Community Chat

[Jasmine19]

I grew up in South Jersey and went to the same high school as Bruce Willis. Every time I hear his voice I think, "Yup, that's Jersey"!

[docsgirl]

I was born and raised in New York City but have been residing in Ohio since 1993.  While I don't think I have a noticeable New York accent, people pick it up right away.  My best friend, with whom I grew up, has been residing in Colorado for 45 years and people still pick up her accent.  Go figure. Being away from New York for so many years, I can spot a New York accent.  When I lived there, I never knew we had an accent.  Various parts of the area have a slightly different touch to the accent but it's still noticeable.  I am who I am and try to be a good and caring person every day.  I think that's more important than who has what accent.  Just my opinion.

                 docsgirl

[SeaMaiden]

Born and raised only on the west coast... I have a terrible time understanding anyone with a dialect  or if they are from another country with a strong accent.  I think we here on the west coast have no accent or dialect at all.

Interestingly my Mother was from the Bronx area of NY City but I never heard any type of dialect.... and many times in my life people would ask me if I was from the NY area... ?

[febe1]

---

@bonnielu wrote:

Ok, for the 10th time someone I met asked me what part of New Jersey I was from.  I grew up in Washington DC.  I live in rural Maryland.  My parents were from New England.  I have hobbies that take me into Southern territory with Southern friends. I LOVE SOUTHERN and want to sound like them.    

Love to get to the bottom of this one.  I do chatter a great deal and have an opinion about just about everything... but a New Jersey????? accent which I know varies from one part of the state to another.  

I questioned each and everyone that said this to me and they could not even define what they were saying.    

The only thing I could think of was I tend to immitate who I am talking to. (Teacher in me, I guess).   

---

I grew up in MD from about age 7, @bonnielu, and went through high school there. I was born in PA. I've never been mistaken for NJ. Both have their own accents and very different. Maryland does a lot of Balmore and "hon", but MD does not have a deep, exclusive accent like many parts of the U.S. I, too, love different accents from all over the country. VA fascinates, and W.VA, also. All over is fascinating and different.

I remember from PA, they called a bag a "poke." And all soft drinks were called "pop."

[Mominohio]

---

@151949 wrote:

I was born and raised in SW Pa and proudly have the accent to prove it, though I absolutely NEVER say YINZ. I have to laugh when we are in Florida and someone with a heavy New England accent will tease me about my accent and doesn't think they themselves have an accent. One person told me with his heavy NE accent that he finds it offensive that an educated person(me)  has such a low class working class regional accent. I told him he was a fool and he should listen to himself, and that at least us low class working class Pittsburgers know when something is too rude to say it.

---

@151949

I wouldn't believe anyone that told me they were from my mom's family if they didn't use the YINZ word. 

They came from the Washington PA area. I had a boss once that used that word, and I asked her if she was from that region. She said no. But I've never heard it used by anyone that wasn't from that area of PA or lived there and picked it up.

[hckynut]

@bonnielu

So, what is the problem again?  You wonder why some people mention you being from NJ?  I usually get, "and how old are you again"? 

hnj

[Ms X]

My first year in college, my best friend was from the Bronx and had a pronounced accent.  She used to try to mock my Boston accent but was literally unable to change her way of speaking.  It always sounded like a New York accent no matter what she did. 

I agree with the poster above who said the Kennedys are the only people from the area EVER to have that way of speaking.  They sounded like Porky Pig to me, so maybe that's where they got it.

[sunshine45]

i was born in baltimore and raised just outside of the city. anytime i go to southern california, many people say i have a "new york accent."

i let a little bawlmerese slip out every once in a while, but i really feel like i have no distinctive accent.

"LETS GO DOWNEY OSHUN, HON, AND GIT IN THE WOODER!"

[jlkz]

@febe1

If they were calling soft drinks " pop ", you were in Western PA.    When I had to arrange for a company-wide conference,  refreshments with the folks from Pittsburgh, I quickly learned that as well as our " buns " needed to be called pastries.

Amazing how language differs even within a state!

[dmod nj]

Born and bred Jersey Girl..........northern Jersey.   I am accentless.