Missouri, 2024: fluent English is not Midwestern English — Page 3

Missouri, 2024: fluent English is not Midwestern English

Missouri sits on the edge of the South, so "y'all" is everywhere, and it is genuinely useful — English has needed a plural you for centuries and here it quietly has one.

The classroom taught me the rest. Teenagers are the fastest editors of adult speech on earth. Say something slightly wrong and you will be told, kindly, immediately, and with an example.

What I took from it is something I now say to every student: fluency is not a finish line. It is a thing you keep adjusting every time you move.

Missouri, 2024: fluent English is not Midwestern English

The words that opened this door

Five things to say, and when to say them.

How's it going?
in American English
A greeting, not a question
The answer is "good, you?" — never an actual account of your day.
You bet
in American English
You're welcome / of course
The default reply to thanks.
Ope
in American English
A small noise of apology
What Midwesterners make when they bump into you or reach past you.
Y'all
in American English
You, plural
Missouri sits on the edge of the South, so you hear it constantly.
Take care
in American English
Goodbye
The standard goodbye, warmer than it looks written down.

Page 3 of 3

Use the arrows, the arrow keys, or swipe to turn the page.

Missouri, 2024: fluent English is not Midwestern English — Page 3 of 3

The words that opened this door