

European visitors reported that elite Southern planters affected British accents. Their wives, on the other hand spoke with the same accent & mannerisms of the slaves with whom they spent their time.

I have read I don't know how many soldier letters & journals. Of all people, the actor Michael York suggested reading them out loud. Sounding out the phonetic spelling can give you an insight into the pronunciation & intonation of the writer's voice.

My wife & I have used interlaced passages from letters during living history programs. Reading corresponding letters between a soldier & a family member can be moving in a way that puzzling your way silently cannot.

Note: In Nashville, because of what is called the Dead Elvis state law, there is no paparazzi haunting celebrity's every step. As a result, it is not uncommon to encounter celebrities in out & about doing normal things.

In a casual gathering Michel York sat down at arms length from me. He was with somebody I know.

He had that celebrity out in public facial expression I am very familiar with. He was in town to do a narration with the symphony. It was a gathering of members. He was prepared to solder through the usual 'I am a fan…' routine.

Instead I asked him about the Shakespearean passages in his performance. Specifically, I was interested in if he had ever performed in the back holler, deep cove accent of my mountain cousins. That is the living relic of the Elizabethan linguistics Shakespeare spoke in.

What a transformation! York's whole body language & facial expression woke up. No, he wouldn't dare attempt that accent in public. However, there is a pocket of that same accent in the hill country of England.

Like many celebrities, nobody had asked them a new question in ages. He went on in grand style discussing the topic in an animated way.

Anyways, reading letters phonetically out loud comes from an impeccable source.

 

[Bentonville]

You know African-American culture had not dawned on me. In my profession tye old guys, not the ladies so much, sometimes say 'you call me uncle'. Meaning you can call on them for anything though the business has become to open so that is being relegated.

You're right about reading things aloud. I had an English professor and I wasn't understanding poetry. I asked him about it. "How do you read this?"

"Aloud," Was his reply.

I'm going to revise some books now.