PDA

View Full Version : Gail Messed Up!


Michael P
08-14-2005, 02:29 PM
Okay, I really liked Action 830, but there was something in it that bugged the heck out of me. I mentioned it in my review on my blog, and I'm going to mention it here, in the interests of edification.

On page 1, we meet Dr. Psycho's fellow passengers, Toni and Brendan Sparlin, from Tulsa. Gail, you botched Toni's dialogue, specifically with the inclusion of "Y'all" and "Granny." That's Deep South talk, and it's continued in her cadence and diction throughout the scene. But people from Tulsa don't talk like they're from the Deep South. I grew up in Bartlesville, just an hour north on Highway 75, and they don't talk like they're from the Deep South there, either. I never met anyone who said "Y'all" until I moved to Texas.

Tulsa is in Northeastern Oklahoma, the region called Green Country. Green Country identifies much more with the Ozarks and the Lower Plains States than it does with the Deep South or the Texas Southwest. They say "Gramma," not "Granny." Your father isn't your "Daddy," he's your "Dad." The army is "the Army," not "the Service." They say "you," or maybe even "you all," but not "Y'all." And even people in the Deep South don't use "Y'all" in the singular; it's a plural word.

As I said, I liked the story, I liked it a lot, but that exchange was severely weakened by this inaccuracy. If I sound mean, it's only because I'm disappointed; this mistake is beneath your level of skill. In spite of it, though, I'm greatly looking forward to next issue's showdown with Black Adam.

Karl J. Barnes
08-14-2005, 02:32 PM
Michael Pullman, The Henry Higgins of CBR.

Gail Simone
08-14-2005, 02:42 PM
We have family from Oklahoma and they say 'y'all,' and 'granny' is non-idiomatic, really. Different families say it all over the country.

Best,

Gail

Michael P
08-14-2005, 03:02 PM
Out of curiosity, whereabouts?

PatrickG
08-14-2005, 03:31 PM
I've heard "y'all" and "granny" in Ohio even though I was raised on a diet of "Mom", "Dad", "Grampa", "Gramma", "you"/"You all" and "soda pop" (or "soda" for short).

And I always said "the military" unless I was refering very specifically to a branch... And I tend to use the term for the army and refer to other branches by specific names.

kingdom2000
08-14-2005, 04:32 PM
Here in Atlanta, all "soda" and "pop", even if Pepsi, is called coke.
And personally, I use y'all all the time in the singular and plural.

JeffreyWKramer
08-14-2005, 05:48 PM
Michael, I lived in OKC and Tulsa for several years, and I assure you, lots of folk in OK regularly say y'all.

Crowley
08-14-2005, 07:25 PM
Out of curiosity, whereabouts?
uh Florida...

we called my grandma "granny" growing up.

and we also say y'all, and this is in South Florida... which is not the DEEP SOUTH.

PatrickG
08-14-2005, 08:28 PM
Here in Atlanta, all "soda" and "pop", even if Pepsi, is called coke.
And personally, I use y'all all the time in the singular and plural.

Hey. I live a commuting distance from ATL.

We should have a Dragon*Con YABS get together and post signs that say "Joss Whedon This Way -->" that lead in circles.

Kyuubi
08-14-2005, 11:20 PM
I've lived in Southern California my whole life and I've heard plenty of people use those words all the time. The next town over from where I live looks and sounds like it was ripped right out of the south and dumped here.

WhiteRose
08-15-2005, 03:34 AM
Heck, I live in Australia and I use both y'all and granny, and piss the hell out of everyone doing it. :D

YoGo
08-15-2005, 04:06 AM
I live in Singapore and I'm going to start using y'all and granny.

Jeff Brady
08-15-2005, 07:34 AM
It's been heard in upstate New York.

Michael P
08-15-2005, 11:41 AM
I acknowledge my linguistic pwnage.