When we moved to the Ozarks, I carried with me some preconceived notions. For example, I had an idea about how the words “Versailles” and “Nevada” should be pronounced. We have communities that go by those names here in the Ozarks.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that the first word above was pronounced “versales” by the inhabitants of that community, and the second was pronounced “nuhvayduh” by its denizens. The “common usage” was so prevalent that if I pronounced “Versailles” in the academically correct French manner, the people I was addressing didn’t know where I was talking about.
I come across these sorts of regionalisms quite regularly. It can get pretty confusing. For example, someone told me the other day that they had been up to “Lakeway” for a basketball game. If you try to look this town up in the atlas, better spell it “Laquey.” To make things more confusing, I have heard this town referred to as “Lackey” as well.
Once I met a person who referred to himself as a “Beechum”. When I attempted to find him in the phone book, I was completely unsuccessful. Much later I discovered that his name was spelled “Beauchamps”. Well, was that guy “dumber than a box of rocks”, or just saying his name the way he heard his daddy say it?
No point in getting “all bulled up” if you are upset about something. Just take a deep breath and let all that anger go.
the havens 