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You may be wondering why you haven't seen the term "Pittsburghese" on this website. That is because this website is about Pittsburgh speech—how Pittsburghers actually talk. Pittsburghese, on the other hand, is a reflection of how people THINK Pittsburghers talk.
If you live in the Pittsburgh area, you are are surrounded by examples of Pittsburghese, on websites, t-shirts, coffee mugs, souvenir shot glasses, and the like, and in newspaper cartoons and humorous stories about Pittsburghers. There are even dolls that say things in Pittsburghese when you squeeze their stomachs. But these examples don't all reflect things that Pittsburghers actually do in their speech, and many of them are things that people do all over the English-speaking world.
Here is a chart that compares Pittsburgh speech with Pittsburghese.
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Pronunciation |
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The vowel in words like “cot” and “caught” is pronounced the same way. |
“Dawn” for “Don” |
The vowel sounds in words like like “pout” can sound somewhat like the vowel sound in words like “pat” (but not exactly). |
“dahntahn” for “downtown” |
The vowel in words like “stuff” can be pronounced with the tongue further down in the mouth. |
(Not Mentioned) |
The vowel sound in “fire” can sound like the vowel sound
in “far.” |
“Arn” for “iron” |
The “l” sound can sound more like a “w” sound. |
“cawd” for “called” |
Words like “seal” can sound the same as words like “sill.” |
“still” for “steel” |
Words like “sell” can sound the same as words like “sail.” |
“felled” for “failed” |
Words like “pool” can sound the same as words like “pull.” |
(Not Mentioned) |
The vowel in words like “coat” and “home” can be pronounced with the tongue further forward in the mouth. |
(Not Mentioned) |
added “r” sound in wash, Washington |
“worsh” for “wash” |
added “l” sound in drawling |
(Not Mentioned) |
The final –ng in a word like “going” can have an added “g” sound when the next syllable starts with a vowel sound (so “going out” can sound like “going gout”). |
(Not Mentioned) |
Words |
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diamond, hap, other words that are no longer in use |
carbon oil (kerosene), cupboard (closet), gommed up, onion snow (early spring snow), reverend (extreme) |
slippy |
slippy |
redd up |
redd up |
nebby, other forms with neb |
nebby |
jag, other forms with jag |
jaggers |
gumband |
gumbands |
Klondike |
Klondike |
chipped ham |
chippped ham |
jumbo |
jumbo |
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sammiches ( “sandwitches”) |
‘n (“and”) |
couttent (“couldn’t) |
dittent (“didn’t) |
perch (“porch”) |
spicket (“spigot”) |
keller (“color”) |
nize (“nice”) |
filum (“film”) |
Jeet jet/j’ew (“Did you eat yet?”/”Did you/”) |
Ahia (Ohio) |
‘ats (that’s) |
Mon, Skwirohill, The Point, Strip District,
and other place names |
stogie (“cigar”) |
babushka (“headscarf,” “grandmother”) |
boilermaker, city chicken, chitchat, carline,
living daylights, scrub for clean, sleep in,
what the cat drug in |
seen, et (“seen,” “eaten”) |
Ahz (“I am”) |
to box (“to put in a box”) |
how’s about (“how about”) |
wait on (“wait for”) |
in regards to (“with regard to”) |
Jaynell (“J&L; Jones and Laughlin”) |
crewsants (“croissants”) |
pop (“soft drink”) |
Grammar |
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Some Pittsburghers use yinz,yunz, or you’unz for you when there is more than one you. |
yunz |
Pittsburghers may say sentences like “My shirt needs ironed” instead of “My shirt needs to be ironed” |
“needs washed” |
The word “anymore” can be used in sentences where there is no negative word. |
“Anymore there’s so many new buildings …” |
The word “whenever” can be used with things that happen only once. |
“Whever I finish the car I’ll take you for a ride. |
The verbs “leave” and “let” can be used in different ways, sometimes one instead of the other one. |
leave for let |
In some kinds of questions, Pittsburghers’ voices can suddenly get higher and then lower. |
(Not Mentioned) |
What do these items show about what people think Pittsbughers are like? Perhaps "Pittsburghese"
is partly more about Pittsburghers, the people, than about their speech.
There are several traditional words for this item in the U.S.: "pop," "soda", "soda water," "coke." "Pop"
is not as common as "soda," but it is used (or at least used to be) in a large area of the U.S. This site is
based on an online research project that asked people to give the word they used. It shows where the
various words are used. As you can see, people in a big area of the northeast and midwest say they use
"pop." Maybe the reason that Pittsburghers think "pop" is a Pittsburgh word is because people in a lot
of the rest of of Pennsylvania use "soda." |