Texan phrases

Words for what? I mean there are the usuals, like "I'm fixin' to go" or "Fiixin' to do" rather than "I'm getting ready to" but you need a bit of context for something like this.

I can help you with this, as I'm from Texas with lots of friends in Houston, but we need a more specific example than just "general speech."

Once that rain starts? That road's gonna be slicker'n greased owl shit.

Hot enough for ya?

You're not from here, are you?

That boy's all hat and no cattle.


Note: You also need to give us a time frame to work with. What is common now may not have been in 1860, forex.

Something that doesn't appeal--"Doesn't trip my trigger."

I learned that one when I lived in Houston.

Fixing to - in place of 'about to', or 'preparing to'. "I'm fixing to leave on vacation."

Put it up - In place of 'put something away' "Make sure you put it up, when you're done."


Y'all - It's a conjunction of the plural 'you'. It's NEVER used in a singular form. "Are y'all going to the movies?" - when speaking to a group.

"Open up a can of whupass..." (woopass) - Going to assault someone. "I'm fixing to open up a can of whupass on that boy."

Basically all carbonated beverages are 'cokes' - regardless of brand or flavor. "Get me a burger and a coke." - "What kind?"

Understand that Houston is the FOURTH LARGEST city in America. It is now recognized as the most diverse city in America. It's not really a 'southern hick' town. I grew up there, and my accent was not recognized as 'southern' by folks in say... Mississippi or even Lousianna. Certainly not in Georgia or Alabama.

So you have all sorts of 'teen' groups. Latino, Asian, Black... each with their own lingo and slang. Plenty of subcultures within a specific group as well. It has a very large LGBT culture, that is very active politically and socially. The current Mayor is gay. More information about your character would help with putting words in their mouth.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...s-now-the-most-diverse-in-the-U-S-3384174.php

Totally with the coke and the y'all. Can't stop saying that even if I try. Is "put it up" really not something said elsewhere?

We always called people who wore cowboy boots and wranglers "kickers." I'm pretty sure that was a regional thing.

There are a ton of these, but I can't think of most of them off the top of my head. I got picked on a lot when I went to Iowa for the way I talked.

The people I know from Houston sound more like they are from the north east. No, really. They don't have a typical texas accent. The accent and colloquialism vary from region to region in Texas.

Houston is very urban and diverse. If you're looking for something with a more folksy feel, you might consider another location in the state.

Texan-speak links: Some jokes and funny phrases: http://board.jokeroo.com/funny-jokes/90882-texas-phrases-their-meanings.html

From the experts at texas monthly: http://www.texasmonthly.com/1000-01-01/webextra35.php

More common sayings:
http://mardi.hubpages.com/hub/Texas-Sayings-And-Words-Visitors-Should-Know

From cool slang: http://www.coolslang.com/in/texan/index.php

That ought to get you started.

Where do you live now, Soccer Mom? I live in the Midwest, and you wouldn't know I was from Texas by my accent unless you heard me talking to my family (it really comes out then). I actually think Texas has a very distinct accent. It's not particularly heavy compared to some southern areas, and it's not that stereotypical, but I notice it every time I visit home.

Hmmm... I'm in Houston right now. And it's true that Houston is pretty diverse, lots of people following business in, so we've had a greater influx of non-regional dialects and accents and customs in recent years.

It's difficult to just yank out "Texanisms" that I think would be helpful. I don't really think of what I say, day to day, as being a great deal different than what other people say. Any of the common things you think about Texans saying would likely be pretty stereotypical and would risk sounding unnatural in your MS (you know, if the wording isn't researched for a specific scene, but rather a scene constructed to accomodate the Texanism).

I guess I could just ramble for a few pages.... Or I could keep my ears open today and see if anything strikes me as notable.

WriteKnight said:

Basically all carbonated beverages are 'cokes' - regardless of brand or flavor. "Get me a burger and a coke." - "What kind?"

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Unless it's a Dr. Pepper, of course.

Ever been to the original Dr. Pepper plant in Dublin? Mmmm. Cold right off the bottling line. I heard they were closing it down. Sad.

I'm a Native Texan from Dallas, but transplanted to Florida. Once a Texas always a Texan, though.

If you ever hear a Texas woman preface a comment with the phrase "bless her heart..." stand by for a thinly veiled slam.

Ever seen the TV show "GCB"? It offers ample contemporary examples and sends my wife into fits of howling laughter.

I was helping a Texan friend move a piece of furniture once, and he told me to move it to the right 'just a c***hair.' That one had me in stitches for hours.

(Sorry for the ***, but part of what makes Texan lingo, or any regional dialect, is the way the people swear.)

When I went into broadcasting, the thing I had to work on was putting the 'g' back on my 'endins'. Seriously, that was pretty much all I had to do, to bring my 'accent' up to Standard American Broadcast - which supposedly has 'no' accent.

But as others have pointed out - Texas is a BIG state. Big as France. Lots of 'regional' accents. There is definitely an 'east texas twang' for folks brought up in the 'piney woods'. But it's not that distinct in Houston. And Dallas has colloquialisms that are peculiar to a more 'Conservative' setting than Houston or say, Austin.

I think if you use a few of the common points we've brought up - 'fixin to', 'y'all' , 'put it up' , and make a point of dropping the 'g's occasionally in her speech - you'll get a feel for it. "I'm fixin to go to work." "Are y'all bringin the food with you?" "I was talkin to my friend, and he said he ain't goin." The 'g's simply aren't on the endings.

