Chicago Accents (Atlanta, Brooklyn: money, average, Polish)

[EC1989]

There definately is a Chicago accent to the people who think there isn't. I live in central Illinois, but I go to Chicago ALL the time to visit family and friends. Some of the people I know from the Chicago have more of an accent than others, but they all have one at least. It seems their O's are pronounced like A's I know someone who would always complain about his "mam"(mom) and his girlfriend "mally"(molly) haha. They have a somewhat nasal accent. As far as I can tell, it doesn't really matter what part of the metro you come from because I know people from the city, Buffalo Grove, Palos Hills, Joliet, Elgin, and Orland Park that all have the same thick accent. Oh well, its not a bad thing, I don't find it annoying at least.

[Truthfully19]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

I don't think we have much of a southern accent, maybe the oldschool blacks have it. Idk some of us probably do, but its nowhere near in comparison with Mississippi and other deep south states. Anyway, what is consider a Chicago accent? I'm asking because African Americans make up the largest percentage and at least 60% of the entire Southside is AA. Northside neigborhoods like Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and Wicker Park seem to talk the most neutral/nasal and on average faster talkers than a Southsider. Maybe because its more white collar compare to blue collar hoods on the south and westside.

THANK YOU! LOL

this is how many chicagoans sound

YouTube - Jerome Harris Interview

Below is an example of a southern accent...or you can youtube "lil' bootsie" (the i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t guy)

YouTube - wedding song

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by EC1989

There definately is a Chicago accent to the people who think there isn't. I live in central Illinois, but I go to Chicago ALL the time to visit family and friends. Some of the people I know from the Chicago have more of an accent than others, but they all have one at least. It seems their O's are pronounced like A's I know someone who would always complain about his "mam"(mom) and his girlfriend "mally"(molly) haha. They have a somewhat nasal accent. As far as I can tell, it doesn't really matter what part of the metro you come from because I know people from the city, Buffalo Grove, Palos Hills, Joliet, Elgin, and Orland Park that all have the same thick accent. Oh well, its not a bad thing, I don't find it annoying at least.

This isn't just a Chicago thing, it's all over the northern half of the U.S., including Michigan. See, I would say that you (and others from central IL, IN, and OH; as well as the West Coast) pronounce your A's like O's, so "practice" becomes "proctice," and "accent" is "occent"; your O's become "AU's," so "Mom" sounds like "Maum," and "Molly" sounds like "Mauly." I'd say you're the one with the thick accent.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

This isn't just a Chicago thing, it's all over the northern half of the U.S., including Michigan. See, I would say that you (and others from central IL, IN, and OH; as well as the West Coast) pronounce your A's like O's, so "practice" becomes "proctice," and "accent" is "occent"; your O's become "AU's," so "Mom" sounds like "Maum," and "Molly" sounds like "Mauly." I'd say you're the one with the thick accent.

I have to agree here.

I say Mom like M-aaah-m and Molly like M-aaah-ly.

I was born in and grew up in Chicago.

I do have to say though that many people from Michigan (past 50 miles from Indiana or Ohio) I have met have a bunch of Canadian mixed in their accent as well.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

The only thing that I noticed about Chicago speak is the way you say sausage as "sahsage" instead of "sawsage." Other than that, no discernable accent.

Again, that's the Drew Peterson old school South Side working class accent. Most Chicagoans don't actually speak like that. But if you go to, say, Midlothian, you'll hear a LOT of it. And "Canaryville" is basically a language to itself in addition to being a neighborhood.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Again, that's the Drew Peterson old school South Side working class accent. Most Chicagoans don't actually speak like that...

Most Chicagoans and many burb people that grew up in the area speak like that to a point,some more than others,"working class" or not.

I usually can pick a transplant out or a person that grew up in the Chicago area within 10 seconds of talking to them.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Most Chicagoans and many burb people that grew up in the area speak like that to a point,some more than others,"working class" or not.

I usually can pick a transplant out or a person that grew up in the Chicago area within 10 seconds of talking to them.

But the people I know that grew up in suburbs like Naperville, Schaumburg, Mt. Prospect, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Palatine, etc. don't have that accent at all--even if their parents were from the city originally. Other friends of mine from places like Midlothian, River Grove, Justice, Addison, and even Tinley have VERY strong accents. It's hard to tell what causes this, since I've met siblings with different accents before (and in fact have a very different accent from my own younger sister). Obviously it has something to do with communities that just fester without any outside influence verses communities that are more open and transient. But the accent difference within families is strange to me. For instance, I even went to the same college as my younger sister, so post-homelife exposure to a new city wasn't the issue.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

But the people I know that grew up in suburbs like Naperville, Schaumburg, Mt. Prospect, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Palatine, etc. don't have that accent at all--even if their parents were from the city originally. Other friends of mine from places like Midlothian, River Grove, Justice, Addison, and even Tinley have VERY strong accents. It's hard to tell what causes this, since I've met siblings with different accents before (and in fact have a very different accent from my own younger sister).

This is true as well. Part of it depends on the education system one is in as well as the town environment.

I am not saying all that grew up in the area have some of the accent, but most have at least a small amount.

I know many people whose parents have a very noticeable accent (and the parents are white collar even) but they themselves have very little.

I must add though I can tell the difference between someone that grew up in the burbs and someone that grew up in the city 99 times out of 100.

I have a great ear. I am a musician after all.

[Carantini]

You want a Chicago accent, talk to someone at the maxwell street hot dog place off 95 by UIC. or talk to a city worker, like a building inspector, theyre the true old schoolers. cops and firefighters too.

I read something interesting once saying that a persons accent says if the person is low class or high class, or (obviously) an immigrant and from what part of the world immigrated from. But the low class thing struck me hard. remember though, you can be high income and low class, like a baseball player or a rockstar who grew up in poverty.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Carantini

I read something interesting once saying that a persons accent says if the person is low class or high class, or (obviously) an immigrant and from what part of the world immigrated from. But the low class thing struck me hard. remember though, you can be high income and low class, like a baseball player or a rockstar who grew up in poverty.

No doubt speech is an indication of social class (though not of character). Working and upper class people generally have the most natural and unaffected speech while the often socially anxious middle class seeks to blend in and talk the way they imagine the upper class does, often with ironic and hilarious results.

Thus the boilermaker says "let's stop for a drink". The middle class guy says "let's stop for cocktails" and the old money guy says "let's stop for a drink". Paul Fussel is good on this subject.

By the way, the term "saasage" is often used when speaking of Italian and Polish sausage by a person who says "sawsage" when referring to breakfast sausage.