Finally - a conversation without an accent!

[NutmegCT]

Area furniture company - These guys have got the smarts!

 

[HealeyRick]

Guy on the left is Boston comedy legend Lenny Clarke. Seen him in local clubs a few times. Really hysterical when he's in an atmosphere that he doesn't have to be concerned with censors.

 

[pdplot]

My son lives in Foxboro now. You should hear him imitate the folks around there. They call Dunkin Donuts "Dunkies". When I worked up there in 1957, soda was tonic 'pronounced tawnick and coffee with cream/milk was called a coffee half.

 

[Gliderman8]

I used to work/live in Boston so I know Jordan's quite well.

 

[HealeyRick]

I used to work/live in Boston so I know Jordan's quite well.

Jordan's has an interesting history and it really took off in the '70s when two brothers, Barry and Eliot Tatelman started advertising on the counterculture radio station WBCN. Their tag line was "Not to be confused with Jordan Marsh", a great old Boston area department store that had the best blueberry muffins and is now defunct. Barry and Eliot grew the business to multiple locations and sold out to Berkshire Hathaway in 1999, but Eliot still remains the face of the company. Some of the stores have some nice IMAX theaters and the last film I saw there was Ford v. Ferrari which was perfect for the venue.

 

[pdplot]

I remember Jawden Maahsh. My favorite was the Bruins hockey player Don Marcotte - "Dawn Mahcaught".
But - many younger folks all over the country are losing their regional accents according to linguistic experts. Upstate NY/Midwest, Philly, Mid-Atlantic, New England. I've always been fascinated by accents and colorful speech. We seem to be losing that.

 

[HealeyRick]

I remember Jawden Maahsh. My favorite was the Bruins hockey player Don Marcotte - "Dawn Mahcaught".
But - many younger folks all over the country are losing their regional accents according to linguistic experts. Upstate NY/Midwest, Philly, Mid-Atlantic, New England. I've always been fascinated by accents and colorful speech. We seem to be losing that.

You're totally right about lost accents. It's a shame, really. I blame television.

 

[DrEntropy]

You're totally right about lost accents. It's a shame, really. I blame television.

Regional accents... as a kid growing up in the Pittsburgh area, the "valley speak" or "Pittsburghese" accent was heavily discouraged in our house. Mother called it lazy speech, or "talking with a mouthful of s**t!". We were to speak with mid-western pronunciation, as exemplified by the newscasters of the day. Regional colloquial terms were acceptable though. We were told to "red up" our rooms, or "pick" the clothes off the line. But don't dare drop a "th" from any terms; " 'iss an' 'at" would result in anything from mild admonishment to a backhand slap to the back of the head, depending on circumstance. It extended to writing as well. My cursive is now different, more vertical than what was taught, but most of what I write is as lettering. Engineering/architectural lettering. That was more influenced by the Old Man than mom. Cursive is relegated to writing a check or signing a document.

 

[NutmegCT]

Regional accents?

1490, William Caxton, Prologue to Eneydos:

And one of theym cam in to an hows and axed for mete and specyally he axyd after eggys, and the goode wyf answerde that she could speke no Frenshe. And the marchaunt was angry, for he also coude speke no Frenshe, but wolde have hadde egges; and she understode hym not.

And thenne at laste a-nother sayd that he wolde have eyren. Then the good wyf sayd that she understod hym wel. Loo, what sholde a man in thyse dayes now wryte, egges, or eyren? Certaynly it is hard to playse every man, by-cause of dyversite and chaunge of langage.

ba-dump!

 

[mikephillips]

I know I can sound like the country boy I grew up as, butmost of the time don’t. I think TV andmovies as well as reading a lot have pushed it into the background of mymind. Even had someone once say I shouldbe on radio or TV myself, which doesn’t interest me, as I had no accent…

 

[vette]

Years ago I was informed there was a web page called “ Coal Speak”. It was a dictionary of the colloquialisms used in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Haven’t looked at it in many years. I remember a few of the slangs such as the town of Shenandoah was called Shendo. Catholics were Catlicks, Protestants were Proseys. And the Onion Church was the Greek Orthodox Church due to the shape of their steeples. It really is a shame that just good natured fun like that is so discouraged these days. It added to the colour and mystic of the different regions.

 

[HealeyRick]

Years ago I was informed there was a web page called “ Coal Speak”. It was a dictionary of the colloquialisms used in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Haven’t looked at it in many years. I remember a few of the slangs such as the town of Shenandoah was called Shendo. Catholics were Catlicks, Protestants were Proseys. And the Onion Church was the Greek Orthodox Church due to the shape of their steeples. It really is a shame that just good natured fun like that is so discouraged these days. It added to the colour and mystic of the different regions.

Mom was a "skook" from Minersville so know it well. I grew up in Massachusetts, but because of Mom i had some pronunciations from coal country that the school had me work with a speech therapist to talk more Massachusetts and less Pensy. Almost time to think about making the Christmas Boilo.

 

[John Turney]

Being from this end of the Country, people on the East Coast would ask if I was from Chicago.

 

[Madflyer]

I picked up the word Mam from a kid from Texas in grade school in CA. Now at 74 still can not drop it. I lived in Thailand for a time if you go 100 mile even learning to speak Thi did not help so different across the country. Madflyer

 

[DrEntropy]

Thai, Lao and Cambodge are so regionally isolated the different dialects will make your head spin. Along with that, the language is tonal, so that adds another complication.