This page is for discussing the contents of Local Pronunciations.
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2008-07-02 17:05:20 Regarding the two most recent edits by MrRochester and by me:
I suppose before we get into an edit war, we should just see what others have to say on the subject.
I haven't really noticed the accent to vary with one's class. Maybe there is a certain "drawl" that you've noticed among certain groups, but this is not what I'd call a Rochester accent. The most notable feature of our regional accent is a flattened 'a' sound. Based on my observations, I believe this accent is common to most Rochestarians, and it varies with little regard to education level. —EastSideStephen
2008-07-03 13:57:30 You can edit it again if it makes you happy, I dont really care. —MrRochester
2008-07-03 14:15:16 Heres why I stated that, if you want an answer? I dont use the term blue collar, in jest. You are what you are. Blue vs white collar, to me has to deal with taste and open-mindedness of what you prefer.
As someone who grew up/went to HS in Greece, belonged to the Genesee Valley Club, had most of his freinds in Brighton/Pittsford, and went to college in Buffalo. I have been subjected to the difference in many instances.
And I have just noticed that the more blue collar individuals pick up the Great Lakes accent more. Akin to Long Islanders with their horrid Brooklyn accent, and Bostonians with their hard to decipher Southie accent, the closer you are to working class taste, the more the accent prevails.
With that said, it isnt derogatory to have the accent, I use an occasional word with our accent, you cant help to pick it up sometimes when you are surrounded by it.
Its easy to find, many of Rochesters Italians and Irish have the accent. The Doan Chevrolet lady REALLY has it, the Sofia brothers have it, the Dorschel announcer has it, the secretary at my mechanic has it, etc. Go to Buffalo, EVERYONE has the accent, mix that with all the Canadians shopping, its ear piercing. "I perk my ker, in Ercherd Perk." "Go Seebers!" My friends and I loved to chant.
Most of my friends in Rochester dont have the accent, so it isnt all encompassing, but at least 51% of our metro has it. Similar to the Long Island accent, it affects women more than men. —MrRochester
2009-03-13 10:37:36 Original page was titled: Weird Local Pronunciations —BradMandell
2012-10-02 09:30:51 As far as local dialects are concerned, Rochester is really about where the "Mid-Western Flat A" starts. You know, the way some people say RAAAchester, or other towns west of us, like LAAAckport, etc. It starts here, and stretches out past Chicago. East of here, you still find people (mostly in smaller, insulated communities) who still speak with a variation of the old 'Yankee' accent, which sounds like a less severe form of a Boston accent. This accent has been dying out for the last 100 years, and is nearly gone in our area, but was once predominant. If you go further east, you find more and more people with this accent. —alex-c
2012-10-02 10:14:17 What's up with this one. My wife and coworkers from Wayne county say 'documentary' with a 'ment' and 'tary' sound instead of the more common 'mentree' sound. —Damiankumor
2017-09-24 06:53:01 How do you pronounce Meigs? My daughter says it's Megs (short e sound); I say Migs (short I sound). You put in the pronunciation for 'Bob', but not for Meigs???????
2019-10-05 17:40:14 Here's one that drives me crazy (and I'm a Bahf-lo Boy). Ask your Roch-ster friends: Q - Remember that teen hearthrob movie star back in the 50s & 60s, Sal Mineo?
A - Sure, Sal Mineo
Q - What do you call when a store reduces its prices?
A - that's a Sal (Mineo)
Q - What is that big piece of cloth that a motorless boat uses to propel itself?
A - that's a Sal (Mineo)
Q - Another word for "bucket"?
A - A pal
Sale, sail and pail don't exist here 'ny more.
2021-11-30 22:40:15 How about Scio? The street, I mean. That's what I came here hoping to find. —MikefromTucson
