The confessions of an Okie Writer

Alright, I live in Kansas and have for many years now. That being said... I am an Okie (born and raised in Oklahoma) through and through.

Hanging out with my daughter in Pawhuska, OK. 

If you have ever been around an Okie, then you know that we say a few words funny and even have some words that are Oklahoma originals. Just like everyone else in the world, Okie's have their own unique accent and slang.

Here's one example of saying a word that sounds funny in an Okie accent: Ten

I lead workouts and often call out the repetition count to the group. When I say the word ten, apparently it sounds like tin. I don't hear the subtle difference, but the people in my group that start teasing me apparently hear it. (That's okay, I just make them do "tin" more reps.)

Here's one example of an Okie original word: Chesterdraws

One day we were moving furniture and I asked my wife where she wanted me to put the chesterdraws. She started laughing and said "What did you call this furniture?" (My wife is from Kansas)

She then informed me that the furniture is actually called a chest-of-draws. Well I have to admit, that makes more since. But to me, 'Ol Chester must have owned them because they are his draws. 

You want to know what brought this entire topic up? The word subtle. I was trying to spell it on my phone and couldn't figure it out. It went something like this...

Suttle, Suddle, dang it! 

I know it is a word and I know what it means. I also know how it sounds, so why can't I spell it close enough for auto correct to help me out? Then it hit me, it's because I'm an Okie and in my Okie accent the word is suddle. 

So I looked up the word (thank goodness for Dictionary.com) and found the word subtle. Then I thought "Ah, it has a b in it. Wait, that's stupid, who added a b to this word?"

Now that I've exposed my spelling weaknesses, let me defend other Okies. I'm certain that not everyone from Oklahoma is bad at spelling. But I am also certain that many people from Oklahoma have to convert words in their head from Okie to English at least every once in awhile. This is by no means a lack of intelligence, it's just that people from Oklahoma are bilingual. Yep, we speak Okie and English. 

God Bless,

Coach P

P.S. What words do you say that sound funny or are specific to your region of the world? Let me know so we can laugh together.