Pittsburghese: Welcome to Steel City

Fluent in American, Beginner in Pittsburghese

Have you ever heard of Pittsburghese accent? People often think of accents as being universally applicable within each country. For example, one might generalize and say that an Australian accent is more interesting than its British counterpart. However, anyone who’s visited Dallas and Boston can attest to the fact that there are some serious differences within countries. Even “Irish,” “Scottish,” “English” and “Welsh” are too broad as each city or region in the UK has its own variation, much more so than in the U.S., where detecting the difference between a person from Seattle and someone from Indianapolis can be easier said than done.

Whether or not they are from a country or a region, accents are often accompanied by a stereotype. For example, in the US, stereotypes of Southern accents can be misplaced because a person’s social class plays a large role in their accent. It’s quite common for someone from Alabama to sound like a New Yorker. Even so, a nearly uniform and uniquely American accent can be found in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Standard American English is the basic, “neutral” dialect in the US and is found in the Midwest, primarily Indiana and Illinois, where it is call the Midland accent. This is the sound foreigners tend to think of when they picture “Americans” and is also the one used by news anchors and most actors because it is so universally understood. Interestingly enough, the “old-timey” accent heard in American movies from the 1930s to the 50s, called Mid-Atlantic English, was never naturally spoken anywhere in the US. It was intentionally learned by the upper classes at boarding school to sound more “aristocratic”, or intentionally put on for stage and cinema.

This is Steelers Country

Even so, most people have their own opinion about which accents are attractive and which are annoying. An Australian man in the US may be pleasantly surprised at the attention his manner of speech gets from American girls. Unfortunately, not all accents are so popular. A recent poll by Gawker determined that Pittsburgh, sometimes called “Picksburgh” by locals, has the worst accent in America, beating out second-place Scranton and, yes, even predicted winner/loser Boston. The accent, lovingly called “Pittsburghese” by natives, is so unique to Western Pennsylvania that many Americans haven’t even heard of it.

The Pittsburgh dialect is thought to be the result of heavy influence by early Scots-Irish settlers and later German and Eastern European immigrants. In terms of pronunciation, Pittsburghese immediately stands out due to its long “a” sounds. “I’m proud to live downtown” becomes “I’m prahd teh live dahntahn.” “U” sounds merge so that “pool,” “pole” and “pull” all sound identical. Locals also often use a falling intonation at the end of questions they think they already know the answer to. This means that if they see someone wearing a Cleveland jersey they may ask, “You root for the Brahns (Browns)?” with pitch rising till the last syllable and then dropping sharply, followed by a look of disgust.

Get Aht a Tahn, Yinz’ve Never Been to da Burgh?

Pittsburghese’s most notable aspect is its plural form of “you,” which comes out as “you’uns” or “yinz” and equates to the South’s “y’all” and New Jersey’s “youse.” This results in phrases like “Yinz watchin’ the Stillers tehnight?” (Are you guys watching the Steelers tonight?). Some even call Pittsburghers “Yinzers” because of this unique word. Pittsburghese also frequently adds a brief “n’at,” literally “and that,” at the end of sentences for emphasis. “He’s not home, he’s at work n’at.” Another part of Pittsburghese grammar is a tendency to drop auxiliary verbs from passive sentences, meaning that “The yard needs to be cut” becomes “The yard needs cut!” Other interesting grammar points are a positive “anymore” (“I always go shopping here anymore”) and reversal of “leave” and “let” (“Leave the kids watch TV,” “Let your coat on the hook”).

We’re Goin’ Dahn to Permanees fer Sammiches N’at

At the heart of Pittsburghese is the mountain of colorful words locals love to use. Lightly cooked eggs are “dippy eggs,” breaded and fried pork is “city chicken,” lunchmeat is “jumbo,” a nosy person is “nebby”, and a slippery street is “slippy.” Yinzers don’t clean, they “redd up the room.”  A chipmunk is a “grinny,” a baby rides in a “buggy”, and candy put on cakes or ice-cream are “jimmies.”

If someone calls you a “jagoff” you know they don’t like you, and your mom might call you a “yard ape” if she sees your horsing around. Local names are also critical: da Stillers and Pens (the Steelers and Penguins), Big Ben (quarterback and local hero Ben Roethlisberger), Jayan Iggle (grocery store Giant Eagle), and Permanees (the famous Primanti Brothers sandwich shop) are just a few to know. As you can see, the passion and pride Yinzers have for their beloved city is rarely matched, but with a little practice, you too can sound like an Allegheny County born-and-raised Stillers fanatic.

Pittsburghese 101

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