joan & all, <<Please define "hollow" for me. Is it like a valley only smaller, more like a trough between hills? And I always thought spelling for the mispronunciation was "holler." Like in a whoop and a holler.>> I hope you don't mind me posting to the List. Talk about a subject that will start a fight.<g> This could do it. I confess that I love the "mispronunciations" of the language of SW VA. We have discussed it some and I am learning more about it by being in NH. There is something special about words that end in -ow . I don't pronounce them in the King's English. Not -low like the low temperature here in NH tonight. Only about ZERO . But I don't say -lar like those of the the back counties or hillbillies. I'm a Highlander. For pillow or hollow I say -luh . I think that is the right phonetics. O.K., the definition. This is mine, please anyone can disagree, politely.<g> It is not a valley in the sense that it is between two distinct mountains. The mountains in SW VA are mostly ranges. That is a ridge with a spine that is more or less uniform in height. There is an occasional dip in the ridge called a GAP. Thus the Blue RIDGE mts. Coming off perpendicular from the ridge are "SPURS" , which are ridges that run from the mt. ridge to the base of the mt. or the valley. Between these frequent spurs are "valleys" that slowly rise to the top of the mountain. Being the lowest level of its surroundings, there is usually a creek or stream running down the hollow to a river that usually runs down the valleys. Any time there is a stream running between mts. or spurs there can be a hollow. The "valley" formed by the gaps in the mountains is a hollow. There being a stream, the hollow was a good place to put a home if all the pasture land of the valley is gone. As I have posted, there are some theories that certain people, or peoples, who perferred to live in the hollow. You can't put a still out in the middle of the valley. There is more privacy in a hollow. I bet there are other reasons. I hope someone can go better. Make any sense, Joan?? -eddie