Linguistic Ponderings....

[MomInWA]

Okay native Seattleite here. We are the true non-accents! Rather boring, tbh. I actually pick up the accent of wherever I visit. Ireland? I’m Irish. Well, now, we won’t be havin any o that! The South? I’m Southern, y’all. Mexico? Mehicano, miho! No idea why. It gets in my head when I hear it more than two days.

 

[MomInWA]

For loads of fun, visit North Carolina. We have the Appalachian accent in the mountains, varieties of Southern accents in the middle of the state,and in the outer banks, we have the Hoi Toiders (high riders).

I’m getting ready to move to SC permanently. Been in Seattle all my life! I love the South and I’m excited to get to know everyone.

 

[CecileBC]

I’m trying to picture this and failing badly. Can you give an example, lol?

I never really understood... that's a French vision of the American language, I believe it has to do with the roundness and fluidity of the American accent compared to the staccato English accent... I don't believe anyone can talk with a hot potato in their mouth !

 

[AliOop]

Okay native Seattleite here. We are the true non-accents! Rather boring, tbh. I actually pick up the accent of wherever I visit. Ireland? I’m Irish. Well, now, we won’t be havin any o that! The South? I’m Southern, y’all. Mexico? Mehicano, miho! No idea why. It gets in my head when I hear it more than two days.

I am so glad I'm not the only one!! People accuse me of imitating them but it's not intentional at all. I just start talking like the people I'm around. It doesn't even take two days for me! My husband can actually determine (with high accuracy, I might add) exactly which friend is on the phone with me, by how I speak and laugh during the call.

 

[Shelley D]

I hale from Pittsburgh, PA. Things we call by a different name or slur. Gumbands = Rubber bands, Dippy Eggs = Sunny Side Up Eggs, Spitit = Faucet, Dahn Tawn = Down Town, Jumbo = Ballony (sliced deli meat), Red Up = Clean or Tidy Up.

Dippy eggs! I'm so glad I'm not the only one! My mom used to tell me (as a kid) it's because you dip your toast in the yolk!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

And for the record, Mrs. Zing thinks I'm a hot dish. Just sayin'

Frank Sinatra would say Doo be doo be doo...

 

[NewlyCreative]

I hale from Pittsburgh, PA. Things we call by a different name or slur. Gumbands = Rubber bands, Dippy Eggs = Sunny Side Up Eggs, Spitit = Faucet, Dahn Tawn = Down Town, Jumbo = Ballony (sliced deli meat), Red Up = Clean or Tidy Up.

yinz, yunz, or you’unz for you all (@Zing to add to your list of ways to say y’all)

In Pittsburgh one doesn’t need to [action verb] - [action verb] needs done

I need to clean my sink becomes

My sink needs cleaned

We frequently move for my husband’s work, lol.

 

[KiwiMoose]

'Needs done' is very British. And if you're selling something, 'need gone'.

The other thing they often say is " I'm sat here..." instead of "I'm sitting here...". If it is currently happening you should be using the present continuous (verb + ing)

Americans don't use the present perfect much:
"Did you see John this morning? Instead of "Have you seen John this morning?" The former is fine if it's now afternoon, but if the morning is not finished, you should use the latter.

Also - "If I woulda known...", instead "if I had known..."

A lot of these forms (both British and American) are now finding their way into my son (aged 15)'s vocabulary, due to social media. The one I find the most irritating is "I'm sat here..." I keep correcting him to say "I'm SITTING here..!"

 

[Shelley D]

Oh, if we're talking peeves . . .
It's one thing to say woulda/coulda/shoulda but nobody seems to know the correct wording is would have/could have/should have! How do would of/should of/could of make sense?!

 

[Zing]

I hale from Pittsburgh, PA. Things we call by a different name or slur. Gumbands = Rubber bands, Dippy Eggs = Sunny Side Up Eggs, Spitit = Faucet, Dahn Tawn = Down Town, Jumbo = Ballony (sliced deli meat), Red Up = Clean or Tidy Up.

And slippy! And yinz! My son's ex lived with us for a bit and she kept saying "Red up" and I kept asking her "You read up on what now, sweetheart?"

We have a good friend who is from a Mennonite community and grew up Indiana/Ohio/Pennsylvania. Her favorite verb is 'would have.' Betsy, what did you do last night? "I WOULD HAVE gone to the movies" as in "I WENT to the movies." She thinks it is a complete sentence and I think it is a start of a sentence. I find myself responding "you would have gone to the movies EXCEPT for what?!"

 

[Blufuz]

This is such a cool thread! I love regional accents, even though I’ve completely lost whatever American accent I might have…

I grew up in Boston, although in a very international setting so I never lost my Rs, and the rest of my family is from Georgia. Then I moved to Europe, and between only hearing people speaking English as a second language from different countries, and trying to pronounce words as clearly as possible for them, I’ve lost all the fun dialects and idioms from my youth

 

[Marie_with_an_e]

Yep, I just wasn't sure how to type that!
And Staunton is Stanton, if I remember correctly

Yep! And Buena Vista is Byoo-nuh Vista.

 

[VikingChick]

Yep! And Buena Vista is Byoo-nuh Vista.

Funny! I grew up in Buena Vista County, Iowa, and it’s pronounced the same way there. First time I heard someone call it “bway-nah vista,” I was like, huh?

Now that I think about it, there have been a ton of Mexican immigrants to that area since I left. I wonder what they call it?

 

[Kiti Williams]

And slippy! And yinz! My son's ex lived with us for a bit and she kept saying "Red up" and I kept asking her "You read up on what now, sweetheart?"

We have a good friend who is from a Mennonite community and grew up Indiana/Ohio/Pennsylvania. Her favorite verb is 'would have.' Betsy, what did you do last night? "I WOULD HAVE gone to the movies" as in "I WENT to the movies." She thinks it is a complete sentence and I think it is a start of a sentence. I find myself responding "you would have gone to the movies EXCEPT for what?!"

Also a Jagger Bush is a Thorn Bush! I say "Watch out for the Jaggers", meaning watch out for the thorns.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Funny! I grew up in Buena Vista County, Iowa, and it’s pronounced the same way there. First time I heard someone call it “bway-nah vista,” I was like, huh?

Now that I think about it, there have been a ton of Mexican immigrants to that area since I left. I wonder what they call it?

Probably the proper way!

 

[Shelley D]

Also a Jagger Bush is a Thorn Bush! I say "Watch out for the Jaggers", meaning watch out for the thorns.

As a kid I thought they were called dagger bushes!

 

[Kaybrantley]

I’m getting ready to move to SC permanently. Been in Seattle all my life! I love the South and I’m excited to get to know everyone.

Welcome to the South, fellow soaper

 

[jessica kiefer]

Welcome to the South.....bit of advice. Things that end in "ing"....from now on drop the "g". Soapin, drinkin, thinkin.....Also, we don't like the "D" sound in the middle of words. I don't know becomes i ont no. You'll get the hang of it after you've been here awhile. My husband did, LOL.

 

[Barefoot Farm Girl]

I am so glad I'm not the only one!! People accuse me of imitating them but it's not intentional at all. I just start talking like the people I'm around. It doesn't even take two days for me! My husband can actually determine (with high accuracy, I might add) exactly which friend is on the phone with me, by how I speak and laugh during the call.

I’m right there with you! I’m from Connecticut and moved to VA 8 years ago. My 9-5 is Customer Service for the local cable company, our customers are in VA, WV, MD & KY. My husband looses it from call to call and picks on me about my 1,000 accents.

 

[jessica kiefer]

I’m right there with you! I’m from Connecticut and moved to VA 8 years ago. My 9-5 is Customer Service for the local cable company, our customers are in VA, WV, MD & KY. My husband looses it from call to call and picks on me about my 1,000 accents.

I retired with the casino industry....I got a thousand, too. LOL. I think it's a way of friendship and respect to mimic people. When in Rome do as the Romans do- is a quote I've always heard. I just go with the flow, I guess. LOL.