One-word regional accents

[corco]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

Yes - they rhyme completely. I also come from a family of Buckeyes though, so maybe it's a southern Ohio thing.

[mrsman]

In L.A. (and probablly other areas with large Hispanic populations) the TV reporters have a very general nondescript US accent when they speak in English.  But when they close their report by saying "This is Laura RODRIGUEZ reporting for Fox 11 News." the Hispanic accent comes out very clearly.

Incidentally, I also pronounce plague and egg as the same and I have no southern roots to speak of.

[jp the roadgeek]

Another couple for Philly,  Philly, the letter P is pronounced like "pay" rather than "pea".  And words like "carry" and "harry" have more of an nasaly "air" sound for the a then an "err" sound.  For the CT valley, the two thing that we're known for is for softening the "T" that comes between two vowels, and emphasizing the second word in any city or town that has a "new" before it.  Any one that calls it "NEWhaven" instead of "NewHAven" is certainly not a local.  And a word like "titan" is pronounced more like "tighten"

[webny99]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

Yes - they rhyme completely. I also come from a family of Buckeyes though, so maybe it's a southern Ohio thing.

Southern Ohio has its own distinct accent, that I dare say is like the Deep South accent gone bad 
Several of the people I know who say "aigg" and "yee-a-uh" for "yeah" are from Columbus.

I also pronounce plague and egg as the same and I have no southern roots to speak of.

Perhaps you say "plegg" though.

[empirestate]

"Woarsh" (as in laundry) is a pretty clear shibboleth even for an otherwise neutral-sounding midwestern accent.

Ah yes, I've heard that one too, such as from a bus driver I knew who was from Nebraska, I believe.

In Boston, it would, undoubtedly, be SAWX! I'll take the BRAWNKS, thank you!

You mean, there are people who say "sawx" for "Sox" but not, say, "rawks" for "rocks"? Usually when people make that shift, they do it across the board.

Northern Cities Vowel Shift.

The short vowels are shifted a bit.
a = "ya" or "e-a", as in cat sounding like "kyat" and map sounding like "me-ap".
e = "eh", as in bet sounding like "beht".
i = "ih", as in bit sounding like "biht".
o = "ah", as in cot sounding like "cat" to others.
u = "o" or "ah" type sound, as in bus sounding like "boss" to others.

For me, cot and caught sound totally different.

Right, so that's an overall characteristic that you might hear in certain regional accents. Can you think of any example where somebody exhibits the vowel shift only on one word? That's what we're looking for here.

In L.A. (and probablly other areas with large Hispanic populations) the TV reporters have a very general nondescript US accent when they speak in English.  But when they close their report by saying "This is Laura RODRIGUEZ reporting for Fox 11 News." the Hispanic accent comes out very clearly.

Oh yeah, I've noticed that for sure. But the same reporter will not typically do the same with a French or Chinese surname. What are the rules about when you adopt one regional accent in the midst of another?

[webny99]

Northern Cities Vowel Shift.

The short vowels are shifted a bit.
a = "ya" or "e-a", as in cat sounding like "kyat" and map sounding like "me-ap".
e = "eh", as in bet sounding like "beht".
i = "ih", as in bit sounding like "biht".
o = "ah", as in cot sounding like "cat" to others.
u = "o" or "ah" type sound, as in bus sounding like "boss" to others.

For me, cot and caught sound totally different.

Right, so that's an overall characteristic that you might hear in certain regional accents. Can you think of any example where somebody exhibits the vowel shift only on one word? That's what we're looking for here.

He wasn't intending this as a response to the OP. This was a response to something that I raised ("ass" and "ice") which was indeed an answer to the original question.

[bandit957]

And a word like "titan" is pronounced more like "tighten"

I thought 'titan' and 'tighten' were identical everywhere.

[1995hoo]

In L.A. (and probablly other areas with large Hispanic populations) the TV reporters have a very general nondescript US accent when they speak in English.  But when they close their report by saying "This is Laura RODRIGUEZ reporting for Fox 11 News." the Hispanic accent comes out very clearly.

....

Definitely happens here too. Not just on the reporters' own names–if a person or place noted in the story has an Hispanic name, the reporters generally accent that (one example–a reporter on our NBC affiliate says a certain country's name like "El Sal-ba-DOR"  even if every other word besides her last name is unaccented).

[jwolfer]

In L.A. (and probablly other areas with large Hispanic populations) the TV reporters have a very general nondescript US accent when they speak in English.  But when they close their report by saying "This is Laura RODRIGUEZ reporting for Fox 11 News." the Hispanic accent comes out very clearly.

Incidentally, I also pronounce plague and egg as the same and I have no southern roots to speak of.

That annoys me. It even worse when it's an Anglo reporter trilling up all the r's.. I speak Spanish and have a pretty good accent in Spanish..people don't think I am from the US if I don't talk long.. I am also learning Portuguese.  I am not one of those speak 'Merican types, I enjoy learning new languages hearing different dialects spoken.  My last name is German, but no reporter would ever say my last name Wolf.. as Volf as a German speaker would pronounce it

Speak English when speaking English..speak Spanish when speaking Spanish.  Saying a name or word in English does not negate your Latino heritage, or make you culturally insensitive. I know a Brazilan guy named Jose ( Portuguese pronounces J like English) get corrected by some culturally sensitive white girl when he gave his name for order at a restaurant .. " isn't it 'ho-say'".. SMH

Some countries' like Nicaragua seem to always get Spanish treatment all the time.. but other countries like Argentina rarely do.. it's interesting

Z981

[Jordanes]

I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and don't have a notable accent, but I say service PLAW-za. My friends from the Midwest and western Pennsylvania say service PLAH-za. They're weird. 

