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.
1. Dwelling house: a building inhabited by people. “Pap built a lot of dwelling houses in our area. He also built a nearby church and a fellowship hall.”
2. Drownded: drowned. “Here take my raincoat or you’ll get drownded going to the car.”
3. Do what?: what did you say? “Do what? I couldn’t hear you cause of the tv.”
4. Do up: to complete a chore. “Granny said soon as she was through doing up around the house she’d be ready to go.”
5. Donnick: a rock. “It looks to me like somebody threw a donnick and broke that glass out. I don’t see how else it could a happened.
I’m familiar with all this month’s words, but don’t hear many people say dwelling house or donnick.
Pap said dwelling house and my brother Steve says it. The Deer Hunter says donnick for rock and I’ve also heard Jim Casada use the word.
Hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know how you did on the test.
Last night’s video: Visit Satterfield’s Briarpatch Greenhouse And Nursery with Me!
Just curious if you’ve heard of one my Grandmother (WNC) used a lot and as far as I can tell, it is only known in the family. I don’t even know how to spell it, but phonetically, something like “k-Yarn-e”. Every attempt at trying to spell makes it look strange to me. There is definitely a “K” sound at the beginning that goes right into the “Yarn” and ending with an ‘E’. The meaning of the word is something nasty/dirty. For instance, if you had a dirty mop and you put it in your sibling’s face, you might get the response “Get that “Kyarnie” thing away from me!!!”
David-You can read about the usage here: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/something-smells-bad/ 🙂
Thank you! I can hear my grandmother use the word in my head just thinking about it. She was one of the Appalachian grannies that dipped snuff. She used to scare us when we were kids (being bad) with threats of Hazy Bones getting us. That’s another one that I’m curious if anyone else has heard of. Hazy Bones was basically the devil and she described him as hairy all over, blood running out of his eyes with long drooping ears and his knuckles would drag the ground.
Familiar with all these. When I was young I heard dwelling house alot along with Church House and school house, also school truck rather than bus.
My dad always called a large rock a dornick. His people were from Appalachia in south central PA where they worked in the coal mining industry.
Tipper,
If one of the girls would like to come here this summer and rock hunt, I will be happy to go with here. Just email us at Klargen@gmail.com
Kathy Patterson
Hi,
There is a difference in houses– Hog house where hogs have shelter, cow shed– where the cows have shelter, etc. We even had a cat house for the cats.
Here in the Blue Ridge we don’t do up the work we have done up the work, gone to feed the cows, or doing up the work–
I had never heard of Donnick but we have sand rocks, flat rocks, dirt rocks, and my favorite white or field rocks. Creek rocks are always round and Branch rocks are usually black due to his Oxygen levels.
Anyway, love it Tipper. We, thanks to you are keeping our language. Now we are going to Willie’s to get us a bite to eat.
Love,
Kathy Patterson
(Blue Ridge culture we always sign our letters, except to the lawyer or tax people, love.
Well, I got 80%. I hadn’t encountered ‘donnick’ until today. I searched a bit and found that teh OED says it is a variant of ‘dornick’ from Irish (Gaelic?)”dornóg” (small stone), alternate spelling “doirneog” (round stone, handstone).
I think this might be the first time you’ve stumped me, Tipper!
Wondering if y’all know what a candlebat is.
How about the expression “totin’ th’ mail”?
Can’t say as I’ve ever seen or heard of a candlebat.
I always heard it as “carryin’ the mail.” I know that one.
I can’t tell you what finding The Blind Pig and your You Tube channel has meant to me. I was raised on a small dairy farm in the foothills of the Appalachians. My parents have been gone over 20 years and my grandparents over 50. You have returned me to my childhood. I can hear the words and phrases they used, walk in our woods along the creek, work in a garden, and put up food again. We quit farming when I was in my teens and I sold it when my parents passed. The Appalachian word tests are absolutely delightful. I finally heard the term “red” again. When I tell someone to “red up the table” they look at me like I’m crazy. I also have to tell you I have a son named Corey who has a birthday on September 25th. What are the chances? Thanks Tipper for your wonderful channel.
