The splendid new Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English (Bookshop|Amazon), edited by Michael Montgomery and Jennifer Heinmiller, is a greatly expanded version of the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English (Amazon), edited by Montgomery and Joseph S. Hall. The newer dictionary covers a wider geographical range and includes a thorough discussion of the grammar and syntax of that region of the United States. Among the terms included: daybust, another word for “the break of day”; blue snow, a term for “fine, extremely cold, powdery snow”; and good dark, “the period of night following twilight.” This is part of a complete episode.
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