Provincialisms
Contractions, Vulgarisms, and Other Improprieties
As each of the following provincialisms and vulgarisms, has its locality in some one section or other of our country, it is hoped that these corrections will be found useful in the districts to which the various phrases respectively belong.
| IMPROPER. | CORRECT. |
| Aint | Are not |
| haint | have not |
| taint | ’tis not |
| haint | are not |
| maint | may not |
| wont | will not |
| wer’nt | were not |
| waunt | was not |
| woodent | would not |
| mussent | must not |
| izzent | is not |
| wazzent | was not |
| hezzent | has not |
| doozzent | does not |
| tizzent | ’tis not |
| whool | who will |
| don’t | |
| can’t | |
| i’ll | |
| ’tis |
COMMON IN NEW ENGLAND OR NEW YORK.
| 4 | |||||
| Akst | askt | ||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||
| ben | bin | ||||
| 4 | 2 | ||||
| hul | hole | ||||
| 4 | 1 | ||||
| hum | home | ||||
| 4 | 1 | ||||
| stun | stone | ||||
| 66 | 4 | ||||
| dooz | duz | ||||
| 2 | 4 | ||||
| glass | glass | ||||
| 2 | 4 | ||||
| mass | mass | ||||
| 2 | 4 | ||||
| brass | brass | ||||
| 2 | 4 | ||||
| pass | pass | ||||
| 3 | 2 | ||||
| flawnt | flant | ||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||
| hiz’zn | hiz | ||||
| 37 | 37 | 4 | |||
| hou’zn | houz’iz | ||||
| 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ||
| an’shent | ane’tshent | ||||
| 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| an’jel | ane’jel | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ||
| dan’jur | dane’jur | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ||
| stran’jur | strane’jur | ||||
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ||
| tscham’bur | tshame’bur | ||||
| 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| na’tur | na’tshure | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| nat’ur-el | natsh’u-ral | ||||
| 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
| for’tin | for’tshune | ||||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| for’tew-nate | for’tshu-nate | ||||
| 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| vur’tew | ver’tshu | ||||
| 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 4 | |
| vur’tew-us | ver’tshu-us | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 4 | |
| ak’tew-el | ak’tschu-al | ||||
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| ed’ew-kate | ed’ju-kate | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ||
| faTH’ur | fa’THur | ||||
| heft | weight | ||||
| stoop | porch | ||||
| stent | task | ||||
| helve | handle | ||||
| muss | disorder | ||||
| dump | unload | ||||
| scup | swing | ||||
| shay | gig or chaise | ||||
| cutter | one-horse sleigh | ||||
| staddle | sapling | ||||
| foxy | reddish | ||||
| suple | spry or supple |
In Pennsylvania
| Strenth | strength |
| lenth | length |
| brenth | breadth |
| ort | ought |
| nan | what |
| wisht | wish |
| wunst | once |
| ouch | oh |
| cheer | chair |
| spook | ghost |
| furnentz | opposite |
| wanity | vanity |
| in wain | in vain |
| ornary | ordinary |
| for by | to spare |
| we bit | small piece |
| disremember | do not remember |
IRISH.
| 66 | 1 | ||||
| Door | dore | ||||
| 66 | 1 | ||||
| floor | flore | ||||
| 5 | 4 | ||||
| ond | and | ||||
| 5 | 55 | ||||
| loss | looz | ||||
| 66 | 1 | ||||
| koorse | korse | ||||
| 66 | 1 | ||||
| soorse | sorse | ||||
| 4 | 66 | ||||
| till | too | ||||
| 4 | 7 | ||||
| put | put | ||||
| 4 | 7 | ||||
| fut | fut | ||||
| 4 | 66 | 4 | 54 | ||
| a-koont’ | ak-kount’ | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | ||
| pul’pit | pul’pit | ||||
| 1 | 4 | 3 | |||
| pare’sun | par’sn | ||||
| IMPROPER. | CORRECT. | ||||
| MD. VA. KY. MISS. &c. | |||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||
| THar | THare | ||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||
| whar | hware | ||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||
| bar [bear] | bare | ||||
| 2 | 4 | ||||
| war | wer | ||||
| 37 | 1 | ||||
| mout | mite [might] | ||||
| 1 | 1 4 | ||||
| gwine | go’ing | ||||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | |||
| shet or shut | rid | ||||
| 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| tote or fotch | kar’re, fetsh, or bring | ||||
| 1 | 4 | ||||
| hop’d | helpt | ||||
| 4 | 66 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| ca-hoot’ | part’nur-ship | ||||
| 3 | 66 | 5 | |||
| mar’bl | moov off |
NOTE, Clever, pretty, ugly, curious, expect, guess, and reckon, though correct English words, have, among the common people of New England and New York, a provincial application and meaning. With them, a clever man, is one of a gentle and obliging disposition; instead of, a man of distinguished talents and profound acquirements. Pretty and ugly, they apply to the disposition of a person, instead of, to his external appearance. In these states, one will often hear, “I guess it rains,” when the speaker knows this to be a fact, and, therefore, guessing is uncalled for. “I expect I can go;” or, “I reckon I can;” instead of, “I suppose or presume.” In New England, a clergyman is often called a minister, in New York, a priest, and south of N.Y. a parson. The last is preferable.
