I was discussing my accent with an online buddy. Well,
I don't think I have an accent and it's not a Jersey one as is portrayed on tv if I do. No...I have a....*sigh*....Philly accent, once removed because I was born and raised in South Jersey.
During our discussion I found this essay and it is dead on. To me, the Philly accent is horrid; going to my sister's house and hearing her neighbors makes my ears want to explode and my jowls start to constrict.
Interesting thing about accents: Sam Elliott, who one would think might be from at least the Kansas/Missouri area, was born and raised in Oregon. Danny Devito, who sounds like he's from Brooklyn, was born and raised in Central New Jersey, as was Jack Nicholson. And good ol' Larry the Cable Guy is from....Nebraska !?!?!?!
This is how 'we' tawk from Seouth Jerzzzzzey:
Quote:
ea = "eah" as in standard American English "yeah"
oa = overemphasized "oh" sound, peculiar to Philly/Maryland speech
uh = weak "u" as in "butt"
y = both consonant "y" and "ee" vowel
rr = overemphasized and 'heavy' r consonant
nn =overemphasized and 'heavy' n consonant
aa = long "ah" vowel, like the "o" in Holland
The Word List
Note!
A key vowel in the Philadelphia accent is "eah", as in "yeah". It is used as a replacement in many instances for stronger vowels. In my new Philadelphese spellings, I have denoted this sound as simply "ea".
First, a word list.
Word Philadelphia pronunciation New Philadelphese Spelling
about uhbeah't aabeat
across uhcraws(t) aakraws(t)
actually akshlee akshly
after eah'fter eaftr
all awwl awl
all right aayt, uhyt aayt, uhyt
always uhwweez or uhw'wayz uhwyz
and ennd, enn, eah'n ennd, enn', ean
area ehrry-uh errya
ask eah'sk eask
bad beahd bead (note, English "bead" becomes beed)
bagel beggle begl
birthday buhrth-deyy buhrthdey
calculator kak-uh-layder & keahk-a-leyder keakaleyder
call kawl cawl
can ceah'n cean
Can I? Kai? Ca'I
class kleahs cleas
contrast kawn-treahst cawntreast
current keh'r-int kerrint
daily Delhi delly
daughter dawder, daw(t)er dawdr
down deah'n dean (personal name Dean becomes deen)
during door-ing doring
Eagles Iggles (rhymes with wriggles) Iglz
et cetera ek-set-tra eksetra
Erik Uhrr-ik Uhrik
Fall, fall fawl Fawl, fawl
fancy feah'ncy feansy
far fawr fawr
fight fuhyt fuyt
forward foe-ward foawrd
found feah'nd feand
gallon geah'lin gealin
glad gleah'd glead
go gowe goaw
go ahead go 'head, guh'head
going 1 gawn gawn
going 2 gowe'in goayn
had heahd head (spelling of std. English "head" becomes hed)
half heah'f heaf
high huyy huy
hold hode hoad
hold on hoe-dawn hoadawn
how heahw heaw
hurry herry herry
insurance in-shore-ins inshorins
intermittently inner-mi-int-lee innermiehntly
Italy IT-lee itlee
Italian ih-TA-yin itayin
last leah'st least (std. English "least" becomes leest)
library lie-berry laiberry
later layder leyder
legal liggle (rhymes with wriggle) ligl
like luhyyk luhyk
little liddle lidl
lost lawst lawst
March mawrch mawrch
may, May muhy (sound uh is same as u in put) muhy
millions miyyunz miyuhnz
mine Mayan mayan
nice nuyys nuhys
noise nowe-eez noayz
now neah'w neaw
office awfiss awfis
OK Uh-kay or ukkei UK (ukkei)
OK nnn'kuhy N'kuhy
ounce eahns eans
out eah't eaht
off awwf (overemphasis on w) awf
pass peah's peas (std. English "peas" => pees)
Pennsylvania pencil-VAIN-ya Penslvaynya
Phillies Phuh'leez (sounds like pullies) F'leez
Philadelphia Phul-DELF-ya Fldelfya
phone phowe'n (emphasis on w sound) foaan
powerball peah'rbawl pearbawl
quarter corder corder
radio reddy-ohw reddioa
rasberry reahz-burry reazbuhry
really rilly, ruhlly rilly
realtor rilla-ter or rillter rillatr, rilltr
ridiculous ree-dik-a-liss reedihkalis
separate sep-a-rit separit
sports spew-erts spewrts
stand steah'nd steand
store stew-er stewr
say seyy sey
serve suhrrv surrv
Steelers Stillerz Stillerz
totally toad-a-lee toadalee
tour TOO-wer toowr
town teahn tean
trail tray-ul treyal
trailpass (product name) trell-peahs tre'lpeas
ultrasound ohwe'ltra-seahnd oltraseand
voice voe-ees voays
volume vah-yume vaayoom
was wuhz wuhz
water wood'er weuder
world wuhr-rald wuhrrald
yeah yeh, yeah, yee-uh yeh, yea (archaic English "yea" becomes yey)
you yuh yuh
you'd yuh'd yuh'd
yours [noun] yor-unz yorunz
|
Philly Accents
A couple left out: "Fire" is two syllables. FOI-errr. or FYE-errr. "Stone" is stee-own. A friend from the south once teased after hearing that from me, "What the hell is a steeown??" Ok then...rock.
What is it about your own region's accent that sets it apart? Even the south has different accents-I can tell a Tennessee from a North Carolina, for instance. And southwestern GA to about Birmingham, AL is different than, say, Savannah, GA.
What regional accents make your jowls constrict? Or your heart melt?