History Main / StockAmericanPhrases

** "Yo" is commonly associated with blue-collar New Yorkers and [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philadelphians]] (and less commonly [[UsefulNotes/New Jersey South Jersey]]) and more generally African-Americans.

* "Guy" is analogous in usage to the above two, though it is mostly relegated to New England and more specifically to blue-collar townies.
* "Bro" is another "dude" analogue, typically associated with black Americans and more generally New Yorkers, but is now general-use.

** "Yo" is commonly associated with blue-collar New Yorkers and Philadelphians (and less commonly South Jersey) and more generally African-Americans.

** "Y'all," short for "you all," is strongly associated with the South and Texas. For additional emphasis that every single person is included in the statement, the speaker might say "all y'all."

** "Yinz", associated with Pittsburgh and some surrounding areas.
** "You'enz"" is similar to "yinz", though distinctly two-syllables. It's associated with the Ohio River Valley between Ohio and West Virginia, as well as some parts of Appalachia.

* "Mason-Dixon Line." A demarcation line that initially marked the northern border of Maryland, it was later stretched west to denote the traditional boundary between Northern culture and Southern (Dixie) culture, running along the northern borders of Virginia (including what is now West Virginia) and Kentucky. Thus, "north of the Mason-Dixon line" would be Northern, and vice-versa. Today, the distinction between North and South has become more vague. Maryland and northern Virginia (the UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC suburbs) are now generally seen as being more Northern than Southern, while parts of southern Illinois and Indiana are often treated as an extension of the South. Florida is a mash-up of Northern and Southern cultures.
** Interestingly, North Florida (especially the Panhandle region) is more Southern, while Central and South Florida is more Northern. This is largely due to the "snowbirds" (wealthy Northerners) who migrate there in the winter and the relatively large number of retirees who prefer the warm climate to that of their home states.

--> To a foreigner, a Yankee is an American. To an American, a Yankee is a Northerner. To a Northerner, a Yankee is a Northeasterner. To a Northeasterner, a Yankee is a New Englander. To a New Englander, a Yankee is a Vermonter. And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
* "Wicked" is a regional intensifier heavily associated with Boston (as in "wicked awesome"), but also used throughout the Northeast. Elsewhere, the word is held with particular disdain or amusement.
** "Mad" is its largely identical New York sibling (due to geographical overlap, it has also migrated up to New England) with one key difference: it can also be used to signify great abundance (e.g., "mad people here"). It's also very common in New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.

** "Da kine" ("the thing") is a Hawaii Pidgin phrase that, like "jawn", is a placeholder noun, with the only real difference being that "da kine" is typically more contextual, whereas "jawn" can be said at any time, anywhere, for anything.

* "Yankee". To non-Americans, this (along with the shortened form, "Yank", which is almost never heard in the US) is a catch-all term for Americans in general. In the US, however, it refers strictly to people from the Northeast (especially New England) and, sometimes, the Midwest and the West. It is ''never'' used in reference to people from the South. To quote Creator/EBWhite:

** "What's up?" or "What's going on?": Another greeting, usually with limited expectations on the response. Sometimes shortened to "'Sup?" (The apostrophe is pronounced with a subdued "t" sound.)

-->-- '''Pvt Hank The Yank''', ''Adventures in the Rifle Brigade''

** "Tarnation" is a euphemism for "damnation" when used as profanity.

** "Dogie" is a cow, usually a small or lost one.

* "Sure" affirming a choice, alternative is "ok". Used as a less direct form of Yes.

** "Bye-bye" is typically associated with children; saying it to an adult can come across as condescending.

* "You know" (or "y'know") is another informal sentence-ender/conjunction. It's even used on This Very Wiki, y'know?

** "How are you?", "How you doing?", and "How's it going?"[[note]]Often pronounced "Howzit goin'?" Actually pronouncing the "t" is entirely optional.[[/note]]: Often used in place of "Hello." One must be aware of whether the speaker is simply greeting you or if he is actually trying to initiate a conversion. It's usually just a greeting. In this case, the expected response is a short neutral or positive statement such as "Fine," or "Great!" If someone really wants to start a conversation, they'll make the statement a bit longer, such as "So, how have you been doing lately?"

--> To a foreigner, a Yankee is an American. To an American, a Yankee is a Northerner. To a Northerner, a Yankee is an Easterner. To an Easterner, a Yankee is a New Englander. To a New Englander, a Yankee is a Vermonter. And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.

** "See you (around/soon)," "see you later," "see you", "later", and "peace" are all more informal versions of "goodbye".