"wuz" is an example of what's called "eye dialect," that is, non-standard spelling intended to reflect non-standard dialect pronunciation but that actually represents common pronunciation among all speakers.  We all say "wuz" for <was>, unless there's someone out there who rhymes it with "has."  Joel Chandler Harris is a good example of writing eye-dialect.  Contrast his representation of African American English with James Baldwin, who never stoops to such devices but captures the cadence and grammar of AAE beautifully.

Herb

Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of English
Ball State University
Muncie, IN  47306
[log in to unmask]
________________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad Johnston [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: January 19, 2009 10:58 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Who/that; participles/gerunds

Scott <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I can "the Herbert who" and "the Brad that" although I draw the line
without the article (...Herbert, who... but not ...Brad, that...) --no
matter how much Brad wishes to be a "that" and not a "who."  All the
"Thats down in Thatville must moan and groan."

Scott Catledge

~~~~~~~

To what, pray, doth thy jab refer, when thou sayeth, "no matter how much Brad wishes to be a "that" and not a "who"?

Surely thou misconstrueth my previous words, whatever they wuz ("wuz" to satisfy the demotics among us).

Demotic, n. A person who accepts the language of the streets as his or her standard.


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