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 "So you're from the East Coast?" "Yeah." (smiles and laughs) "Ahh, yes you are." For the first time, I was told I have an accent. Washingtonians picked up on it pretty fast, which left me scratching my head. What am I saying that gives it away? I sifted through some words, asked some friends and figured out it was slight but notable enough to point out I was from the Northeast. Growing up in Jersey, I think my accent is a mix of that and New York. Inevitably, I've picked up some New York pronunciations along the way. The way I say "yeah" sounds very New Yorky, kind of like "yea" and not "ye-ahh." I sort of shorten it a little and drop the "ahh" part. I say "water" like "wuh-ter," but not quite "wuh-tuh." And no, I definitely do not say "pasta" like "paaa-stah"-- not with that nasally "a" as in adderall. I say it like "pah-stah." (If you saw 500 Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character has a great Jersey accent, the best example I can pinpoint.) But it's slight, you know? And I found that really funny and fascinating, that something so little was picked up. So I asked them what a Washington accent is, or if there is one. They said, "Wellll..." Apparently some say Washington like "Worshington" and a washer (& dryer) is a "worsher." They also say "pop" instead of "soda." I might've gotten a look when I said soda. Well, fine! I'll have some wuh-tuh with my paaa-stah, and Houston is pronounced HOW-STIN!! (I'm aware Houston, Texas is pronounced one way, but in New York, Houston (Street) is pronounced differently.) No TrackBacksTrackBack URL: http://www.toastier.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/427 |
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Hi, my name is Amy. Be well, and say hello!
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I wouldn't have thought that I had much of a Jersey accent, but when I was in SF for our work conference this week and asked for some water at the bar, the people around me couldn't get over it. I thought they were making fun of me for asking for water from an open bar at first, but it turns out it was the accent instead.
Of course, on the phones, various callers have concluded that I am: from LA, from Boston, and from Canada.
I met a guy in New York who could tell I wasn't from here. After I told him I was from Texas, he said it made sense and that all of his friends from Texas sounded the same. I was like WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I DON'T HAVE AN ACCENT. Apparently I do... it's definitely not a Southern drawl though, and I don't say "y'all"... it's small words. I'm still trying to figure it out!