I completely agree with sounding more Texan when I speak with my family. I was living in upstate New York, rooming with guys from across the US. Answered the phone and talked with my father for half an hour. When I hung up, they were all staring at me funny. "What?" I asked. They burst out laughing, "Youse sounds like you waz inna movie or sumpin! Youze sounds so funny!"

My mom was a HUGE fan of the 'bless your heart' rule. You can say ANYTHING bad about someone, as long as you preface it with "Bless your/her heart" - "My sister, bless her heart, hasn't got a lick of sense, and can't keep her legs together." "My son, bless his heart, is a sandwich shy of a picnic."

I don't know if you can watch "The Big Bang Theory" - but the actor and character of Sheldon Cooper - is from Texas. The actor is a native Houstonian. He's constantly dropping his 'g's when he talks fast. That's a typical Houston accent, if you listen to him.
And yes... Dr. Pepper rules.

kaitie said:

Where do you live now, Soccer Mom? I live in the Midwest, and you wouldn't know I was from Texas by my accent unless you heard me talking to my family (it really comes out then). I actually think Texas has a very distinct accent. It's not particularly heavy compared to some southern areas, and it's not that stereotypical, but I notice it every time I visit home.

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I'm still in Texas. I'm on the edge of Hill Country, just south of the Metroplex. I went to law school in west texas and the accent there is quite different and distinctive. My husband grew up in Highland Park and has virtually no Texas accent whatsoever.

ETA: Dr. Pepper indeed rules.

EzzyAlpha said:

Okay, so it's a twenty three year old female, white, grew up in a trailer park just outside Houston. Her mother and aunt (who she was raised by) are from a rural area.

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There's really no telling what kind of accent she'd have compared to other Houstonians. Like people have mentioned, it's a huge, very diverse place.

People tell me I don't have an accent, especially when they hear I'm a Texan (I'm not sure exactly what they're expecting?). One of my neighbors is..ehmm...country as a turnip green. Her accent is really strong and really different from mine. Her parents are from west Texas, and I think that's a huge influencer. After all, you learn to speak from your parentals. So if your MC's parents have accents, she would too. But please don't feed the 'they're from the trailer park so they must talk with huge accents and sound uneducated' monster.

FWIW, my parents are down from down in the Valley, so that may be why people think my accent is non-Texan. Most people I've met from down there sound similar to me. (The RG Valley is a very diverse place, though likely not as much so as Houston.)

Beachgirl said:

Unless it's a Dr. Pepper, of course.

Ever been to the original Dr. Pepper plant in Dublin? Mmmm. Cold right off the bottling line. I heard they were closing it down. Sad.

I'm a Native Texan from Dallas, but transplanted to Florida. Once a Texas always a Texan, though.

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Dublin Dr. Pepper almost has an underground market now. If you've got a cache of it somewhere, you could get rich . I checked prices on ebay the other day and was appalled LOL.

The coke (soda!) machines at my university always stocked Dublin DP, and when the news came Snapple was shutting them down it was like a mad dash to stock up. The things were emptied in like three hours, all across campus.

Soccer Mom said:

I'm still in Texas. I'm on the edge of Hill Country, just south of the Metroplex. I went to law school in west texas and the accent there is quite different and distinctive. My husband grew up in Highland Park and has virtually no Texas accent whatsoever.

ETA: Dr. Pepper indeed rules.

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Dr. Pepper does rule. As does the edge of the Hill Country, just south of the metroplex

kaitie said:

Is "put it up" really not something said elsewhere?

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Texas is the only place I've ever heard it.

Brett Marie said:

I was helping a Texan friend move a piece of furniture once, and he told me to move it to the right 'just a c***hair.' That one had me in stitches for hours.

(Sorry for the ***, but part of what makes Texan lingo, or any regional dialect, is the way the people swear.)

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That's not Texan. I'm Canadian and I've heard that many times. Brown ones are bigger than blonde ones.

Texas is the only place I've ever heard it.

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We say "put it up" in my family--primarily from Florida and Georgia.

I spent a few months in Texas last summer, and I was surprised how non-accented the speech generally was. I lived for a long time in New Orleans and have traveled extensively through the Deep South, and I'm used to very strong Southern accents. By comparison, Texas accents are almost nonexistent, IMHO.

I'm originally North Carolinian and currently in Houston, but from what I can tell most Houstonians do not have a "Texas twang." You have to go a lot more rural for that. Urban Texas = often no accent. My neighbors in NC are more twangy than Houston is.

Most of the phrases listed are really used across most of the south and are not Texas specific [put up, yall, bless her heart, whoopass (this one is IMO not purely southern), etc.].

Texas food might be more helpful in establishing Texan/southern identity than an accent. That's just my inexpert opinon (just don't believe everything Paula Deen says about food).

Speaking of "country as a turnip green" in NC it's "fell of the back of a turnip truck."

I'm from Connecticut - we either "put it up" or "put it away" - so apparently that's not just TX.

The one that confused me when I was in the Dallas area visiting was when I bought something and the clerk asked me if I wanted a "sack" - took me a minute to figure out what she meant.

Two things I've found to be highly regional is what you call the sandwich that you buy at Subway, and what constitutes a "regular" coffee.