It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test.
I’m sharing a few videos to let you hear the words and phrases. To start the videos click on them.
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1. Yanway: that way. “I saw him throw the ball over yanway, but we’ve been a looking for almost a hour and ain’t found it yet.”
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2. Yon: yonder; that way. “They’ve built a new road up there just past the barn. It goes yon way all the way to the top of the mountain.”
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3. Yuns: all of you. “Yuns should a knowed better! I can’t believe you sit right here and let this happen.”
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4. Yuns come: come again. “Yuns come as soon as you get the chance, Momma’s been a missing you for a good long time.”
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5. Yieldy: productive land. “I’m telling you that land is yieldy! He grows more in that small patch than most people do in a big garden.”
All of this month’s words are beyond common to me except yieldy, I’ve never heard it used.
Hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know how you did on the test.
Tipper
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I guess I could give myself a 90 I heard all but yieldy. A lot of these old saying came from The Dutch people who came across the Caucus’s Mountains. My Grandmother was Dutch her families who went to Scotland then to America they lost their heritage and are now Scotchman, all are from the 10 tribes of Israel
Never heard Yieldy but I did hear yonder as he lives over yonder with the speaker pointing the way. I always heard “you all” come back and stay with us. When we moved here to south central PA and met a neighbor that had just moved to our area, she said why don’t “you’uns” come over to our house for supper. I had never heard that expression and when I asked where they were from she said they were born and raised just a little south of Pittsburgh.
I too, have heard all but yieldy! We grew up saying all the other words. They were and still are used by me and the folks I grew up with in Arkansas.
100% on this one….
I don’t think I’ve heard yieldy but I’m familiar with the rest of them.
Yun’s come on in the house and we’ll hunt up a bean to cook! Yun’s come back when you can stay longer! I heard my daddy say that many times.
You’uns, definitely, although I have always said, “Y’all.” The others I hadn’t heard.
I don’t recall ever hearing yieldy used to describe a patch of ground. Mom would probably have said, “I raised a right smart in that small patch.” Yander was the word we used instead of yonder. Not sure if I ever heard yanway either. I didn’t do nary bit of good on today’s test.
Of them all, I am most familiar with “yonway” with “yanway” a rarely heard variant with the same meaning. I’m hazy about “you’uns” and its variations. I think maybe I just fold it in with “you all” so I don’t note the difference if and when I hear it. Pretty sure I have never heard “yieldy” just other terms with the same idea.
What your tests have taught me is that I don’t ‘hear’ separately the words I know the meaning of. And that means I can’t judge how much of an old-time Appalachianer I am. I’m guessing about a 3 out of 5……
Paul’s wrong! Andrews is this side of Marble. Murphy’s on yon side! I ‘spect it’s all in where you’re comin frum though.
I don’t know yieldy and I don’t have yieldy ground. My ground is poor and always needs extra work to be yieldy.
I hear yonways instead of yanway.
I hear y’all more now than I did yrs, ago. I think tv has told us that is what we are supposed to say. Growing up it was you all or youins.
I am familiar with all but yieldy but I would have understood it if I heard it. As for yuns I heard it all the time. I was not allowed to use the word, my momma forbade it’s use. I am not sure why she was so dead set against it. Y’all was allowed but not usual in my neck of the woods.
Tipper,
You’uns is the way we spelt hit! Yeildy ain’t heard much in our neck of the woods…All the others we hear often.
Rainy morning here in E. TN…How’s everything over the mountain? Not much garden planted so far…Running behind, hangin’ on to a coat-tail!
Always love these tests…lol
Thanks Tipper,
I read more than I get to comment these days…but I’m here in the background so keep up the good work! Thanks for all you do!
Yieldy is new to me but the others, like you, I have used or heard.
Mommer an ’em stay over yonway.
Tipper–Like you, yieldy is new to me. The others are common as pig tracks, although I hear yander about as much as yonder and would render it you’uns in print rather than yuns.
Jim Casada
I too am familiar with all but yieldy. Often hear land as being “Rich” of “Poor” or having a good yield or a sorry yield but never have heard “Yieldy” used.
Yon, yonder. Yonway all familiar and used except yonway
Yeilfu is new to me. Yins I have heard, but more from people in the Ohoo area.odd
Yieldy is not a word that I have heard before, the rest I am quite familiar with. I just love how we make out own vocabulary as the need arises!
All great words. Yieldy is a new one for me. Is there a vocabulary video that will let me hear how you say Appalachia? I’m from Oklahoma, we do use a lot of the same words you all do. I just don’t want to sound ignorant.