Help, Question, Ayuh

[Dave]

Anyone from the Mohawk Valley remember "ayuh" as a response of confirmation, or in other words "yes"? Accent on the long A, almost exactly as people from Maine use and pronounce the word. (Not related, as far as I know, to the urban "Ayeah," which means almost the same thing, but is more often used as an exclamation and is frequently prefaced with expletives.)

My mother used Ayuh all the time, as did my grandmother. Grammy's linguistic heritage went back as far as I know in Utica. My mother's father came from West Winfield, while her birth mother's family were Uticans all the way back to dirt. (Grammy was Mom's stepmother.)

I have always wondered how related New England pronunciation and Mohawk Valley pronunciation might be. On a number of occasions I've been asked by people in other parts of the country if I'm from New England, I guess because my Utica accent. (Born there, I left at age 20.) However, it might be the twang rather than actual pronunciation.
Anyway, I'm wondering if Mom's A-yuh was unique or if anyone else remembers people saying it in the Utica area.
Dave

[dicknaegele]

My grandparents on my father's side as well as his aunts and uncles ALL said ayah. I grew up listening to it as did you.

[Dave]

How's Kathy this morning?

[fiona]

Yup! Everytime my grandmarm and Grandfar had a fight, which was often, Grandma would get out the heavy old ironing board and the irons, the sad irons and begin to iron. She thumped her way through stacks of shirts, pants and sundry other items and the only word she would say was "Ayah." She had quit school in the 8th grade to go into the mills and from all that pulling of thread, she had arms like hams. We knew enough to stay away from her when she thumped her iron.

[Dave]

May 23, 2010 21:53:45 GMT -5 fiona said:

Yup! Everytime my grandmarm and Grandfar had a fight, which was often, Grandma would get out the heavy old ironing board and the irons, the sad irons and begin to iron. She thumped her way through stacks of shirts, pants and sundry other items and the only word she would say was "Ayah." She had quit school in the 8th grade to go into the mills and from all that pulling of thread, she had arms like hams. We knew enough to stay away from her when she thumped her iron.

Well then, maybe "ayuh" is "Mill Speak."

My grandmother, born in 1882, was pulled from school to work in the mills in Utica around 1890 when she was not quite finished the third grade.