| NEW ENGLAND OR NEW YORK. | CORRECTED. |
| I be goin. He lives to hum. | I am going. He lives at home. |
| Hese ben to hum this two weeks. | He has been at home these 2 weeks. |
| You haddent ought to do it. Yes had ought. | You ought not to do it. Certainly I ought. |
| Taint no better than hizzen. | ’Tis no better than his. |
| Izzent that are line writ well? | Is not that line well written? |
| Tizzent no better than this ere. | It is no better, or it is not any better than his. |
| The keows be gone to hum, neow, and I’mer goin arter um. | The cows are gone home, and I am going after them. |
| He’ll be here, derights, and, bring yourn and thairn. | He will here, directly, and bring yours and theirs. |
| He touched the stun which I shew him, an di guess it made him sithe, for twas cissing hot. | He touched the stone which I showed him and it made him sigh, for it was hissing hot. |
| Run, Thanel, and cut a staddle, for to make a lever on. Ize jest agoneter go, daddy. | Go, Nathaniel, and cut a sapling, to make a lever of. I was about to go, or intending to go immediately, father. |
| Where shell I dump my cart, square? Dump it yender. Whats the heft of your load? | Where shall I unload my cart? Yonder. What is the weight of your load? |
| When ju git hum from Hafford? A fortnit ago. You diddent, did ye? Ju see my Danel, whose sot up a tarvern there? No. Hede gone afore I got there. O, the pesky criter! Hele soon be up a stump. | When did you return from Hartford? A fortnight ago. It is possible! Did you see my son Daniel, who has opened a public house there? No. He had left before I arrived there. O, the paltry fellow! He will soon come to naught. |
| My frinds supurb mansion is delightfully sitewated on a nate-eral mound of considerable hithe. It hez a long stoop in front; but it is furder from the city than I’de like my hum. | My friend’s superb mansion is delightfully situated on a natural mound of considerable height. It has a long porch in front; but it is farther from the city than I would like to reside. |
| I know’d the gal was drownded, and I tell’d the inquisitdoners, that ize nither geestin nor jokin about it; but if they’d permit me to give em my ideze, they’d obleege me. So I parsevered, and carried my pinte. You don’t say so. Be you from Barkshire? I be. Neow I swan! if I aint clean beat. | I knew the girl had been drowned, and I told the jury of inquest, that I was not jesting about it; but, by permitting me to give them my view of the subject, they would oblige me. So, I persevered, and gained my point. Indeed! Are you from Berkshire? I am. Really! I am surprised. |
| You baint from the Jarseys, be ye? Yes. Gosh! then I guess you kneow heow to tend tarvern. | Are you from New Jersey? Yes, Then I presume you know how to tend a tavern. |
| IN PENNSYLVANIA. | CORRECTED |
| I seen him. Have you saw him? Yes, I have saw him wunst; and that was before you seed him. | I saw him. Have you seen him? Yes, once; and that was before you saw him. |
| I done my task. Have you did yours? No, but I be to do it. | I have done my task. Have you done yours? No, but I must. |
| I be to be there. He know’d me. | I shall be there; or, I must be there. He knew me. |
| Leave me be, for Ime afear’d. | Let me be, for I am afraid. |
| I never took notice to it. | I never took notice of it: or, better thus, I never noticed it. |
| I wish I haddent did it; howsumever, I don’t keer: they cant skeer me. | I wish I had not done it: however, I disregard them. They cannot scare me. |
| Give me them there books. | Give me those books. |
| He ort to go; so he ort. | He ought to go, really. |
| No he orten. | He ought not. |
| Dont scrouge me. | Don’t crowd me. |
| I diddent go to do it. | I did not intend to do it. |
| Aint that a good hand write? | Is not that beautiful writing? |
| Nan? I know’d what he meant, but I never let on. | What? I knew what he meant, but I kept that to myself. |
| It is a long mile to town. Ah! I thought ’twas unle a short mile. | It is a little over a mile to town. Ah! I supposed it to be less than a mile. |
| IRISH. | CORRECTED. |
| Not here the day; he went till Pittsburg. | He is not here to-day. He went to Pittsburg. |
| Let us be after pairsing a wee bit. | Let us parse a little. |
| Where did you loss it? | Where did you lose it? |
| MD. VA. KY. OR MISS. | CORRECTED. |
| Carry the horse to water. | Lead the horse to water; or, water the horse. |
| Tote the wood to the river. | Carry the wood to the river. |
| Have you focht the water? | Have you fetched, or brought, the water? |
| I’ve made 200 bushels of corn this year. | I have raised 200 bushels of corn this year. |
| He has run against a snag. | He has got into difficulty. |
| Is that your plunder, stranger? | Is that your baggage, sir? |
| He will soon come of that habit. | He will soon overcome, or get rid of, that habit. |
| I war thar, and I seen his boat was loadend too heavy. | I was there, and I saw that his boat was too heavily laden, or loaded. |
| Whar you gwine. | Where are you going? |
| Hese in cohoot with me. | He is in partnership with me. |
| Did you get shet of your tobacca? | Did you get rid, or dispose of, your tobacco? |
| Who hoped you to sell it? | Who helped you to sell it? |