Southern Culture of America and English

Essentially, I am talking about white Southerners, hence the "EURO-American" bit. I have repeatedly stated that their culture has evolved into an American culture, but its origins are British. The African and Native Americans have not had a lot of impact on souhtern white culture as far as I have witnessed.

i'm talking about white southerners as well, and believe you me the black culture especially has had an impact on all southerners, white or no. what exactly HAVE you witnessed of southern culture, now that you mention it?

The Southern accent does sound slightly Irish to me. Are there some "cognates" that anyone knows of between Southern American dialect words and Irish or Scotch-Irish ones?

You can definitely hear the influence of Irish music in the music of the American South. (especially the fiddles)

Thank you mjd and Andrew J.

I have experienced Oklahoma southern culture, and I said somewhere on this forum that that was the extent of my southern experience. I do not agree that the blacks have had that much of an impact on white southern culture. Native Americans I would agree with, but not blacks because of the history between the two races in that area of the United States.

Why, hp20, are you against my saying that American Southern culture evolved from British culture?

oklahoma is not the south, but i'll let that one go.

it is exactly the history between the two races that has had such an impact on white southern culture. so much of southern culture and history has involved slavery, segregation, racism--general clashes between the two races...without the black population none of the traits and attitudes that evolved from that mix would exist in today's white south. i'm not saying that whites and blacks married and gave parts of both cultures to their descendants; what i am saying is that the very presence of blacks and what that did to the social structure has had a huge impact on white southern culture.

southern american culture may have began with british immigrants, but in your very first post you stated that this culture is very "euro-american" in your view. having lived in the south and having lots of relations there, i can tell you that very little about today's southern american culture has anything to do with europe, or britain more specifically. i don't argue with your statement that it is descended from british (but, note, mainly irish and scottish) people, but i disagree with your statement that today's southern culture has much if any european flavor left in it.

Hmm, I have cousins in Oklahoma who refer to people north of Dixie "Northerners" or "Yanks." Anyway...

So you British should remember to listen to an American's accent before already labeling him a "Yank". ;)

This does puzzle me sometimes; from an American point of view. Someone from the South is definitely NOT a Yank.

clark: so you know, "northerner" and "yank" can be used by anybody to describe someone who lives in or around new england or the midatlantic area. you don't have to be a southerner to use them. they generally have the same meaning no matter who uses them.

Duly noted hp20. But I do not know of many Northeners who would call themselves Yanks. But then again, you know so much more about this than I do.

well, i guess i do, seeing as how you live in california and i've lived in both the south and new england. we do call ourselves yankees.

I lived in midatlantic area but nobody called themselves "Yanks" or "Yankees" there.

At least nobody I knew from Maryland would do so.

maryland is not a midatlantic state. they are southerners, not yankees.