Western Pennsylvania Lingo, Dialect, and Accent

[Richland123]

I was reading the Great Britain vs. United States language thread and thought I would forewarn anybody coming to western Pennsylvania for a gig or to visit as to the unique lingo, dialect, and accent they may encounter.

Western Pennsylvania has a distinct dialect, sayings, lingo, and accent if you ever come here. People also love to run words together and shorten words to make new words. Here are just a few.

Slippy - slippery
Dupa - Butt
Rift - Burp or Belch
"See how you are?" - Telling somebody that they know they act a certain way or always do something.
Crick - creek or stream
Red up - to clean up or straighten up a room, table, etc.
Jagger bush or Jaggerz - any type of bush with thorns
"He ain't got all his commies" - He does not have much common sense or he is not very smart.
"He ain't wrapped too tight" - He is crazy, he is short tempered, or he is not smart.
"He is beside himself" - He is upset or stressed out. I always found this one to be funny. How can you physically be beside yourself?
"He is not all there", or "He is not all together there" - He is crazy
"Up the house" - At home. No matter where your house is located from where you are, it is always "up the house"
"Whole nother" - Whole other as in "I got a whole nother one of dos up the house."
Ahia or Ohia - Ohio
Warshed, Wershed. Warsh, or Wersh - Washed or Wash
Bethlum - Bethlehem
Gumbands - Rubber bands
Arn - Iron
Quit jaggin around - quit fooling around
Jaggoff - a goof off, a fool, a stupid person
Yous guys, Youns, Younz, or Yins - All of you
Hoagies - Submarine sandwiches
Sammich - Sandwich
Melk or malk - Milk
Still mill - Steel mill
Stillers - Steelers
Picksburgh - Pittsburgh
Dahntahn - Downtown
Wit you - With you
An nat - and that " we were goin' dahntahn an nat"
Iggle - Eagle
Ize - I was
Dekkacards - Deck of cards
Pensivanya = Pennsylvania
Chipped ham - Sliced ham luncheon meat
Ascared - Afraid
Hisself - Himself
Theirselves - Themselves
Nebby or Nibby - nosey, wanting to know other people's business, a gossip person
No use of "to be" - My car needs fixed at the garage.
He drives truck - he is a truck driver
Chit chat - talk to somebody
Shoot the breeze - talk to somebody
Upere - Up there
Ligat or Likat - Like that
Spicket - Spiggot
Where yeatin - Where are you eating
Goin' on the hill - going to the top of any mountain
Gob - A snack cake with two round chocolate cakes with icing in the middle
Choklit or Choglit - Chocolate
"Rad" iator with a short "a" - Radiator with a long "a"
Likis of Ligis - Like this
Vetran - Veteran
Vetrinarian - Veterinarian
Intrest - Interest
Cabnet - Cabinet
Compny - Company
Famly - Family
Restrant - Restaurant
Where you at - Where are you?
Hot water heater - Hot water tank (why would you want to heat hot water?)
Dint - Didn’t
Wount - Wouldn’t
Coulnt - Couldn’t
Shoulnt -Shouldn’t
Arnt - Aren’t
Pitnic - Picnic
Greazy - Greasy
Punkin - Pumpkin
Birfday - Birthday
Winda - Window
Pilla or Pella - Pillow
Tomata - Tomato
Potata - Potato
People rarely uses the word "any". They use the double negatives for everything. "I don't have no (whatever it is they talking about)" "It won't do no good"
Fil-em - Film
Camras - Camera
Icening - Frosting, Icing on a Cake
Tagger - Tiger
Meer or meera - mirror
Ek-speshully - especially
Trick - a work shift
Turn - a work shift (he worked night turn)
Exscape - Escape
Thirpy - Therapy
Takdat or Takat - Take That
Vanalla - Vanilla
Prostrate - Prostate
Wound up - Ended up
Wind up - End up
Ornge - orange
Turned Around - "I gave him some tomatoes from my garden, and he turned around and gave them to the neighbor!"
Turn Around - "every time you turn around, something else goes wrong."
Reglur - Regular
Innerduce - Introduce
Nother - Other
Whicha - With you
Didcha - Did you?
Corter - Quarter
Acourt - A quart
Dem - Them
Dos - Those
Behint - Behind
Hunnert - Hundred
Woulda - Would have or would've
Coulda - Could have or could've
Shoulda - Should have or should've
Didja - Did you
Wouldja - Would you
Couldja - Could you
Shouldja - Should you

 

[WayneS]

Sounds like typical American slang to me.

 

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

Sounds more like the slang they use around Johnstown, PA. The rest of the state isn't that bad, unless you're really out there in the boonies.

 

[bongomania]

All but about a dozen of those could just as easily be from the South or upper Midwest, just with different accents.

 

[Evolver]

Go Stillers!

 

[Rick Nicak]

I just moved away from Picksburgh (very happy about that). Yinzer's, anat, and the shortened names of the rivers are really the only local words that can really throw an out of towner off.

 

[shackled]

It's the accent more than the actual words... lol.
My dad's whole family is down there.

 

[WookieeForLife]

Scranton/ Wilkesbarre is bad too.

 

[Meyatch]

I think most of that is pretty typical rural slang. I thought "warshed" was pretty local to near me though. People also go change the "earl" in their cars.

Around here people say "ignert", supposed to be "ignorant" only they use it as a synonym for "rude" Never made sense to me, and believe me, the irony is lost on the people that use it....

 

[Stingray19]

I live in the West Middlesex/Hermitage/Sharon area, and yes, I agree with this post.

 

[santucci218]

i live in pittsburgh, and half of these are a farce.

 

[Richland123]

i live in pittsburgh, and half of these are a farce.

Move to my area half way between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and you will hear these things everywhere you go.

By the way, they use the word ignernt here too to mean rude.

 

[vinny]

I grew up in Lebanon...Now that's something you ought'ta hear. About half'a those apply & then some.

Vell nah ken ah get a dutchie, amen?

 

[J. Crawford]

Now THIS is an epic thread, seeing I can relate with all those.

 

[Jeff K]

Sounds more like the slang they use around Johnstown, PA. The rest of the state isn't that bad, unless you're really out there in the boonies.

Well, I grew up in Johnstown. And while the O/P clearly invested a lot of time in compiling the list, I don't see a whole lot of them that are accurate. I'll give you "yuns", "crick", "gum bands", "gob", and maybe a few more. But most of them sound like something that any person who is basically illiterate would say - regardless of geographic location.

 

[Mad Russian]

I live in the West Middlesex/Hermitage/Sharon area, and yes, I agree with this post.

Funny - My wife is from there. I grew up just south of Pittsburgh. It not really the words, but just how people say them. Any time I talk to someone I can pick the dialect up really quick and identify they are from Western PA.

 

[geeza]

Like people are saying, it's the accent as much as the colloquialisms. Like this:


< grew up in Canonsburg.

 

[JimB52]

A friend from the Reading area will occasionally say 'outen the light' when he wants you to turn off the overhead light fixture.
Some of my older Quaker friends (Friends who are Friends) still say Thee and Thou. They also refer to the days of the week as First day, Second day, etc. and the months as First Month and so on.

 

[MrTAteMyBalls]

i'm from louisiana and a lot of these are used down there as well, although i'm sure the dialect is different. the southern LA accent is very distinctive.

 

[jimmy rocket]

I grew up in Lebanon...Now that's something you ought'ta hear. About half'a those apply & then some.

Vell nah ken ah get a dutchie, amen?

Awesome! I grew up in York, over closer to PennDutch country so we've got more of those sayings.

just remember to outen the lights before you outen the house!