Picksburghese 101

I love out-of-town'ers and their disbelief that I was born here in America with such an [quote]accent[unquote]. Picksburghese must have really took a toll on me.

When such a statement like "I need to wash my hair" makes people's noses crunch, one side of their lip to rise and drool slowly drips from their mouths. Little do you know, when speaking Picksburghese that sentence is actually pronounced: "I need to woosh my hair."
Other such phrases are: Wooshing clothes. Or the woorsher machine (Now, that one's a tricky one. It's more pronounced like the war-sher instead of having the common "woo" sound).

Also, saying the days of the week draw a laughing matter. You say "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday," with annunciation. With Picksburghese, it comes off as:
Sundy, Mondy, Tuesdy, Wensdy, Thursdy, Fridy.
Apparently we are incapable of sounding out the "A" sound when combined with Y. Also when pronouncing the two T's in Pittsburgh; there are no T's, but C's and K's. PICKSburgh. Double E's are also hard; The Steelers = the Stillers.

The list goes on and on about our incomprehensible language that was actually all made up in our heads. Until I am faced with the fact that I do appear to have an accent when put in front of non-Pittsburghers...
Class is dismissed.

Posted on May 16, 2008 5:33 PM | Permalink
« No smoking in the Waiting Room. | The only opinion of value is but your own »