Alabama Six - Text
The subject is a young white male born in southwest Alabama, near the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. It is perhaps his proximity to tourist areas that has modified his dialect to some degree. You hear a much lighter treatment of [r], a consistent use of the i/e substitution ("git" for get," siniminal" for sentimental), and a lack of consonant action in general. It is an easy relaxed sound. Recorded by Daydrie Hague and edited by Paul Meier. Running time: 00:03:46
TRANSCRIPTION
I was born in a-- a farm near Elberta, Alabama, which was in Elberta, Alabama, (uh) Baldwin County, which is in (uh) lower Alabama, by Gulf Shores, Alabama. (Um) I was born on-- in 1981 in a rather large hospital about 30 miles down the road. (Um) My parents-- my parents were raised-- My mother was raised on a farm all her life. Her parents, both farmers that had anywhere from skunks, chickens, goose-- geese, cows, any kind of animal you could ever think of, pretty much.
(Um) It’s a real small town, probably less than a thousand people. It’s a real old-- It’s actually a German town, which-- our family has no German in it. We’re from-- Romanian, about 200—200-300 years ago.
(Um) The biggest, nearest city is probably an hour, hour and a half away, which is Mobile. It’s a real big port city. I live about (um) ten miles from the beach, (uh) the beach of Gulf Shores, the Gulf of Mexico. Real sandy beaches. We have (um)-- Well, obviously lots of tourists come down to enjoy our beaches.
(Um) My parents met in high school. (Um) They’ve-- in tenth grade. They went to college together. They’ve always been together, pretty much always loved each other.
(Um) Growin’ up, (uh) I always liked to hunt and fish with my dad. We always went fishin’-- out in the Gulf, or fishin’ in bays, or rivers. (Um) Huntin’ was probably my favorite thing that me and my dad did all the time. (Um) He showed me how to shoot a gun when I was really-- real little. Pretty much we bonded, just through huntin’ and fishin’. And (um) up until recently, he started racin’ cars, which-- He races on a dirt track, which is about a quarter of a mile. It’s a lot of fun. But now, ’s I’m in college, I never get to see ’im.
(Um) Growed up in high school, middle school and elementary school, (uh) graduated in high school about two-eighty. The whole high school was-- had about 2,000 people in it. (Um) Made a lot of friends. Basically (uh) I’m just from this real small town in Alabama, where basically Southern hospitality’s just a great thing….