Mixed-Up Words

The members of our household speak mostly Texan which is a special version of English that is long and drawn out with a special twang. Mr. Reserved speaks a unique dialect of Texan which I call West Texan. When he speaks, which isn't often, he speaks quietly and slowly with long pauses in between words. It used to drive me crazy to wait for him to complete a sentence. Now I've grown to appreciate his words because they are so few and I eagerly await them.

The first hint that I might have a problem understanding him came when Mr. Reserved and I started dating. We were over at his parents' house and his mom said something from the back of the house. I didn't have any idea what his mom said but chalked it up to her being in another room. To my surprise, Mr. Reserved not only understood her but answered her. What was really disturbing was that I didn't understand Mr. Reserved and I was standing right beside him. Since our relationship was still new, I just smiled and determined that I would learn this language they spoke and I have, almost. Occasionally he'll speak and I'll look right at him and will have no idea what he just said. I think he believes that I haven't understood because I'm not paying attention, but I really didn't understand his words. They didn't translate.

I speak a unique version of Texan. You could say that I have come full circle as a Texan. I was born in Austin and lived in Texas until I was eleven. Then we started moving and I lived in 4 different states by the time I was 18. The greatest linguistic challenge came when we lived in Pennsylvania while I was 15 years old. Since I was a teenager just trying to fit in, I dropped my accent right after I embarrassed myself in choir practice. I had only been in school for 4 days when I handed my shared sheet music over to one of my fellow altos and said, "Y'all can have mine. I'm fixin' to leave." Their jaws dropped open and one of the girls actually said, "Say it again. I want to hear you say that again." I resolved at that moment to never use my Texas accent again. I began saying "Yous guys" and "Come with" and anything else that didn't have to do with Texas.

Now that I have lived in Texas for the last 22 years, my Texas accent is in full swing again with only a few holdovers from my other states. I insist on saying "pen" for the writing instrument instead of "pin". I also say "ten" for the number instead of "tin". As for the rest of my words, they are just as Texan as the rest the citizens' in this great state.

What has this done to Miss G? Poor child, she had no chance. With half her family speaking West Texan and her mother with her own strange brand of accent, why, she's just convoluted. It will take her the rest of her life to undo her raising. You should hear her say "boy". It has 3 syllables and takes about 3 seconds to say. It's no wonder she gets her words all mixed up. In Texas we also use Spanish words, especially Spanish food words. In the pictures above she has just made me a "chin-cha-lada". I said, "Baby, do you mean enchilada?" No, of course, she didn't. She meant chinchalada. She also called a tortilla a "tee-a-da" and worst of all an orangutan a "nine-orphan". I've just decided to have her hearing checked.

Our accent, our speech, is part of what makes us...well, us. Do I want to get rid of my accent? No. I probably couldn't now even if I wanted to. Does it make it difficult to talk with people who aren't from our region? Yes. I knew English. I had lived in Texas but I still had to learn Mr. Reserved's language. Will Miss G speak Texan? She already does. Her brand is different than anyone else, and that's okay. Her smile is universally translated as a welcome which she generously hands out to all especially when she serves you a delicious chinchalada.