"Gwine"

[Dennis R. Preston]

Now Wilson; it don't scan with "morest" (do you mean "mosest"). My
version of it had "most" but with CC simplification to "mos."

dInIs



>Yes. You are correct, sir. It *was* Old Crow that was known as "Dirty
>Bird." Folk are friendlier to brands like Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's,
>known to their confidants as "Jimmy B." and "Jackie D.," respectively.
>For some reason, probably just for the hell of it, a drink that was
>known elsewhere as "WPLJ" (white port & lemon juice, celebrated in
>several R&B tunes of the '50's) was known in St. Louis as "schoolboy
>Scotch." And here's a bit of folk-poetic call-and-response from Los
>Angeles:
>
>C. What's the word?
>R. Thunderbird!
>C. What's the price?
>R. Thirty twice! [i.e. $.60; this is from 1957]
>C. Who drinks the most?
>R. Colored folks!
>
>Which reminds me, although this probably isn't news to people here,
>"most" is replaced by "morest" in some versions of BE.
>
>-Wilson
>
>On Feb 23, 2005, at 1:41 PM, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: "Gwine"
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>Wilson,
>>
>>Up Louisville way we called "Old Crow" "Dirty Bird." I don't member
>>no "Jim Crow." Sure you ain't merged "Jim Beam" and "Old Crow"?
>>
>>dInIs
>>
>>>Absolutely. I'd completely forgotten about Stephen Foster's oeuvre. In
>>>fact, I can recall that that's how I first learned the form, starting
>>>in the first grade and ending in the sixth, now that you've reminded
>>>me. Thank you, Jon. Indeed, we were even taught the song, "Jim Crow!"
>>>-
>>>I've never known who wrote it - in the first grade.
>>>
>>>Jump! Oh, jump!
>>>Oh, jump, Jim Crow!
>>>[...]
>>>And around you go!
>>>Slide! Slide!
>>>Point your toe!
>>>You're a funny little fellow
>>>When you jump, Jim Crow!
>>>
>>>There was no PC back in the day. On the other hand, though, "Jim Crow"
>>>was such a popular brand of whiskey that it had a nickname: "Dirty
>>>Bird."
>>>
>>>-Wilson
>>>
>>>On Feb 23, 2005, at 8:04 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>>
>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>-----------------------
>>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>>>Subject:      Re: "Gwine"
>>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>--
>>>>--------
>>>>
>>>>"Gwine" became an iconic spelling in minstrel songs: Foster's "Gwine
>>>>to run all night, gwine to run all day!" and "I'm gwine to Louisiana
>>>>with my banjo on my knee!" come to mind instantly.
>>>>
>>>>JL
>>>>
>>>>Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>-----------------------
>>>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>>Poster: Wilson Gray
>>>>Subject: "Gwine"
>>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>--
>>>>--------
>>>>
>>>>"Y'all" was so much fun that we should do another one, "gwine," that
>>>>should be less controversial. I'm no longer certain of how or when I
>>>>became familiar with this example of old-school Negro dialect. But I
>>>>do
>>>>recall hearing it spoken in jest by a schoolmate in Texas around
>>>>1947.
>>>>Otherwise, I was familiar with "gwine" only from the movies,
>>>>especially
>>>>George Pal's dumb-nigger animated cartoons and from comic books and
>>>>such written in Negro dialect. But, similarly to "y'all," as a
>>>>singular, I never heard it spoken in real life.
>>>>
>>>>For years and years, I listened to all kinds of blues and rhythm &
>>>>blues, talked with colored folk from all over the South, and the
>>>>closest that I came to hearing a real "gwine" was "goina." Then, one
>>>>evening in 1979, I was listening to an interview with Sunnyland Slim,
>>>>an old-time blues pianist and a native of Mississsippi, on the local
>>>>NPR station, when I heard him say quite clearly, "They was gwine
>>>>broke!" My reaction was, "Damn! It's true! In fact, it's still a
>>>>living
>>>>form!" Then I noticed that Memphis "She plays guitar like a man"
>>>>Minnie
>>>>used "gwine." That was odd, because I'd been listening to her songs
>>>>for
>>>>years without hearing any "gwine." But that mystery solved itself.
>>>>Sometimes, Minnie chose to use "gwine"; other times she chose to use
>>>>"gon(na)." I assume that she originally used "gwine," shifting over
>>>>time to "gon(na)," as "gwine" fell out of fashion. But that's just a
>>>>guess.
>>>>
>>>>Sunnyland Slim and Memphis Minnie are both now deceased. Has "gwine"
>>>>finally died with them?
>>>>
>>>>-Wilson Gray
>>>>
>>>>
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