Why do people have Philadelphia accents?
It’s where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Like its New York neighbor, English-speaking colonists from parts of England, Scotland and Ireland brought their accents to Philadelphia in the 17th century. The Philly accent developed quite uniquely from its New England counterparts over the centuries.
Is Philadelphia a Southern accent?
A University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor says the Southern-inflected sound of the Philadelphia dialect is moving toward a more Northern accent. Some of Philly’s trademark twangy, elongated vowel sounds are becoming less so, though others are getting stronger.
What is wooder Philadelphia?
A: In areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania that are part of the Delaware Valley region—particularly in Philadelphia—the word “water” often sounds like wooder or wooter (the first vowel is pronounced as in “put”).
Why do people from Philly say wooder?
The word water is commonly pronounced /ˈwʊtər/ (with the first syllable rhyming with the word put, so that it sounds like “wooter” or “wooder”), rather than the more standard English /ˈwɔtər/. This is considered by many to be the defining characteristic of a Philadelphia dialect, even among young Philadelphians.
What does ARD mean in Philly?
“alright
For those residing in Philadelphia, ard is slang for “alright.”
What’s a Johnny in Philly slang?
Jawn is Philadelphia slang for anything … literally anything. Jawn is used as an all encompassing substitute for any person, place, or thing. Like this definition, an informative jawn.
What does JAWN mean in Philly slang?
In Philadelphia, “jawn” evolved as a variant of “joint,” originally denoting a place. In local usage, “jawn” has been used to describe clothing, events, locations, or just a “thing” in general, as evidenced by this sign for Philadelphia-themed memorabilia in a Five Below store on Market Street.
What is JAWN slang for?
What’s a jawn in slang?
What does Boul mean?
noun A bend; curvature. noun The curved or semicircular handle of a pot, kettle, etc.; especially, in the plural, a movable handle in two parts, jointed in the middle, for a pot with ears; a bail.
Why is the Philadelphia accent so heavy?
According to linguist Barbara Johnstone, migration patterns and geography affected the dialect’s development, which was especially influenced by immigrants from Northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Today, a marked or “heavier” Philadelphia accent is most commonly found in Irish American and Italian American working class neighborhoods.
Why is there no R in the Italian accent in Philadelphia?
So, r-lessness is largely associated with working class Italians. They also happen to have historically lived in South Philly. So in Philly, much like New York, most discussion of sub-regional accents is really veiled discussion of class distinctions. Pingback: What is General American English | Dialect Blog another philly accentsays:
Is Tina Fey’s accent really the ‘ Philly accent’?
The accent in question, which Upper Darby native Tina Fey has brought to the comedy show many times in the past, is not exactly the Philly accent — or if it is, it’s the accent of white Philadelphians, and only some of them. (Check out this video to see how the accent changes around the city .)
Does the Philadelphia accent have any similarities to Australia?
It is interesting that someone from Philadelphia was asked if they where from Australia. I was reading on one article on the linguistics of the mid-Atlantic accent that it did have similarities to Australia. I think deep along the jersey bayshores the English is closest to the English brought over from England.