Chicago Accents (Lincoln: school, bus, trailer)

[ERS-One]

Ahh, I see now.

[icebergsyndrome]

So "finna" comes from "fittin to". Glad I finally understand.

[j33]

I grew up in the south-suburbs of Chicago and grew up going to majority African American schools (I'm not AA), and it was something I noticed too with many of my friends, especially since my family didn't come from a southern background, but from the northeast, so the difference in speech patterns was very apparent.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by j33

I...grew up going to majority African American schools, and it was something I noticed too with many of my friends.

Same here. I don't know any black Southsiders who have "the accent". Most of the kids I went to school with had a bastardized southern accent.

[Johnny Northside]

Originally Posted by west lawn kid

in that case yous should stay away from the south west side cuz everyone talks like that here

that's "soutwest"

[west lawn kid]

Originally Posted by Johnny Northside

that's "soutwest"

no its "south west" we have a diffrent set of rules, sorry northboy

[Irishtom29]

Often it's "soudwest" or "souwest".

[EnchantedEvergreen]

I am a pure south sider. The area around Hickory Hills and Bridgeview in particular (where I live) have a strong majority of this. A lot of police officers, fire officials, and people talk like that. However, in my part of the Chicagoland, there is a large mix of people. There is a large Middle Eastern population, Hispanic population, and eastern european population. A lot of my friends either have a heavy, ethnically influenced, "Chicago" accent or the accent from their native country.
I have many friends that live near Western Ave. Much of Western is Latin (with exception of a few areas). Anyway, this "Chicago" accent is very, very dominant over there.
I would like to tell you that Chicago is a very confusing city to predict when it comes to who will get the accent and who won't. I notice plenty of neutral speakers myself. Most of them are white and in professional business. Many or all of them I noticed were either in "nicer" areas of the city. The other possibility would be that they were from middle to upper class suburbs.
Finally, I think there is no such thing as a "Chicago" accent. I think those that talk like that (just as with New York City) were influenced by genetics and how they were raised. To make it easier, I have been around many Latin, Italian, African American, and Middle Eastern people my entire life. So, I would often drop "r" sounds at the end of words. Another example would be calling the front room of my house a "frunchroom."
I would often have the habit of talking very fast (like a New Yorker) and often be asked to repeat what I had said multiple times. I actually have a hard time with the d=t thing. Yes, I do say "dis," "dat," "dese," and "dose." I pay "wit dollahs uh checks." I get my morning "papuh on duh stoop."
I was smart enough to control my accent around teachers. I was schooled in the suburbs and the teachers were strict. They spoke neutral too. At least slowing down and reading my assignments correctly got me all As and a few Bs. A lot of my classmates that were from all over the city talked like that too. I'm talking about the Polish areas, Latin areas, and African American ones.
I think it's cool to talk "like dat" as long as you don't get "wrapped" by nuns as one post said earlier. Oh yeah, I also substitute Spanish words like "bodega" for store and "hermano" for brother. I wonder what it would be like to lose my unique accent. Again, I find it really interesting how some people talk in "Chee-cah-go."

[Irishtom29]

Actually there are several variations on the Chicago accent depending on neighborhood and an old West Side Irish guy's accent will often sound different from a South Side Pole's.

And many Irish and Italians talk real fast and "wise", know what I mean?

And many people can turn it on and off to some degree, depending on the company they're keeping.

My wife is from Philly and has a definate accent. We were shopping in Bloomingdale's the other day and a fella working there called her out on it; he was from Jersey near Philly and they had a nice chat.

[EnchantedEvergreen]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Actually there are several variations on the Chicago accent depending on neighborhood and an old West Side Irish guy's accent will often sound different from a South Side Pole's.

And many Irish and Italians talk real fast and "wise", know what I mean?

And many people can turn it on and off to some degree, depending on the company they're keeping.

My wife is from Philly and has a definate accent. We were shopping in Bloomingdale's the other day and a fella working there called her out on it; he was from Jersey near Philly and they had a nice chat.

I'm really happy you brought up what you did. I know what you mean when you say "Irish and Italians talk real fast and wise." That's another truth to it. Just like New York City, Chicago's diverse (and I do mean diverse) communities have their variations of talking. The only difference is local geography (streets and areas).

I was watching COPS the other day and noticed the diversity of accents. This was in Brooklyn. There was the Irish cop, the Italian, the Puerto Rican, etc. The part of the episode dealt with a call to rescue a car from falling into the river. This same variation of the accents can be found in Chicago. One person from one part of town will sound different from another.

Having friends and visiting the majority Hispanic areas, I noticed slight (not similar) variations of the accents there too. I notice the further north you go, the more nasal it is. It could be the mix of Italians and Eastern Europeans. I don't know for sure, but it could be that. For example, I was watching a news story about an accident around Cermak and Halsted. A female witness was talking to the cameras and sounded like Rosie Perez. I have neighbors across from me that look and sound talk like Jennifer Lopez .

I know people just like that (either from New York or Chicago). They are really friendly. What I like most is their brutal honesty. I was born to be just like that.

I really think it's beautiful to talk like this because it's a characteristic, a special trait of our everlasting, ethnic heritage and pride. If all born and bred Chicagoans or New Yorkers were all "neutral" like they are in Lake View perhaps, we would all sound boring. People would wonder about us . I find this discussion to be one of the best on this site.