Saturday, January 7, 2012

Kennesaw Talk

There is one form of address I never was called in New England, and that address is “Ma’am”.  Wow.  I’m called Ma’am at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, at the dry cleaners, and so on.  It doesn’t matter the business being conducted.  I am Ma’am.  I have to admit it was weird at first, and after living here in Kennesaw, Georgia awhile, I’ve grown accustomed to it. 
In the more casual arena, I hear “guys”.   Yes, we say “guys” in New England, but I hear it more often down here.  It is used to address a group of two or more persons.  “Hey guys!”  Frankly, I don’t like it.   I try avoiding addressing any group of people that, especially if that group is comprised of women.
Southerners are polite.  They say “y’all” which is more appropriate.  I’ve heard it a couple of times referring to just one person.  “Y’all have a good day.”  Regardless, they know men and women are different genders and ought to be acknowledged as such.
There are those who say both “guys” and “y’all” in the same sentence.  I think the younger people who came of age since the population boom of the 90s speak this hybrid dialect.  There must be some grammar rule behind this modern speech pattern, but I don’t know it yet.
Polite forms of address seem to be disappearing here though.  Firstly Kennesaw is a city and folks by nature are ruder in cities.  Secondly, rudeness has become socially accepted perhaps due to television.  Why folks tolerate rudeness I don’t know.  It is easier to be rude, I guess.  Being polite requires more effort using those extra words in a sentence.   After all, “I appreciate it” takes longer to say than “thanks”.

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