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oh no, trust me...there is a Rochester accent. I didn't notice it until living away for so long, but now I can't go a day without noticing it; even in myself. It's uniquely "Rochester" because while it is mostly that nasaly great lakes accent usually associated with Chicago; it has a bit of a northeastern twang in it too. Most of us don't have it in such an exaggerated way as in that song (thank god!) but it's there. It's the heaviest in Greece; less noticeable in the city and the east side suburbs; but still there.
For a long time I had always thought the way that we say things in Rochester was "accent free". Indeed, upstate ny used to be lumped in with PA/Ohio/Indiana/ etc as the places with "newscaster" or accent free speech; but now that has shifted.
One of the words its most noticeable to me now is the word "bag"....we pronounce that word like "Bay" with a G sound at the end. Almost like "beige", but with a harder G. Everyone else says "bahg", with the hard "a" sound,
I didn't think of the way I pronounced the word bag as you stated, until now. I have to pay more attention to those who say it with the harder a, and ask where they're from. I know the "O" as in Rochester, is seemingly pronounced like a hard "A" or as in the word, "rah".
Yeah, I had never noticed it in myself for a while. But now any time I go into wegmans and hear them say they need a "bay-ger" I have to hold back a chuckle.
I have to say as much as the Rochester accent gets poked fun at it for its obscene nasalness, I MUCH prefer it to accents like that of people on "Lwoooang Oiiiilend"or Baastan....they eat "peatser" (pizza) in both of those places, and in LI, they drink "cwafee".
I find the Rochester/great lakes accent to be much more "homey" and in a way, charming, like a moderate southern accent can be.
Yeah, I had never noticed it in myself for a while. But now any time I go into wegmans and hear them say they need a "bay-ger" I have to hold back a chuckle.
I have to say as much as the Rochester accent gets poked fun at it for its obscene nasalness, I MUCH prefer it to accents like that of people on "Lwoooang Oiiiilend"or Baastan....they eat "peatser" (pizza) in both of those places, and in LI, they drink "cwafee".
I find the Rochester/great lakes accent to be much more "homey" and in a way, charming, like a moderate southern accent can be.
I married a New Englander . Although he's lived in so many places for so long, it's still there. Like the saying goes, 'you can take the boy out of the city but you can't take the city out of the boy" but apply it to this discussion of having an accent. His is much more subdued than some of his family members though who have not moved more than an hour or two away from the home they grew up at. When they all get together for the holidays, it seems to get stronger. I kid him sometimes. We knew a girl named Anita but when he pronounced her name, it sounded more like "I need her" and I'm going like, why do you need her and what do you need her for?
It's kinda funny in a way when you think that they drop the r's where they are normally spelled, as in car - 'cah" and put them in places where they're not, ie -anything that ends with an "a" [as in Anita, pizza = peatser].
It seems sometimes like the accent changes from east side to west side
the classic Rochester accent seems more a west side thing
Right on - I've lived here for a while and never noticed it to be prevalent until I moved to the west side earlier this year. But yeah, it sounds about right
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5ive8ight5ive
do people in syracuse talk the same way we do? or is the nasally northern cities vowel shift dialect restricted to buff/roc as far as NY goes...
I almost think you could draw a line down Lake Ave, State St & Exchange - on the East side, not so bad, on the west side we're on city data dat cam. Also, pronouncing "coupons" like "kewpons" seems to be a good indicator.
Last edited by aaron4040; 10-23-2010 at 12:55 PM..
Right on - I've lived here for a while and never noticed it to be prevalent until I moved to the west side earlier this year. But yeah, it sounds about right
I almost think you could draw a line down Lake Ave, State St & Exchange - on the East side, not so bad, on the west side we're on city data dat cam. Also, pronouncing "coupons" like "kewpons" seems to be a good indicator.
I wonder if that is because many people who are Rochester transplants get directed to move to the east side on forums like this and therefore "dilute" the accent?
pronouncing "coupons" like "kewpons" seems to be a good indicator.
You mean like "Qpawns"? That's how I've always said it...
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. Although he's lived in so many places for so long, it's still there. Like the saying goes, 'you can take the boy out of the city but you can't take the city out of the boy" but apply it to this discussion of having an accent. His is much more subdued than some of his family members though who have not moved more than an hour or two away from the home they grew up at. When they all get together for the holidays, it seems to get stronger. I kid him sometimes. We knew a girl named Anita but when he pronounced her name, it sounded more like "I need her" and I'm going like, why do you need her and what do you need her for? 
