What gives with Pennsylvania?

[WheresFanny]

It seems that, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Pennsylvanians seem unable (or unwilling) to pronounce a long e.

Is it an accent, an affectation, poor spelling or just some Pennsylvania thang (I wouldn't understand)?

[Jeemie]

It seems that, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Pennsylvanians seem unable (or unwilling) to pronounce a long e.

Is it an accent, an affectation, poor spelling or just some Pennsylvania thang (I wouldn't understand)?

In which word(s) are you noticing this lack?

[WheresFanny]

It seems that, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Pennsylvanians seem unable (or unwilling) to pronounce a long e.

Is it an accent, an affectation, poor spelling or just some Pennsylvania thang (I wouldn't understand)?

In which word(s) are you noticing this lack?

I've long noticed "Stillers" and "Iggles" but I never put the two together before both of them being mentioned several times today.

[Jeemie]

It seems that, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Pennsylvanians seem unable (or unwilling) to pronounce a long e.

Is it an accent, an affectation, poor spelling or just some Pennsylvania thang (I wouldn't understand)?

In which word(s) are you noticing this lack?

I've long noticed "Stillers" and "Iggles" but I never put the two together before both of them being mentioned several times today.

Oh...that...that's just Yinzer talk, and it's limited to those that hail from western PA.

Iggles' fans who grew up in Philly don't call them the Iggles- they call them the Eagles.

So it's a Yinzer thing, not a PA thing.

[WheresFanny]

In which word(s) are you noticing this lack?

I've long noticed "Stillers" and "Iggles" but I never put the two together before both of them being mentioned several times today.

Oh...that...that's just Yinzer talk, and it's limited to those that hail from western PA.

Iggles' fans who grew up in Philly don't call them the Iggles- they call them the Eagles.

So it's a Yinzer thing, not a PA thing.

I take it that a Yinzer is the Pennsylvania equivalent of a Yat or a Yooper?

I thought it was Pittsburgh type stuff, but then I was reminded of the Iggle thing today and even geographic dumbasses like me know that they are on the opposite sides of the state. (I think. Ha!)

Your explanation clears that up nicely. Thanks!

[Jeemie]

I take it that a Yinzer is the Pennsylvania equivalent of a Yat or a Yooper?

I thought it was Pittsburgh type stuff, but then I was reminded of the Iggle thing today and even geographic dumbasses like me know that they are on the opposite sides of the state. (I think. Ha!)

Your explanation clears that up nicely. Thanks!

"Yinzer" comes from how Pittsburghers say the word "you".

As in "Hey...where are yinz all tailgatin' before the Stillers game today?"

[mellytu74]

As a rule, native Philadelphians, especially from the rowhouse neighborhoods, and those from the close-in collar suburbs -- including South Jersey -- turn the long e before a g into a short i.

Like Iggles. And Biggles. Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, is a biggle.

When you wash your biggle, you dry him off with a tal.

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/08149 ... e008.shtml

Jim Quinn, a Philadelphia native, is a specialist on accents.

Do you guys say skeeve? Skeeve is a great word.

[Jeemie]

As a rule, native Philadelphians, especially from the rowhouse neighborhoods, and those from the close-in collar suburbs -- including South Jersey -- turn the long e before a g into a short i.

Like Iggles. And Biggles. Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, is a biggle.

When you wash your biggle, you dry him off with a tal.

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/08149 ... e008.shtml

Jim Quinn, a Philadelphia native, is a specialist on accents.

Do you guys say skeeve? Skeeve is a great word.

Really?

I never heard a native Philly person say "Iggle".

Not a one.

[mellytu74]

As a rule, native Philadelphians, especially from the rowhouse neighborhoods, and those from the close-in collar suburbs -- including South Jersey -- turn the long e before a g into a short i.

Like Iggles. And Biggles. Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, is a biggle.

When you wash your biggle, you dry him off with a tal.

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/08149 ... e008.shtml

Jim Quinn, a Philadelphia native, is a specialist on accents.

Do you guys say skeeve? Skeeve is a great word.

Really?

I never heard a native Philly person say "Iggle".

Not a one.

Maybe it's neighborhood-based then because most of the people I grew up with still have pretty strong Philadelphia accents.

I was just at a wake tonight -- a woman I grew up around the corner from. A couple guys I went to grade school were behind me in line. They were talking about the game and said Iggles.

And many of the people in my voice and speech classes all said Iggle -- which is one reason we were IN voice and speech classes.

I just asked Boonie. I said what is the name of the pro football team here. He said Iggles.

We do say Steelers, though, and not Stillers.

[VAdame]

Wait, I'll ask my sister Eileen -- Pittsburgh girl, has lived in Philly for 20-plus years, AND her husband Rob -- lifelong Philly boy, how THEY pronounce the local football team

[mellytu74]

I don't know if it's even a conscious thing, really.

I mean, I don't know anyone who deliberately says "Iggles" rather than Eagles to get some bogus street cred or something.

Now, I've been away from voiceovers for a year (although I reactivate my files after the first of the year) and find myself slipping into the things that Jim Quinn talks about. I've gotten away from al/tal (owl/towel) and the hour/our/are pronounciations but realize I say Iggles.

I've known people who've lost much of their Philadelphia accents who still say the Iggle/biggle thing, so it may be the last of the accent to go.

