Sometimes things are just different here in the south.
It wasn't until I was 18 and had a roommate from New Jersey, that I realized that only southerners use the term
fixing to. At least in the sense that means "about to".
Similarly, our Cataba (cuh tah buh) tree is a Catalpa tree to everyone else.
To be precise: the Southern Catalpa (
Catalpa bignonioides).
The caterpillar of the Catalpa sphinx moth (
Ceratomia catalpae) feeds on catalpa leaves, sometimes defoliating entire trees. But it's also "treated with mystical reverence and respect by southern anglers," since according to most grandfathers it's the bait of choice for catfish and bream.
Bream is of course pronounced "brim". Around here, anyway.
This site has it wrong though, I think, when it comes to the explanation of why we pronounce it Cataba or Catawba.
In another display of regional pride and colloquialism, many fishermen in North and South Carolina use the names "Catawba worm" and "Catawba tree"-- misnomers that arose because the Catawba River flows through both states.
It's not just Carolinans. My grandfather in Georgia said Cataba, and Alabamians do too. Maybe Carolinians add more of a "w" sound though, I'm not sure.
There is also a Northern catalpa (
Catalpa speciosa), which is very similar, apparently to the point that some botanists think the two species should be lumped together.
Another somewhat similar species is the non-native Royal Palownia (
Palownia tomentosa) (a.k.a. Empress tree or Princess tree), which has purple blooms.
Oh, and one more thing. To many southerners, there is scarcely a thing more irritating on earth than a fake southern accent. If any actors read this, I beg you - I implore you! - to never try imitating a southern accent. Please. I almost had to walk out of the theater during the
previews of Cold Mountain. Unless you're Holly Hunter or Beth Grant, I don't want to hear it.
