Now that I'm Out of Boston......I can Talk About the Accent

Hahwahya?

Yes, I have been a lot of places and I have heard a lot of accents. I mean in New York City there seemed to be a different accent for every borough. And I can pickout a New Jersey accent from a mile away. And I do love me an Italian accent. But there is just something about the Boston accent that is fun and different and more difficult to understand. So naturally when I found a Boston Dictionary, I not only had to read it.....I also had to buy a copy. Ok, it might not be an official dictionary and it may be more fun than fact, but the author, John Powers, does explains quite a few things for me. Helped me out a lot.

This is how John Powers explains the accent: "The Bawstin accent is merely the King's English (from East Anglia, actually) marinated in conned beef and cabbidge for a few centuries and doused with clam sauce from the Nawth End. It's based on the broad A and the dropped R, but most Americans (who say Basstun and Bahstin) can't mimic it to save their lives."

Here's how it looks in real life:

One of the first things I needed to do when I got into Boston was buy a chahlie cahd so I could ride The T. It was actually really easy because the guy who works at the station was wikkid helpful (it's ok, I lived in the Boston area.....I can use the word wikkid now). He asked me where I was heading and I said Mass General. He assured me Mass Genrull was right on the T-Line so I would have no problem getting there.

Of course once I started to meet people conversations always turned to what I would be doing while in Bawstin and whether I was a fan of the Sawx, the Broons or the Seltz. Whether I had ever been to the Cawmin or the Vinyid (they don't need to say Martha's because there is only one in the area). And I got lots of recommendations as to where I could find the best cawd, lobsta, chowdah and pashter (not to be mistaken with pasta.........who is the rectah of the parish). Of course it was also recommended that I take a trip across the Chahlz and walk around Hahvid. And if all else fails I could always just find a nice bah and order a beah.

Are you still with me? Good. If you are around long enough (which I wasn't) you would also have to learn that tonic means pop (or soda to my non-Bostonian American readers), frappe means milk shake and a Yankee is a "proper" Bostonian not a ball player from Noo Yawk.

Now that is just a taste. Trust me, having to decipher an entire conversation can make you wikkid tyuhd.

Julie