My mother always says she is going to buy a pound of hamburg and a pack of hamburg buns.
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Western Pennsylvania Lingo, Dialect, and Accent
- Thread starter Richland123
- Start date
My mother always says she is going to buy a pound of hamburg and a pack of hamburg buns.
Well I actually agree with the post because I have lived in Central Pa all of my live and all of that stuff is said. It may be said in other areas but with the accent here it gets real bad. In Florida a guy asked me if I was from central Pa my accent and dialect was just that bad
Being from a rural town about 30 minutes North of Pittsburgh, I can confirm this to all be true. I've lost my habit of saying most of these things, but I hear it nonstop from my family.
It's pretty cool to see some other people from this site who are from the Harrisburg/Lancaster area.
We live in a very strange part of the country as far as dialect goes. People in the Lancaster/Lebanon area speak with more of a PA Dutch accent. Folks who live in the coal region have a very different way of speaking and people around the Harrisburg/ York area sound like they're almost from the South.
We live in a very strange part of the country as far as dialect goes. People in the Lancaster/Lebanon area speak with more of a PA Dutch accent. Folks who live in the coal region have a very different way of speaking and people around the Harrisburg/ York area sound like they're almost from the South.
I grew up in Johnstown too. I didnt think it was so bad until I went to college at Penn State (not far away, only 1.5 hours) and all my new friends (from Philly, Lancaster, NY, etc.) all thought I talked weird. Weirder than anyone else. Take all the things OP listed, add some hunky Slovak words and throw in some broken Italian immigrant lingo, and you have my childhood.
The funniest I thought was the way people from Lancaster call it "Lankis-ter" real fast, but I was always raised to call it "Lann-caster". They said "dude we're not from some hick-ass backwater town like Jahnstown"
However, to our credit:
No one else knew how to change their own oil
No one else knew how to configure a router and PC for internet
No one else knew how to fix a wheel on a chair, a plug on an outlet, a wobbly table leg, etc.
Just seemed people from Johnstown were more handy and DIY-er than my urban comrades. And I was always designated the chef, but I thank my mom for those skills.
alot of that is Ohia spill over..
and whats not we have alot of in central pa too..
did u have turnt on the list and is "turned"
and whats not we have alot of in central pa too..
did u have turnt on the list and is "turned"
I've lived in California, New Mexico, Texas, and now Bradford, PA, and have heard plenty of words on the OP's list in all four states. When I moved here 11 years ago, hearing the locals say "my car needs washed" was a new one to me. It still grates on my ears.
Here in southern Ohio a lot of people would pronounce it "warshed" instead of washed.
I did too. Go Big Macs.
(for you that don't know that is the high school's nickname. But it has nothing to do with the sandwich a Mc Donald's.)
Its haas..not house in Pittsburghese.
186 Congress St, a few blocks from the Zippo plant. I don't miss it.
The Bradford McDonald's has a pumpjack (oil) in their parking lot.
Riis
Lansdale pa raised. Many sound familiar from my younger days. I go home now and the accent kills me...not to mention the lost in the 90's clothing styles.
Congress Street is still decent near Zippo, but the closer you get to Main St., the seedier the neighborhoods are.
The Mickey D's pumpjack is still in use. I went to the drive-through tonight.
I'm from Erie and moved to southern California. I never thought I had an accent until I moved here. Apparently we also dont enunciate the end of a word. Everytime I say in the back, my boss says "in the back or in the bag." The coulda woulda stuff is out here though. No one outside of western Pa knows what a jitney is. Other than that, just some of the blending of the words. Nother is another though, not other
I was born in Sharon and spent most of my Summer's in the Mercer area. My Mother and her family used many of these words. I can still hear her say "red up the house" and wonder where that came from. My Mother's family moved to Pa from Wise county Virginia and Harlan county Kentucky right across the state line from each other, so that added a whole "nother lare" to their speech.
I now live in southeastern Ohio and they have a couple of my favorites; "stairsteps" instead of "stairs or steps" , and "Boosh" instead of "Bush". Also, you must be aware that there are two states here; "Ahia" and "Ohia".
Thump on,
One_Dude
I now live in southeastern Ohio and they have a couple of my favorites; "stairsteps" instead of "stairs or steps" , and "Boosh" instead of "Bush". Also, you must be aware that there are two states here; "Ahia" and "Ohia".
Thump on,
One_Dude
Spent three years there...sheesh. Culture shock for this western family for sure. Took me a few months to get up the nerve to order a "white pizza"!
Hey, I'm originally from Philadelphia, PA....so I know ALL about regional accents. In fact, I can often listen to a person talk, and immediately know if they're from that area! (Go figger....!)
Do you remember the band called The 5 Stairsteps who had a big hit with "O-o-h Child" in 1970?
I hear many people where I live say it's "Back in the back". I always ask, "How far back is it then?"
