Texas talk Tuesday

 Y'all

 

 

If you are in Texas, you'll probably hear the word "y'all" a lot. I personally try not to use my normal Texas accent when I speak to people in a professional setting or when I meet new people, but some people can't control their accent or choose not to. Y'all is a combination of "you" and "all." so instead of saying "you all" people say "y'all." Texas is known for the lazy speech patterns and combining words such as "going to" (gonna), as well as shortening words and phrases so it sounds like it loses some of it's syllables. For example the phrase "Fixing to" is pronounced "fixin' tuh." The Texas accent varies a bit from region to region, but in general these phrases are used all over Texas.

 

 

 

Pop Culture Friday

Who's your Daddy?

          Most people know about the Star Wars series. If you don't, I'm honestly surprised and on what planet have you been living? Star Wars is said to have taken place "long ago in a galaxy far away." There are three movies that focus on Anakin Skywalker, Three movies that focus on Luke Skywalker, and now there is a movie based on the people after Luke Skywalker (Which I still have yet to see).

      

        The most famous line in the series

and arguably the most famous plot twist in any movie up to that point was in Star Wars episode five where Darth Vader reveals a piece of information to Luke Skywalker. If you don't know what I'm talking about at this point, stop reading and go watch this film, and probably all the others while you're at it.

 

       If you do know of the "I am your Father" scene, then maybe you didn't know that this line wasn't actually in the script. The original line was "Obi Wan killed your father." Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker was told just before his part in the scene. This line is referenced in so many different movies and TV shows. It was referenced in Toy Story 2, Alien, Poltergeist, and Pitch Perfect.

     

       Another well known reference to the Star Wars franchise is the line Han Solo says "May the force be with you." this has led to May 4th to be called "Star Wars Day" (May the Fourth be with you).  

  

Image Credit: starwars.ea.com

Cultural Thursday

The Look of Confusion

 

This is a pretty hard topic to start talking about, mostly because I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. But, if you're an exchange student to America, specifically around San Angelo, Texas, and you have an accent that isn't very common around here, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Let's say you're talking to an American student and they look at you, confused, and ask you to repeat what you said. You do, but they ask you to repeat again. You do and they just kind of nod awkwardly even though you asked something simple, like "how are you?" I call this the look of confusion, hence the title of this post.

The look of confusion means the person didn't understand you. This doesn't, however, mean that the person in question doesn't want to get to know you. In America, I've noticed that in school and at home if you ask someone to repeat something more than a few times, the person gets irritated and asks "Weren't you listening?" Listening is a big thing here. It's become part of our culture to make people think we're listening even if we're not or we don't understand. If this happens to you, (I hope it doesn't because it's annoying, but if it does) now you know that we're not trying to be mean, it's an unconscious part of our culture.

(This is basically the face)

 



Wednesday Slang

Don't 'Freak Out'

 

If you're around college students, you will probably hear the phrase 'freak out' or 'freaking out.' This means something similar to being worried about something. Example, "I have a test next week and I'm freaking out." This can also be used to tell people not to worry, example. "Don't freak out, I'm fine." It also refers to unexpected or violent behavior due to an outside reason, like emotions, alcohol or stress.

The word 'freak' by itself has several meanings. Freak was originally a derogatory word for someone who is physically different than most people. More recently it has been used to describe someone who is obsessed with something. The term "Neat Freak" means the person is obsessed with keeping stuff clean. Freak can also refer to an unexpected situation.

Freaking is sometimes used as a substitute word for the cuss word F**king. An example of this is "It's really freaking cold today."

Or, "This dog is too freaking cute!!"

 

Saturday Movie Reccomendations

The Princess Bride 

The Princess Bride is an excellent movie about fencing, Giants, torture, Pirates and true love. This is one of my favorite movies of all time! Not only is it a great romance, it also doesn't really take itself too seriously. Good characters, plot and actors all come together to make this film. Buttercup, Wesley, Inigo, Fessic and many other characters bring life and humor to this film.  It's pretty old, so don't expect the best graphics or effects, but this film is considered great partly because it is still so good even after almost 30 years. I would highly reccomend this movie to anyone and everyone. It's heartwarming and sweet and sad and rage inducing for almost everyone I've showed it to. You may not like it and that's fine. But I hope you give it a try. 

Pop Culture Friday

 

 

 

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies. The Movie tells the story of a young woman who is in love, but is betrothed to a prince who she doesn't love. A bit of a confusing explanation, but I'll explain a bit more tomorrow. While the movie sounds like a stereotypical romantic movie, it's actually fairly lighthearted and has tons of comic relief and action.

     Inigo Montoya is one of the main characters. His father was killed and he studied swordplay for his whole life and is out for revenge against his fathers killer. This is one of the most famous lines in the movie. When he meets his fathers killer, he says this over and over and draws strength from it. It's seen most often today on T-shirts, but I myself have used the opportunity in meetings where they make you wear one of those sticker name tags to make a reference to The Princess Bride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another famous quote from Inigo is this. He only says it once, but this phrase has become a part of our culture. My family often says this when someone mispronounces something or if they use a word in the wrong context. I hope if you hear these used or see them on a T-shirt, you'll know what they mean.





Bubbles

 

      In America, particularly among small children, you may hear them refer to their personal space as their "Bubble." In Texas, we have lots of space in general, so we're used to having lots of room to spread out. You may notice at stores and in lines, the people stand pretty far apart. This is considered polite. Even when just walking around a store, you will hear people say "excuse me." This doesn't mean they have done anything wrong, or that you have, in this context it is saying "I'm going to be in your personal space for a second, don't freak out." Excuse me is a way of letting people know you're there so they don't think you're trying to steal from them if you're suddenly close to them.

  A good rule for standing in lines if you don't know the person in front of you is, if you can touch them with your arm fully outstretched, you're too close. For walking around the store, it's kind of impossible to not be close to someone. If you need something that someone is standing in front of, wait for a minute and if they don't move pretty quickly, say excuse me and then get what you need. You don't have to say it to everyone, but in this situation it's better to say "excuse me." Don't worry if you don't say it, just be aware that Texans in general are used to having about a lot of space.

   There are exceptions, such as in large crowds, but on average, these guidelines will work for almost anywhere.



 

A Brief Guide General Politeness (Texas)

 

 

    1. Smile

          This may sound obvious but, if you happen to make eye contact with someone, it's polite to smile. You don't have to do a full on toothy grin, but a small smile is polite. You don't have to smile every time you see someone but sometimes is good.

   2. Greet people

          Again, maybe obvious, but if someone greets you, greet them in return. People who don't know you will talk to you. That's perfectly normal here. 

   3. Say "Please" and "Thank you"

         Continuing with the theme of the obvious, saying please and thank you is polite.

   4. Sir and Ma'am

        Addressing older people you don't know at all is fairly simple. For men, call them "Sir." For women, Miss or Ma'am is the usual term. Even if you know their names, you can still say "Yes, sir." and "Yes ma'am" and "No, sir" and No, ma'am." These are ways to speak politely to people who are either much older than you or are in a position of authority.

  5. Eye Contact

      If you are talking to someone, it is rude not to look at them at least sometimes. You don't have to stare at them but paying attention to them when they talk to you is polite.

  6

. Relax

      The word Texas comes from the word Tejas (tae-hass). It means friend, people here are generally friendly and if you make a mistake, don't stress out. We're not gonna shoot you.