Friday, October 18, 2002

Pro-nun-see-A-shun

One of the many "cultural differences" between Boston and other areas in which I've been fortunate enough to live is the little differences in everyday speech patterns, from pronunciation to word usage. For instance, Sean has very little if any discernable "Boston accent", but still just says some things differently from me. Along the same lines, I have very little if any discernable accent, but say things like "ya'll" and "pop".
So, I thought for the benefit of people potentially unfamiliar with these contrasts, I'd provide a brief listing of words and the different ways Sean; or any generic Bostonian, and I choose to pronounce them. Which is "correct"? You be the judge.

1. Florida: Sean: "Flar-I-Dah" Amanda: "Flore-DUH"

2. Orange: Sean: "Ohr-ANGE" Amanda: "orunge"

3. Dunkin Donuts: Sean: "DUNKS" Amanda: "DUNG-kin DO-nuts"

4. Peabody: Sean: "PEA-budy" Amanda: "Pea-BOD-y"

5. Billerica: Sean: "Bill-RIK-ka" Amanda: "Who is this 'Bill Rikka'?!? Does he live in Bill-AIR-i-cah?"

6. Fantasy Football: Sean: "FAN-sy Foot-BALL" Amanda: "Fan-TUH-See FOOT-Ball"

7. Beer: Sean: "Beeahr" Amanda: "GUIN-ness"

No comments: