My Family: Chapter 71

           The Language that I used when, I was growing up in the Coalfields of Logan, WV.

Much of it is descended from Elizabethan English with a healthy dose of Gaelic thrown in.

 Word Phrases

Paper bags = {Poke}, When buying in a store, yaw ask fir a poke please.

Closet = {Press}, Get yer coat from tha Press.

Chest of Drawers = {Shiftin Robe}, wuz yer clothes in tha shiftin robe.

Butter Knife = {Case Knife}, Hand me a case knife fir tha butter.

Blanket = {Civer}, Ium cold please give me some more of yer civer.

Soda = {Pop}, Boy zat thar is a good flavor pop.

Ride = {Carry}, Will ye carry me to tha store?

Mess = {Goming}, ye sure are making a goming out of yer room.

Place = {Yonder}, Ium meet ye in, or over yonder.

Lied = {Wallow}, Yaw have wallow around all day long.

Call = {Holler}, Did yaw here me holler fir ye?

Wrong = {Shucks}, Ah shucks Ium sorry.

Distant = {Piece}, Just a little piece up tha hollow.

Found = {Scraped}, Tha hat ye scraped up fir me is fine.

Asphalt Road = {Hard Road}, Watch fir cars on tha hard road.

Broil = {Boil}, Are ye going to boil tha steak?

Hurry = {Hieing}, Yaw comin hieing over here: when ye want something.

Affair = {Cuckles}, A married woman cockles’ her husband.

Wash = {Wosh}, Ium Goin wosh yer face.

Yellow = {Yeller} Waddn yer dress pert near yeller.

White = {light} If’n ye go to tha store get a loaf of light bread.

Wasp = { Wasper} watch out fur tha wasper its go’n sting ye.

 

One syllable words are turned into two syllables

day-um = damn or dam

way-ul = well

Nouns, Adjectives and Pronoun

far = fire

tar = tire

yaw = you all

ul = oil

eyes = I was...

mole lady = my old lady

Ium = I’m

Lesh = let us

Dinna = do not

HEIDI = hello

HIRE YEW = how you

BORROW = bard

MUNT = month

BARE = beer

RANCH = tool

TIRE = tower

RETARD = retired

FAT = fight

RAT = right

FARN = foreign

ARE = air

JEW = did you

HERE = hear

HAZE = he is

SEED = to see

An unneccessary "t" is added:

Holdt = hold

Acrosst = across

Oncet = once

Twicet = twice

Foundt = found

No "th" allowed (except "tha" which means "the">:

Air = their, there or hour

Ay = they

Em = them

Zat = that

The "or" sound is replaced by "er":

Er = or

Yer = your

Fer = for

Ye = you

Some words are outright mutilations:

Imull = i am going to...

Jever = did you ever...?

Jaw = did you all...?

Waddn = wasn't

Idn = isn't

Zit = is it...?

Zat = is that...?

Confused tense:

I seen...

They was...(pronounced "ayz")

Them is... (pronounced "emz")

Sample sentences:

Oncet eyes wawkin' acrosst th' Bluestone day-um an' I seen th' biggest ole carp they ever wuz.

Zat yers?

Emz tha best roastin' ears an' haif runners I eat all summer.

Jever wonder why people around here tawk funny?

My Family: Chapter 69

My maid of honor, Janet, had called me that morning and asked if I was still getting married. She said that she was across the street from Aunt Eloise, in a bar and if I didn’t hurry up, she would be too drunk to stand up with me.  That was also where Joe's best man, Rob and his new girlfriend were waiting.  As soon as I got to Aunt Eloise house, Janet and her boyfriend came in and said it was about time and what happen to Joe because he wasn't there either.  Rob walked in behind them and I explained why Joe and I were late. I was late because I knew it was going to some time to get the license so I took my time getting ready.  The minister had started to get worried since neither the bride or the groom were there but Eloise kept him calm. 

Rob pulled me aside and told me not to say anything to his new girlfriend about his being previously married to Eileen, he didn’t want her to know because she was a Catholic and he was divorced. He later got shipped out to Germany.  While we were in the house getting married, Janet’s boyfriend was outside decorating Joe car with old shoes and whatever else he could find.

My dad had four daughters and he didn’t attend any of their weddings to see them say their wedding vows. I think he would have been real proud to walk us on his arm down the aisle.  I was right not to believe him about disowning me, but I don’t think that he ever did like Joe.  

I got pregnant after we had been married for two months but it took five months for Joe to tell his mother he had married me. The first thing she had ask him was if we had to get married. He told her no but I just had a miscarriage [I was ten weeks pregnant] a couple days before.  I think that's why he called her and told her he was married, she was upset with him because he had waited so long. It didn’t matter to me if he never told her we were married. I would be just as happy to live in Columbus, Ohio for the rest of our life.

Written for my children

   *****************************************************

 

Thank you for reading my life story.  If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.  If you know stories from the hollow which might include my family or friends, I would be happy to include them here.   AJ Dillo

 

 

My Family: Chapter 70

This is what is happening to our Beautiful Mountains today

Evaluation of Tree Growth on Surface Mined Lands in    Southern West Virginia

          The Amherst Mine is located approximately 15 miles southeast of Logan, WV, near the town of Yolyn, in Logan County. Mining activities began in 1970. The coal seams mined at the site are the Coalburg, Stockton, and No. Five Block. The current operation is owned by Arch Coal, and the area is being mined by mountaintop removal surface mining methods.

        Amherst Coal Company (Jordan Fork site) between 1974 and 1979 mined the site studied for this project. A gently rolling terrain was left on the top of some of the area, while another portion had a flattened top. A valley fill was constructed for excess spoil material. Our transects traversed the flattened area and valley fill, the outslope, and undisturbed areas. Mining equipment was a BE 295 Shovel, front-end loaders (Cat 988), and trucks (Cat 777). Reclamation on the site included seeding with a mixture of grasses and legumes, and black locust and smooth alder (Alnus serrulata (Ait.) Willd.).

Rum Creek

Where my home set

Kelly standing in front of my home