A question put to me on Sunday morning: Why with all the important stuff going on in the world, would you choose to run a story on how people talk in Walkertown?
Part of what makes a newspaper front page is the mix of news, the serious and sober, the enlightening and entertaining. And the Walkertown piece was just a fun read that gave us a chance to explore a lot of issues: class, Southern identity in a changing region, politics, and regional dialects. And apart from the sheer entertainment value, there are two competing messages that we can draw from. Sometimes how we talk determines how people treat us, for better or for worse, and that we would be all better off by listening to what people said rather than how they said it.
On an unrelated note, I will also tell the uninitiated that Mickey’s Country Kitchen, where we did a lot of our interviews, is a great place to stop in and get a meal if you are in W’town. You won’t leave hungry.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
I’ve worked from from coast to coast, Canada and Mexico. Some
allways ask where I’m from. I say; “New York”. Most just smile.
Then I tell them I am from North Carolina. Only the crabby get
upset........,and I can’t understand some of them. I enjoy the
different dialects around the USA. The only problem I have had
is ordering food.....and no I do not ask for grits!!
Hi Ken,
Since you’re aware of Yahoo Local I thought I’d ask—do you think Yahoo Local’s type of content (restaurant listings with reader reviews) would be appropriate and useful for a local newspaper’s web site? Just curious,
-Joe
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Joe Murphy
Senior Content Producer
JournalNow.com
Having been born and raised in Winston-Salem,N.C. I do not see that people in Walkertown sound any different than
Winston-Salem, born natives! I had some great Aunts and Uncles from the Belews Creek Rd area.and My Grandmother, and Grandfather both were born in Belews Creek but lived in Winston-Salem all their married life,they sounded NO different than any one else! I think the whole issue is kinda silly! True, people from the outer banks have a different way of speaking, as do the individuals of the mountain area. With the influx of so many people that are not true natives of this area, I can pick their accents out a mile away, but as to people from Walkertown sounding different I think that’s just rediculous! We all, ( native N.C. Southerners ) just have a slower southern accent when we speak! Sounds to me like a stupid joke, that some took the wrong way! I actually laughted when I read the article in the newspaper! I thought it was funny!
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