Hillbilly American Vernacular English, also called Appalachian, Tarheel, Arkanslang,
Redneck, and many others, is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. Known colloquially as Hillbonics (a portmanteau of "
hillbilly" and "phonics"), this variety is spoken by many rural, lower class people in the South. Hillbonics is not merely just the use of "
slang" words, rather, it's the manipulation and transformation of the English language (ie, In the sentence "Let’s start a camp fire and make smores”, a
slang word is used, but the speaker is not using Hillbonics). The use of Hillbonics is most commonly perceived by middle and upper class people as a symptom of a lack of education. In reality, it’s generally very efficient and achieves its efficiency through shortening and/or combining. The nature of its efficiency lies in its shortening of character length and word quantity while still delivering the full message (similar to shorthand writing). Unlike shorthand writing or court clerk stenography both of which are boring, Hillbonics often includes a bonus element of
fun. The most common non-verbal application of Hillbonics is used by millions of people daily without even realizing it while texting by
cell phone. Asking, “Are you picking up milk before you come home?” uses far more character length and word quantity than if I texted, “U get milk b4 home?”. An expert user would take it even further to text, “U get milk b4 home?”
The rookie linebacker did not realize his Captain was speaking in Hillbonics right before the offense snapped the
ball when he yelled, "Git sum!". This meant "The offense is about to
snap the
ball. Let's stop them from succeeding at gaining yards!" but was far more efficient...and motivating.
