Only in East Texas? More widespread?

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 8, 2004, at 5:49 PM, J. Eulenberg wrote:

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> 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:
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>> 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?
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>> 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
>>
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