I just got back from visiting my in-laws in eastern Tennesse. The most interesting word is used there, "yonder." Upon carefull observation I have figured it out.
Yonder, when used without any following context, means "anywhere that I am not." If used as "in yonder," it could mean anywhere. When used as "out yonder," it means "outside, anywhere that I am not." Generally, yonder is followed by context clues and can be quite specific. For instance, if you are told "Go in yonder and get a spoon," yonder is the kitchen, or any place that has a spoon where I am not.
So the trick is to use look-ahead assertion to determine where yonder is. If no context clues are given, yonder is intentionally ambiguous. This can be difficult when requesting concrete information, such as driving directions.
So excuse me, while I go in yonder and get a glass of water. (In this case, yonder refers to anywhere that you are not.)
Posted from caseywest.com, comment here.
