What is Geechee?
1.
Geechee commonly refers to a person of white descent whose family has long roots in the South Carolina lowcountry, mostly between Beaufort and Georgetown; centered around Charleston. They speak "Geechee" which is a heavily accented dialect of English with
Beanyeah (Been here) = is the Geechee term for someone who has lived here all of their life and their family is also from here.
Cumyeah (Come hear)= is the Geechee term for someone who moved here recently (as in any time after they were born.)
Boat in Geechee is pronounced boe-at with two syllables.
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2.
Geechee commonly refers to a person of white descent whose family has long roots in the South Carolina lowcountry, mostly between Beaufort and Georgetown; centered around Charleston. They speak "Geechee" which is a heavily accented dialect of English with
Beanyeah (Been here) = is the Geechee term for someone who has lived here all of their life and their family is also from here.
Cumyeah (Come hear)= is the Geechee term for someone who moved here recently (as in any time after they were born.)
Boat in Geechee is pronounced boe-at with two syllables.
See
3.
Without too much of a history lesson, a Geechee or Geechie person is someone of a Gullah descent. Gullah is the mixture of the English and African languages, that was spoken by slaves who were required to learn English, but still didn't want the masters to know exactly what they were saying. However, unlike the Gullah link indicates, Gullah was actually widespread along the coast. It may have originated in Charleston, but there are many gullah civilizations located right in Beaufort, SC. The Geechee language is the derivative of Gullah, that has a creole, southern, and carribean twang to it. It still chops up the English language like Gullah, allowing someone to say more with less words, or eliminate excessive mouth movement.
The Geechee language plays a large part in the culture, which is better left for a definition to itself. The largest, active Geechee culture is located in Charleston, SC and it's surrounding areas. A fact many people don't know is that to be called Geechee was once viewed as a derogatory remark. Today it is a proud title embraced by Charlestonians and others alike, and celebrated through such festivals as Moja Arts and Spoleto. There also used to be a booth in the Northwoods Mall of N. Charleston, that sold the clothing line, Geechee Gear. More history can be discovered with a simple Google search. Although there's not enough people to make it a noticeable presence, the Geechee culture does stretch down the southern coast, touching Beaufort, SC, Savannah, GA, and other cities/towns down into Florida.
The most similar relation to a Geechee accent is that of the Caribbeans (though not nearly as strong) or New Orleans.
Quick Geechee/ie Lesson:
I is normally used instead of I'm:
I'm about to go to the store = "I gointada sto", which doesn't require any mouth movement whatsoever.
e = he/she/it/his/her
Ex. Ay, where the remote at? (I ain know where e at)
Ex. That girl still sleep wit e thumb in e mout.
nahIsayin (nye-sayin) = You know what I'm saying?
yah/chea = here
chern = children
Boy I hongry, boy = I'm hungry
The letter "i" is often pronounced as "u":
fifty cents becomes "fufty cent"
The letter "t" is often pronounced as "c":
down the screet, instead of "street"
Naw, I scraight = No thanks, I'm straight/alright
The pronounciation of the letter "a" is stressed:
"Boy go ahead" sounds like, "Boy go heaaaad, boy!"
"Get out my face" sounds like, "Get out my fay-ace, now!"
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