Mighten
In Appalachian and Southern mountain speech, "mighten we" (or "mighten I," "mighten you") is a tag question meaning "don’t you think so?" or "might we not?" It’s the local descendant of older English "mightn’t we," reshaped in mountain speech for smoother, easier rhythm.
I use 'mighten' often myself, and it's fairly common out in the country. It's one I don't even realize sayin'. Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- Tag question meaning "don’t you think so?"
We might win that prize down here today-mighten we?Reckon we just might.Origin and Etymology
Derived from older British English "mightn’t," a contraction of "might not." In Appalachian and Southern speech, the sound softened to "mighten," which fit local pronunciation patterns and rolled easier in quick conversation. The form appears most often in tag questions like "mighten we?"-a gentle, hopeful way to seek agreement.
Usage Notes
"Mighten" survives mainly in tag questions, where it adds warmth or humility to a statement. The form echoes older English yet sounds fully natural in Appalachian rhythm and phrasing.
- "We could get there first, mighten we?" → "Don’t you think so?"
- "He might bring her along, mighten he?" → "He might, right?"