[hotdogPi]

I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and don't have a notable accent, but I say service PLAW-za. My friends from the Midwest and western Pennsylvania say service PLAH-za. They're weird. 

I say PLAH-za, even though I live in Massachusetts. You would think the two regions would be reversed.

[Jordanes]

I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and don't have a notable accent, but I say service PLAW-za. My friends from the Midwest and western Pennsylvania say service PLAH-za. They're weird. 

I say PLAH-za, even though I live in Massachusetts. You would think the two regions would be reversed.

I think PLAW-za is because of the NYC influence in my part of Pennsylvania -- it's only about 120 miles away. As for how you say it, you folks up there pronounce "Haverhill" as "HAAV-rl", so you're weird too. 

[abefroman329]

In L.A. (and probablly other areas with large Hispanic populations) the TV reporters have a very general nondescript US accent when they speak in English.  But when they close their report by saying "This is Laura RODRIGUEZ reporting for Fox 11 News." the Hispanic accent comes out very clearly.

That's been a thing for decades, they used to lampoon it on Married...with Children.

[paulthemapguy]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

What gets me is people in the far upper Midwest who thing "flag" and "bag" rhyme with "plague."

[Jmiles32]

While the D.C area may not have much of a distinct accent, the Baltimore area definitely does. Wooder(Water) immediately comes to mind.

[webny99]

"Rah-ch-ster" and "Bald-i-moor" are two cities in which the locals have a very specific and unique pronunciation of their hometown.

Everybody says Rochesterians have a nasal accent, but I refuse to believe it 

[Jmiles32]

"Rah-ch-ster" and "Bald-i-moor" are two cities in which the locals have a very specific and unique pronunciation of their hometown.

Everybody says Rochesterians have a nasal accent, but I refuse to believe it 

You can add Norfolk, Virginia to that list as locals there will tell you its pronounced Nor-f'k. Naw-f'k as I originally thought, is apparently incorrect.

[webny99]

I've always said "Nor-foke".

People from outside Rochester tend to put the emphasis on the "o". It's "Rah-chester", not "Row-chester" 

[7/8]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

What gets me is people in the far upper Midwest who thing "flag" and "bag" rhyme with "plague."

What if I think you're weird for not rhyming them?

[webny99]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

What gets me is people in the far upper Midwest who thing "flag" and "bag" rhyme with "plague."

What if I think you're weird for not rhyming them?

I know, right? I can't not rhyme them. I don't even think it's possible.

[slorydn1]

A few weeks ago my wife and I were at the grocery store picking up a few odds and ends.My wife goes to this store all the time, and she sees this lady almost every time she shops there so they were having a conversation while she was ringing up our items.
I don't usually go grocery shopping with my wife, and I hadn't seen this lady, who is in her late 20's-early 30's before. She had no real discernible accent, which led me to believe she "wasn't from around here".
While the cashier was ringing up our purchase the milk wouldn't scan for some reason. The cashier turned to her coworker at the next register and asked her how much the gallon of "melk" cost. After she punched it in I asked her what town in Michigan was she from. She looked at me wide eyed and asked how I knew and I replied that melk gave it away. She told me that she grew up in a little town that I never would have heard of outside of Grand Rapids named Grandville. I replied howdy neighbor, I lived in Jenison (right next door) until I was 9 years old. Small world, I tell ya'.

[jp the roadgeek]

I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and don't have a notable accent, but I say service PLAW-za. My friends from the Midwest and western Pennsylvania say service PLAH-za. They're weird. 

I say PLAH-za, even though I live in Massachusetts. You would think the two regions would be reversed.

I think PLAW-za is because of the NYC influence in my part of Pennsylvania -- it's only about 120 miles away. As for how you say it, you folks up there pronounce "Haverhill" as "HAAV-rl", so you're weird too. 

And  southeast of Haverhill,  you have Peabody, which is pronounced PEA-buh-dee.  And south of Boston, you have Quincy, which is pronounce QUINN-zee.  But don't your dare call Worcester Worchester, or pronounce Leominster with the first syllable sounding like the astrological sign: it's LEMON-ster.

[Eth]

Is there anyone who thinks 'egg' doesn't rhyme with 'plague'? To me, they rhyme, but all the later dictionaries disagree.

What gets me is people in the far upper Midwest who thing "flag" and "bag" rhyme with "plague."

What if I think you're weird for not rhyming them?

I know, right? I can't not rhyme them. I don't even think it's possible.

Ah, I think I see the issue! We're talking about "plague", with a G, not "plaque", with a Q.

(And "egg" doesn't rhyme with "plague", either; "egg", "bag", and "plague" have three distinct vowel sounds, at least to me.)

[english si]

pronounce Leominster with the first syllable sounding like the astrological sign: it's LEMON-ster.

Why did you New Englanders put an extra syllable in what, in proper England, is Lem-ster? 

I know, right? I can't not rhyme them. I don't even think it's possible.

I can't see how you can rhyme them (plag? flague?) as the vowels are rather different. Which way does the vowel collapse go?

Ditto egg-flag rhyming - is it 'agg' or 'beg'?

The three vowels are totally different to me.

[7/8]

I know, right? I can't not rhyme them. I don't even think it's possible.

I can't see how you can rhyme them (plag? flague?) as the vowels are rather different. Which way does the vowel collapse go?

Ditto egg-flag rhyming - is it 'agg' or 'beg'?

The three vowels are totally different to me.

The flag-plague vowel sounds closer to bay than back for me. I don't rhyme egg and flag, though they sound similar (the e in egg is different than in Ed for me).