Since starting college I have had the privilege to meet tons of new people from all over the country. One group that particularly stands out is the people from the North.
Although we are from the same country and have many like cultural features, there are still a variety of ways that people from the North differ from the South. For example, language is one of the most prominent distinguishments. Each part of the country has it's own slang use of the American-English language that is designated by the region. The slang of each originated from societal and cultural development.
As people from the North developed culturally, so did the South; they each developed into two different denominations. I first noticed the difference when I had to explain many of the southern slang use to my friend from Pennsylvania.
Some examples of the characteristics of the South would be the use of "y'all" as a pronoun, the unprecedented amount of sugar that is mixed with tea, and the cultural difference in design and appearance. Many northerners have heard of the expression of "y'all" because their expression of "you all" is closely related.
Also, the quantity of sugar that is mixed with tea can be seen in some places in the North, but the South is where it all began. Sugar became popular in the South due to the unlimited supply of sugarcane that was abundant because of the warmer climate. As sugar became as more of necessity for households, the supply-demand increased.
Cultural and societal differences are noticeable by the appearance of the people from each region. Although, the diversity of clothing is so broad that people from either region can wear the same style of clothing; the brand of the clothing may be different.
Some example of characteristics of the North would be how they express a group of people as "you all" or "you guys" as their pronoun, the lack of sugar in their tea, and cultural diversity. In the northern part of the United States, expressions of "you all" are used when addressing a group of individuals whereas "y'all" is used in the South.
Tea in the North is usually black, unsweet and hot (which is my cup of tea). The diversity in the North is explained by such a wide variety of people and places. Many of the country's metropolis cities are located in this region or associated with the culture.
I came to the realization that the North and South had such a large difference when I began to learn and experience what the North has to offer by encountering the culture through its people. Also, having the explain southern slang repeatedly has allowed me to see the difference.
