Only in East Texas? More widespread?

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 8, 2004, at 6:10 PM, Justin Wells wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Justin Wells <jawell02 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Only in East Texas? More widespread?
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> --- 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?
>>
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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
>>
>      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
>
What I find so interesting about this is that the rule kicks in only
when the two people can't see each other. How in hell did that
constraint ever come about?

-Wilson Gray

>
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