Nancy
Thank you for the kind words! So glad you enjoy our videos. We really appreciate you watching them. I’m happy we remind you of family and good times. How neat that your Corey and ours share a birthday 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful Easter!
I use all but donnick and dwelling. I use either dwelling or house. I never heard donnick
Tipper–I have heard and used (as you note) donnick all my life. However, in my lexicon it isn’t just any rock but one of a size suitable for throwing, skipping across water, or perhaps used as slingshot ammunition. I bet that Matt views the word in a similar sense.
I’ve never used the word donnick, but all the others are everyday talk for me.
As someone with hearing problems ‘do what’ is probably the thing I say most in a day!
All but donnick! That’n musta come from somewheres I ain’t never been too!
Ever hear “what say?” instead of “do what”?
I have heard and said all of them except for Donnick. That’s a new one to me. Loved last night’s video. That nursery is one of the nicest ones I have ever seen. All the plants looked so pretty and healthy and what a variety! I think I could have spent all day in there. The folks seemed so nice, and that little Quincey was adorable! A very smart eight-year-old for sure! Looking forward to tonight’s reading. Have a blessed day everyone!!
I e never heard of dwelling house or donnick, but I use and hear all the others with my family. I was born in Kentucky and raised in Ohio, but both my parents were from Kentucky and they talked like this. I loved it. I have used some of the same words they always used.
No donnick nor dwelling house used in my memory, but it seems I did see donnick on one of your blog posts in the distant past. The work donnick just seems to be a word we brought many years ago from somewhere else. I love the way auto correct and spell check don’t always like our Appalachian words. I use “do what” a great deal since age has messed with almost all of my five senses. 🙂 My sis has become more familiar with paying attention to words and expressions associated with our Appalachian heritage, and she really gets tickled when I use one we have never mentioned. My daughter was particularly amused when one of her friends told her that her fiancé was always “hollering” about getting married. I don’t know if it is just in my small part of the world, but I have often heard expressions like “He is always hollering about something” if the person is a complainer. Great vocabulary test! I must be getting too comfortable with your blog, because I don’t proofread. Then I go back and see some goof ups, and I just totally annoyed at myself.
I would understand what was being said for these words, but we don’t use them. They are perfect for describing what action is being referred to – except donnick. I don’t remember hearing that one ever but I have read it often enough. Always wondered what it meant – a strange shell? a fossil? a petrified piece of wood? BUT I did get what was being said. Now i know and so glad I finally found out.
I’m familiar with drownded and do what? I’ve never heard the others used.
I heard dwelling place while growing up in San Diego, but I have not heard the rest. I like the phrases “do what?” And “do up”! Donnick is interesting, and I wonder about its origin and how that came to be a rock. I can imagine someone in the old country (Ireland or Scotland) saying it. Thank you for these new words!
Donna. : )
I am familiar with all of the words but “donnick.”
Tipper,
We googled “Donnick” and found the word has Irish origins. That was a new word for me.
I agree with Glenda Page, here in SW Ohio I’ve not heard donnick, but the others are familiar.
It’s Friday – looking forward to a reading tonight! Thanks Tipper
I’ve never heard “donnick,” but I love the word. Wonder where it came from.
I have heard and said all of them except for donnick, never heard that one. I have also heard all of the words Glenda mentioned. When I was a child, my mother would often say sure enough or sho nuff.
I have never heard #1. Have heard each of the others. Think “donnick “ is Irish.
All new to me.
My husband has always said, “Do what?” when he doesn’t understand someone. It always seemed strange to me, because why would he think the person said anything about “doing” something? He was born in the Missouri Ozark region, and his mother, especially, used a lot of the vocabulary words you share on your blog. His ancestors from farther back came through Kentucky before ending up in Missouri. I had never said anything to him about his mysterious “do what?”, but today I’m going to tell him about this.
Donnickis a new one.
LOL…I have used them all but donnick…that one is a new one for me…near bout, sho nuff, pert near…some Appalachian verbage made it down south, I think. Love your nursery venture. The owners look like nice people. God Bless
Donnick was a new one for me. I must of had some kin from Appalachian area I could remember hearing almost all.
All but Donnik