(no subject)

[timepiececlock]

My Linguistics teacher is starting an online blog. I have to go check it out later. My teacher's pretty cool (and nice!); I think I'm going to take his poetry class next year for spare credits.

I told a joke in that class today, while we were discussing how people try to enforce change on language or language rules, in this instance about ending a sentence with a preposition. They all laughed at my joke. I'd heard it from my mother-- like most language jokes it works best when spoken aloud, with appropriate accents/inflections.

Two women were sitting beside each other on an airplane.
The woman next to the window turned to the one beside her, and said charmingly in a Southern accent:
"So, where y'all from?"
The other woman turned her head and looked at her and said quietly:
"I am from a place where you are taught not to end a sentence with a preposition."
The woman next to the window thought about this for a moment. Then she gave the other woman her best smile, and said sweetly:
"So, where y'all from, bitch?"

Comments

[octopedingenue]

*GUFFAWS*

I LOVE that joke! I'm going to tell it to everyone I knooooow!

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

:g: I loved it too. It works much better when spoken aloud-- make sure you say "y'all", and give a half-beat before "bitch" (which is said clearly and with the vocal equivalent of italics).

[saava.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh! Like, "Out for a walk, bitch.

[sunlit5.livejournal.com]

I've always liked that one.

So you do accents too?

Isn't it fun?

My mom is always saying, "So where are you from THIS week.?"

heehe
Sun

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

"So, where y'all from, bitch?"

Not to be pedantic or anything (ah, the irony), but "y'all" is a plural term. It's never used to apply to an individual. (Born & raised in the South, here. Trust me.)

Re:

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wondered about that. "Y'all" is pretty clearly plural. But that's how the joke was told to me.

The "y'all" was put there probably to emphasize the background difference between the women by an easily recognizable word-usage, even if incorrect.