ˈsəthə(r)ˌnizəm noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
1. : a locution or pronunciation characteristic of the southern U.S.
can detect a phony southernism quicker than most theater men — Joshua Logan
2. : an attitude or trait characteristic of the South or Southerners especially in the U.S.
his Southernisms had been thoroughly rubbed away — Robert Lowell