One week to go thread: Boston stuff

[TayTay]

Just another post to say I can't wait till next weekend. More insane things about boston.

Getting around Boston (A guide to the peculiarities of the boston geography)

Which Warren Street do you want? We have three Warren Avenues, three Warren Squares, a Warren Park, and a Warren Place.

Tremont Street? Street names are nearly useless in Boston, especially when a street actually intersects itself!....like Tremont Street.

There's no school on School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square, no water on Water Street.

Back Bay streets are in alphabetical order. Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester.

If the streets are named after trees (Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill. If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley.

The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury. Due north of the center we find the South End. This is not to be confused with South Boston which lies directly east from the South End. North of the South End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End.

We have nicknames for everything here:
We've got southie, eastie, Rozzie, JP, Dot, Meffa, Slummaville, Mass ave, Comm ave, the T, the Common, the Pru, the Sox, the Pats (or Patsies), the Seltz, the Broons.

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/kmeehl/comedy/

[TayTay]

1. And we tawk wcket funnee around he-yah.

Here's a guide:

http://www.boston-online.com/glossary.html

Example:

Yes, Bostonians really do drop their Rs after As, just like the Pepperidge Fahm Man.

But there's a lot more to the accent than that! It's not just after the A's that the R's go away. They disappear after other vowels as well, particularly "ee" sounds, so that one could properly argue that "Reveah is wicked wee-id" (translation: "Revere is unusual"). Christine Leccese explains the profound effect this can have on one's life: "I was 17 and reading a driver's ed. book before I realized that the mirror that hung from the windshield in the car was the REAR VIEW mirror. After hearing my family call it the 'reahview' my whole life, I thought it was REview mirror - so that you could review what you just passed, naturally."

Don't worry about poor lost New England R's, however. In typical Yankee fashion, we re-use 'em - by sticking them on the ends of certain other words ending with "uh" sounds: "Ah final ahs just disappeah, but wheah they go we've no idear."


And we are just insane. See this about driving.

Breakdown lane
Highway shoulder. Also, an oxymoron - the last place you want to break down in greater Boston is in the breakdown lane, especially during rush hour, when it becomes the high-speed lane (in some places, even legally). The state has built a series of emergency turn-outs along Rte. 128 so you can pull out of the breakdown lane if, in fact, your car breaks down.

[TayTay]

2. AHm, I sound exactly, exactly like this lady.

You have been warned.

http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/neighborhoods/boston_accent_audio/

[europegirl4jfk]

3. Thanks for that, TayTay! It was interesting.

Actually, I'm not good with American accents. For me as a foreigner it's really difficult to hear the differences. I'm already glad that I don't confound American English with British and Australian English. I'm now able to hear when someone is from a southern state in the US, but that's it. Don't ask me from which state. LOL

About the Boston accent... well, am I mistaken if I think Kerry had an even more pronounced accent when he was younger? When I watch his speeches from the 1970th and compare them to now, I get that impression. But I could be wrong.

As I learned British English at school, words like can't (kahnt) and idea (eye-dee-er) sound perfectly normal to me. And there are other things I could never get used to with general American English, as for example to leave the "ye" out in words like new or duty. In British English its pronounced nyu and dyuty. And the pronunciation of the "t" as "d" in the same word duty or in party.

[TayTay]

4. There are variations on the accent

that vary according to exactly where you, and your parents, grew up. (They pass you the manner of speaking, after all.)

I love this stuff, but it is uber-mucho-unbelievably-wicked geeky. (It's somewhat obscure, New Englanders have a non-rhotic accent.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotic_and_non-rhotic_accents (Well, yes, I can read endless entries about how people speak. I adore southern accents and have researched them and (deleted for extreme geekiness) so I could just read that stuff all day.)

As it is with any group, you get to know distinctions among people where you are. I can pretty much tell where some is from around here by variations in speech. People from Chicago can probably do that within the general area of that city as well. (As can Southerners and so forth.)

And thanks for your kind comments. Kerry has some of the accent, but he retains his 'R's, as far as I can tell.

[Blaukraut]

6. Not geeky at all!

I'm with you, Tay Tay. The study of accents is fascinating. I still remember when I first met my husband, he used to pronounce the word 'horse' sort of like 'huss'.
I had never heard it said like that before, but it sounded interesting! Unfortunately, hubby has largely lost most of his Mass/Boston accent - especially the broad-sounding a's in words such as ca(r) or pa(r)k, or -one I especially love- Ma. (his siblings still say Maah). However; I don't think he will ever pronounce his r's. Not until the day he dies, he says. lol

[europegirl4jfk]

7. Thanks for the link...

to the rhotic and non-rhotic accents. I never did such a research before but it's very interesting and it explains a lot. British English (at least the standard Oxford-English we learn at school) is non-rhotic and doesn't pronounce the "R"s. That's the reason the Boston accent sounds so normal to me. My daughter who learned British English as well picked up an American accent when she spent the year in California and now pronounces the "R"s.

[karendc]

5. When I taught in Boston...

...(dance), one of my students left me the following note:

"I put the recket playa away."

Took me five minutes to figure it out--then I said it out loud, and got it!

[TayTay]

10. I have trouble writing some words and expressions

because I'm not sure what the proper spelling is anymore. I wanted to say that something was the thing that tipped an idea or joke or something. It's the kappah. Ahm, what is that? People say all the time, "now, heres the kappah' to a story and you know the best and last is coming, but what is the 'kappah' or 'capper?' Must from from a hat, a cap, which tops off your head, I guess.

[GRLMGC]

8. Accents are cool

I'm from CA so we have a generic accent. Supposedly, Californians have a unique accent but I can't really identify it.

[Island Blue]

9. It will be interesting to see if anyone else going to Boston

has a uniquely regional accent. I have a generic accent too, but it would be cool to have a few others thrown into the mix. Accent anyone?