[cindy.wellman]

Wait, I'll ask my sister Eileen -- Pittsburgh girl, has lived in Philly for 20-plus years, AND her husband Rob -- lifelong Philly boy, how THEY pronounce the local football team

Just as importantly, how do they say Eileen's name!?

[VAdame]

Wait, I'll ask my sister Eileen -- Pittsburgh girl, has lived in Philly for 20-plus years, AND her husband Rob -- lifelong Philly boy, how THEY pronounce the local football team

Just as importantly, how do they say Eileen's name!?

Like "I lean" over. In fact, we spent her teenage years trying to find a guy for her with the last name of "Dover" -- so she could marry him and be Eileen Dover! When she was in college, she dated a guy named Dean Leone for a while -- but she just couldn't imaging going through life as a couple named Dean and Eileen Leone

Then she had to go and fall in love with a Mr. Robert Frankil, so she's Eileen Frankil.

BTW, our dad named her after the Rosalind Russell movie, one of his favorite flicks

ETA: IMDB shows a short-lived TV version of "My Sister Eileen" from 1960 as well. Raymond Bailey (Mr. Drysdale), Rose Marie, & Agnes Moorhead were in it! Since our Eileen was born in early 1961 -- yeah, I can picture our Dad watching that show and getting inspired! I myself have no memory of the show, since I was 2 at the time!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053524/

[SportsFan68]

SteelersFan still says Stillers sometimes, especially when he's talking to the folks back home.

There is no doubt about some words -- it's VerSAILS. And that's that.

Recently, I did have to track down a tal for some emergency snowblower surgery. For a second, I thought it was a new kind of wrench or something.

[VAdame]

There is no doubt about some words -- it's VerSAILS. And that's that.

I always thought it was NORTH VerSAILS!

Reminds me of the story of 2 out-of-towners driving thru North Versailles and debating over whether it's North VerSAILS or North vair-SIGH. So, they stop at a restaurant and ask the server to please pronounce, slowly and clearly, the name of this place. Server replies:

Spoiler

"Tah-Ko Bell"

I've also heard it with Dubois PA, Kissimmee Florida, and other towns w/ dubious pronunciations.

[ulysses5019]

I take it that a Yinzer is the Pennsylvania equivalent of a Yat or a Yooper?

I thought it was Pittsburgh type stuff, but then I was reminded of the Iggle thing today and even geographic dumbasses like me know that they are on the opposite sides of the state. (I think. Ha!)

Your explanation clears that up nicely. Thanks!

"Yinzer" comes from how Pittsburghers say the word "you".

As in "Hey...where are yinz all tailgatin' before the Stillers game today?"

In the cold?

[christie1111]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

[VAdame]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

They shop at WaWa, and eat "Water Ice" (what we call Italian Ice) as a cold treat on a hot day!

As in "Hey...where are yinz all tailgatin' before the Stillers game today?"

In the cold?

Uly, I don't know if you watched the Stillers/Brahns game on Sunday -- but it was about 70 degrees and sunny here

[minimetoo26]

So THAT'S where it comes from! It drives me nuts listening to one of the women on The Weather Channel (I think it's Eboni Deon) always saying "filling" instead of "feeling" and stuff like that. I bet she's from PA.....

[littlebeast13]

So THAT'S where it comes from! It drives me nuts listening to one of the women on The Weather Channel (I think it's Eboni Deon) always saying "filling" instead of "feeling" and stuff like that. I bet she's from PA.....

One of the guys I work with, who was born and raised in this area, says "filling" instead of feeling (And tends to substiture the short I sound for long E's in a lot of words)....

Even worse, he SPELLS them that way too! You should see some of the emails he sends me....

lb13

[WheresFanny]

I don't know if it's even a conscious thing, really.

I mean, I don't know anyone who deliberately says "Iggles" rather than Eagles to get some bogus street cred or something.

That was my main wonder, whether it was just a phonetic spelling of an accent or just something to try and be cutesy.

[WheresFanny]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

I heard somewhere (read, saw, don't remember) that how someone says "water" is one of the easiest ways to peg where they are from, accent wise. There are apparently a myriad of different pronunciations.

Then again, I took a quiz once that was supposed to give your region of origin based on particular words used or how some words were pronounced and, as I recall, it said I was from either New England or a specific NYC borough (Bronx? Brooklyn? I think it was a B one). So either I talk real funny or the veracity of quizzes are somewhat suspect.

Or both.

[Rexer25]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

My wife pointed out a long time ago that Texans pronounce the t in water like a d, so we say wahdder. I do not respond to my wife that the English tend to drop r at the end of of word, so she says watah.

[WheresFanny]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

My wife pointed out a long time ago that Texans pronounce the t in water like a d, so we say wahdder. I do not respond to my wife that the English tend to drop r at the end of of word, so she says watah.

But they need those extra Rs to stick onto the words that don't come with one.

[littlebeast13]

But Philly people say water very strangly.


More like 'wooder'.

My wife pointed out a long time ago that Texans pronounce the t in water like a d, so we say wahdder. I do not respond to my wife that the English tend to drop r at the end of of word, so she says watah.

But they need those extra Rs to stick onto the words that don't come with one.

And all those R's have gratuitous U's stuck behind them.....

lb13