New Jersey: The Promised Land--Accents
Ouside of NJ, people make fun of our accents. People talk about how we say Joisey (which I don't, the r must be pronouced) or cawfee (seriously what's co-ffee?).
Good.
I'm glad NJ has its own accent. It makes us unique. We stand out. People know what a Jersey accent sounds likes. It's recognizable. It's not like we blend in, disappear... we'd never get the Grail... silently. We'd kick butt.
Our accent represents a hardboiled attitude. Never say die. You think it sounds stupid? Who cares? We'll overcome it. Just like everything else. We rule. We don't sound plain. We stand out. And the accent? It's all ours.
Not like Maine.
Do they have accents in Maine (#19)? Yeah, but it's a BOSTON accent. Or close to it. No one says to people from Jersey have New York accents. Maine steals their accent from from a metropolis. Jersey lends their accent to New York.
Maine people live in their huts and get their lobsters and root for Sawx and pahk their cah. Just like Boston.
In Jersey... we do it different. We influence. We are not influenced.
We are the promised land.
Good.
I'm glad NJ has its own accent. It makes us unique. We stand out. People know what a Jersey accent sounds likes. It's recognizable. It's not like we blend in, disappear... we'd never get the Grail... silently. We'd kick butt.
Our accent represents a hardboiled attitude. Never say die. You think it sounds stupid? Who cares? We'll overcome it. Just like everything else. We rule. We don't sound plain. We stand out. And the accent? It's all ours.
Not like Maine.
Do they have accents in Maine (#19)? Yeah, but it's a BOSTON accent. Or close to it. No one says to people from Jersey have New York accents. Maine steals their accent from from a metropolis. Jersey lends their accent to New York.
Maine people live in their huts and get their lobsters and root for Sawx and pahk their cah. Just like Boston.
In Jersey... we do it different. We influence. We are not influenced.
We are the promised land.
Labels: accents, Maine, New Jersey, New Jersey: The Promised Land
posted by Dave White at 9:56 AM
9 Comments:
I'm big on accents.
I come from an area that has several very strong accents that the rest of the country A; constantly gets wrong and B; seems to think is all one accent.
But so much of the UK seems to be losing its accents, i hate it.
I think people who live in a region are a lot more tuned in to subtle variations in local accents than outsiders. To me, people from New Jersey sound just like New Yorkers. Sorry, but you do. On the other hand, I'd never confuse a down-east Maine accent with a Boston accent.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, anon. We don't sound like New York. New York sounds like us.
The outsider's view is the Maine accent is much more pronounced than the Boston one (went to college there) and people in northern New Jersey speak like New Yawkers and those in the south like Philadelphians. Those from New Brunswick have a sound all their own.
Not sure here... the Maine accent is NOT the same as the Boston accent. Typically it's got more of a nasal sound to it, much like the Canadians around there.
Besides, NJ has a lot of Philly sounding people too. As someone from Cherry Hill to "call home on their phone" and it'll drive you nuts.
OOOOrange. Sigh.
-Jaymar
Please, our accent is still better than Maine's.
I'm going to go on the record that NOTHING sounds as menacing as a full blown, pissed off Jersey accent . However, what totally blows is when people in the greatest state in the union ramp up the accent just for swagger and show, to wit, friday night Wall Street posers taking NJ Transit back to Manalapan mortgages, throwing smack around as they down Budweiser tallboys. And Philly? Please. P.S. The storage thing that you pull out of a desk? It's a DRAW, people. Hi, Dave.
Is it pick on Jersey day today? I was out on business here in the heart of Carolina where I've lived for the last oh, about 25 years, and a woman said to me: your accent is funny. You're from Jersey, right?
~Why~ must people then immediately go into atrocious Jersey accent mode for coffee, etc. and then laugh? Hey, I thought Southerners were supposed to be ~polite~. I do not sound like the Real Housewives of New Jersey even though I was raised in the same area.
And why should a Jersey accent be considered a novelty in this area when I've never seen so many NJ plates outside of NJ on the highways and especially in and around Duke University?
After 25 years, I thought the Jersey accent softened, but I guess not. Sadly, I have been known to go into full mode to make a point or when I'm unhappy about service, etc.
Sigh. A tad touchy tonight.
Jeanne
You know why it's not a novelty and why the Southeners were rude? Because of where you were. Duke sucks. And they're mean.
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