Only in East Texas? More widespread?

[Justin Wells]

--- Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> 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
>
     I have often heard this expression used here in
Eastern Kentucky.  If I cannot see who is speaking to
me, I will say "[hu:]?!" except when I am in a college
environment.  The person will then tell me something
or ask me to do something.  I have heard it used many
times at family gatherings or when I am in my home
area.  Practically no one in my home county is black,
so the usage isn't a racial marker, at least in this
area.  I would be interested in knowing how people in
other areas respond to an unseen speaker.  I had never
really considered that there may be many ways to do
so.
-Justin Wells



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