> > > OK. I confess. I, too, have been known to turn on a deep-Dixie drawl when traveling in other parts of the country. All in fun, of course.
> >
> > Heh. Don't feel too bad - I've done that too, and I'm from Massachusetts. I was in a show once, however, for which we needed to learn West Texas accents, and ended up speaking in that accent all the time through the run of the show. Weren't my parents surprised - their son goes away to school in New York, and, when they come to visit, he's speaking like a Texan. :-}
>
> You may be the first Yankee (no offense)I know that knows that there is a big difference between West Texas and East Texas accents. Most people tend to lump them together as one "Texas accent". They are very different from each other. I can tell what part of Texas someone is from almost immediately.
>
> Here's a test. What does this mean? "Lsqueet" (say it really fast)
>
> Hint: Usually accompanied by a slight head movement to one side.
>
> I'm betting Faux Pas knows. :-)
>
> Kel"how y'all doin!"ly

In East Tennessee, "Lsqueet" means "Lets stop doing this." or "Let's quit." Usually, it's followed by "Lskoeet" or "Let's go eat." Because of the association between the two expressions, "Lsqueet" has come to mean "Let's quit and go eat." The expression is very popular around job sites.

People in the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee don't sound at all like the people in the West Tennessee/Memphis/delta/big muddy region.

Is the Texas accent in the Rio Grande valley different from the accent in the Panhandle?
Howard