Only in East Texas? More widespread?

[J. Eulenberg]

OK, that's quite different from the "huh" which drove my mother crazy.  I
think I favor it.

Julia Niebuhr Eulenberg <eulenbrg at u.washington.edu>

On Wed, 8 Sep 2004, Wilson Gray wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Only in East Texas? More widespread?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sep 8, 2004, at 5:49 PM, J. Eulenberg wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "J. Eulenberg" <eulenbrg at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: Only in East Texas? More widespread?
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>> --------
>>
>> Well, I don't know if this is limited to black people.  I'm white, from
>> Dallas, and have white friends from E. Texas.  I think this has a solid
>> resonance with what we do -- as long as [hu] is pronounced "huh?"  I've
>> sort of toned it down to "What" after 40 yrs in the Pacific NW.
>>
>> Julia Niebuhr Eulenberg <eulenbrg at u.washington.edu>
>>
>
> Marshall, "The Heart of the ArkLaTex and Fire-Ant capital of America,"
> 50mi. south of Texarkana and 40mi. west of Shreveport, is where I was
> born. Anyway, the [hu:] sounds more like someone imitating an owl, but
> giving only a single hoot, than like "huh."
>
> -Wilson Gray
>
>> On Wed, 8 Sep 2004, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
>>> Subject:      Only in East Texas? More widespread?
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ---------
>>>
>>> Down home, among black people, when a person is called to by someone
>>> who is out of that person's sight, the person called to responds by
>>> hollering back "[hu:]?!" The caller then hollers back whatever is
>>> relevant: "Where you (at)?" Bring me my tobacco!" "Get in this house!"
>>> "Hand me down my walking cane!"
>>>
>>> Is anything like this customary anywhere else?
>>>
>>> -Wilson Gray
>>>
>>
>