Country people whisper a lot. Their interest in whispering is entirely utilitarian. There are two primary uses for the whisper. The first use is to ensure that one is not overheard. It is very rare that a country person is in public without knowing all those around them. As a result all conversations are public unless conducted in an unvoiced whisper. The second use it a bit more complex. Country people use a voiced whisper to signal when a subject is controversial. For example, a white country person describing a black coworker whispers the word “black.” Similarly, when discussing a trip to a city hospital a white Christian country person must say (whispers in parenthesis) “the doctor was a Jewish” or “the doctor spoke Indian.” In some cases the whisper is a marker of discomfort but more often it marks controversy. The voiced whisper gently reminds unknowing children what is and is not appropriate in conversation. Variations on the whisper remind all listeners of the degree of controversy. Subjects off limits under all circumstances must be mouthed rather than whispered. When describing a man with a lisp, a country person will neither speak nor whisper the word “homosexual” but rather skillfully form the word void of sound.
Oh my God, this one is the BEST. My grandma also used the whisper when talking about disease (i.e. she was just diagnosed with CANCER). Love it, love it, love it.
Yes they do love the whisper, and I hate it because I can never understand what they are mouthing at me forcing them to shout out the offending word in frustration.
I was interviewing a Wisconsin farmer in the early 1980s in his kitchen. His wife came home with the newspaper and tossed it on the table. She pointed to the headline referring to Reagan’s support for the Contra subversion of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and said “You know I heard we are on the wrong side” then whispered “Again!”.