What is an example of interesting regional language where you live?
In Hawaii, many people often say, “Howzit?” instead of “How are you?” To say goodbye, many people say, “Shoots!”
Any interesting phrases or words where you live?
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In Boonville California, people speak Boontling.
A Boontling plaque describes it this way: “Bucky waltered my appoled to a tidricks for bahl chiggul and zeese.” (I telephoned my girlfriend to go to a party for good food and coffee.)
Hey for hello, must be a Southern thing.
Our Prime Minister keeps saying “um” and “you know” when on video.
I don’t talk much to people in my home town and haven’t picked up any nuances yet.
Thingamajig, whatchamacallit.
I remember hearing “yadidimean?” to mean “do you know what I mean?” It also had a variant “yadidifeelme?”, which I’m sure you can guess the meaning of.
Like a lot of slang used among white suburban kids, it originated in communities of color (in this case, in Oakland and the East Bay). The “didi” part is onomatopoeia for a trilled r (representing multiple syllables collapsed into one).
And “hella” (originally from “hell of a” or “hell of a lot [of]”, but soon taking on the meaning of general intensifier) spread across the country, but it originated here in the Yay.
@Demosthenes
While most of these examples scream stupidity, hella is the winner in my opinion.
Yep. “Hey y’all!”
I’m in the American South. There are some people who have no real accent, but use some of the vocabulary.
Then, there are lots of people that honestly, everything they say is interesting. Maybe entertaining.
Lots of stereotypes.
Ain’t.
Y’all.
Big ‘ol.
Like that.
Agree with @MrGrimm888 about the South.
If you ever have the pleasure (!) to go to Mobile, Alabama, they speak their own dialect of southern accent, which is even deeper and smoother than the rest of the south. Not just words, but the mellifluous tonality of their speech.
It’s almost worth the trip to Mobile to hear the natives talk. And the seafood is great.
NY Times did a quiz a few years ago about regional dialect and language (re: the US). The quiz had questions and then they figured out where you are from. It pinned my location, which was amazing. The quiz asked questions where they described certain objects and asked what you call that, and they asked how do you pronounce this word or that word, for example “aunt.”
One regional word which is pretty unique to a few small areas around here is “wedge” to describe a long sandwich. Some call it a “hero” and some call it a “hoagie” but where I’m from , it’s a “wedge.” Eggplant parm wedge, chicken parm wedge, ham and cheese wedge.
We call that a sub, @jca2.
@jca2 And in California, we usually call it a submarine sandwich.
Back in the 70s, a father and son from Staten Island opened a shop in Isla Vista CA and named it the “New York Hero House”. The menu was filled with Italian hero specials.
Nice, @zenvelo! We’d call it an Italian Wedge House haha.
We call it a sub.
There are some great New Jersey regional terms:
“Down the shore” means at the Jersey beaches, mainly from northern NJ people.
On the other hand, we people who live at the shore talk about when the Bennies will go home. That’s a a term for the Bergen, Essex County and Newark folk who invade us every summer. It also can mean New Yorkers.
There’s even a dividing line between north and south Jersey on what to call pork roll. It’s pork roll in the southern part and Taylor ham in the northern part although since I never eat it, I never talk about it.
Most New Jersey folk I know do not have what it typified in the media and on the Sopranos as a New Jersey accent, which I think of more as a Brooklyn accent. Inevitably, when you say you’re from New Jersey, someone will say, “So, you’re from Joisey?” which makes me cringe.
@janbb Here we’d say “down the shore” and also “down the city” meaning NYC.
@janbb My thoughts exactly about Sopranos. I just rewatched the majority of it within the past two weeks. Tony saying “mudder” for “mother” to me is Bronx or Brooklyn.
@jca2 We say “going to the city” as if there is only one.
And that NY Times questionnaire you talked about, pinpointed me very accurately too.
@janbb There is only one hahaha.
We more country folk say “Go to town” when referring to going from our town of ~1,000 people to any place that has a population of ~10,00.
@zenvelo Oh, but you see they had to describe it by adding “on the bay” which makes it a faux city not The City!
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