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buttseason t1_j22mbf6 wrote

You forgot an option for “I don’t think I have it, but when I leave the state everyone I meet immediately knows I’m from Boston”.

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ZaphodG t1_j23ee70 wrote

I’ve tried that experiment. In conference rooms around the country in business meetings, I’m occasionally asked where I’m from. I always ask people to guess. I usually get California or Seattle. Nope. Masshole born in New Behfuh where everyone talks like Emeril LaGasse. You can tell where I’m from by the slang, not the accent. Water bubbler. Rotary. Package store. Frappe. The shellfish is pronounced SKALL-ups.

I wasn’t allowed to have the local accent growing up and was immediately corrected by my mother. I speak “newscaster”.

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Not_Discordia t1_j23o7qx wrote

Omg same hahaha re: mom correcting me. She is from central MA and my dads fam is New Bedford and have accents. I disappoint people from out of state when we meet with my generic accent.

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rattiestthatuknow t1_j27byjf wrote

Same, no accent but it’s vocabulary/sayings and consistent shit giving regardless to who you talking to.

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7573 t1_j22up4z wrote

I work in energy, worked in Boston for many many years before. One of our projects is by a lake, another is in the hills. The supervisor for our hills project asked me for an update to which I said sure. He then said "no the hills - not the shore."

Apparently everyone in my office thinks I'm Bill Burr, but I would rather die a dozen deaths than talk like they do up here.

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caveling t1_j26tu33 wrote

When I left most people said I had an accent, but couldn't place it. It wasn't the super thick stereo type. Now I see old videos of me and I can hear it; it isn't super obvious, but I hear it. It's mostly gone now except for a few things like bathroom, drawer, and a few other words. And I still call those metal things in the supermarket a carriage.

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Own-Suit5786 t1_j2bcici wrote

Yup! There’s certain vowels and sentence structure that’s “New England” even if you aren’t dropping R’s. I say I lost my accent in college, but I just gained R’s.

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Eypc2 t1_j22lem2 wrote

Depends on my mood, number of drinks, who I'm with, if someone outside of Massachusetts has recently insulted Massachusetts.

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Adorable_List3836 t1_j23b4gw wrote

I don’t have no acksent, get tha fuck outta hea with this shit guy, if you don’t like tha way I taulk I’ll meet chu ova at tha dunkin on storra drive and we can throw hands, I’ll be in the pahkin lot drinkin a laahge iced extra-extra wearin a hoodie and basketball shawts I don’t care if it’s fuckin 10 degrees out I don’t wear pants, eva!

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biddily t1_j22ipue wrote

Code switching, bitch. I do it.

In dorchester, hanging out with the bro's fuck yeah, that accent is STRONG.

At work people are SHOOKETH when I say I am a townie, and that my accent is only noticeable when i say 'drawer', 'north', and (apparently) 'room'.

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CattiePants t1_j24od09 wrote

I knew my husband's nurse in DC was from MA as soon as she said "ruum" like I do.

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itallendsintears t1_j23l9tr wrote

Boston accent is working class persons only.

There aren’t any working class in Boston anymore. Thanks to all the bourgeoisie and above

So whatever made Boston, Boston. Is dead, or dying.

But hey at least we have Whole Foods and barber shops that double as speakeasies….fucking gag

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jpm01609 t1_j2424ur wrote

I read somewhere once that the strongest accents in ANY given regions--this is worldwide--are the folks who are in the DOMINANT culture.

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So , for instance, the strongest accents in Southie would be white, working class folks of mostly Irish heritage--for example

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I have definitely enjoyed a coworker I had 40+ years ago , a black guy who had a THICK regional Georgia accent too. Whst they call stuff is educational and I knew I wanted to learn more about his area, etc

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theliontamer37 t1_j23t7ho wrote

Lmfao Not even remotely true. The majority of my family is still in southie and I know a ton of families that are in the same boat.

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itallendsintears t1_j23uiu2 wrote

Cool. Glad a few families are left. I’m not wrong though and if you aren’t worried about being priced out, you’re simply delusional

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theliontamer37 t1_j23uvex wrote

Not going to be priced out when you own the home and choose to stay bud.

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Balsac_is_Daddy t1_j23g9j0 wrote

Ive had people tell me I dont sound like Im from MA, meaning Boston lol. Nope, western MA girl!

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Perkunas170 t1_j27bcou wrote

From Western Mass too. A few years ago in Scotland, people kept asking me where in Canada I was from. I was a bit flattered, really.

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cooperstonebadge t1_j22i9zb wrote

I have it. It's nothing like that goodwill hunting thing though.

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SLEEyawnPY t1_j22magz wrote

>I've noticed a steady decrease in the number of people with a Boston accent

You tend to get your accent from your peer group, not your parents, so though my late (Dorchester-born) father had a pretty strong one and I've lived near Boston all my life, mine is mild to none, as most of the kids I went to primary school with had parents who were transplants. People out-of-state have guessed Vancouver.

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pillbinge t1_j22oti3 wrote

Could also figure out how many are transplants, to a large extent. You get your accent from friends more so from family - or at least people outside your family. It's odd, I think. But with so many people being transplants or immigrants in many parts, the accent has waned in many places.

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_Your_Highness_ t1_j22ibru wrote

I have a South Coast accent. I've been told it's a combo of a New York and a Providence accent.

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Distinct-Ad5751 t1_j2397g3 wrote

My accent is mild, my Dad’s is amazing.

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beachwhistles t1_j23jxlo wrote

I’ve got a Massachusetts accent definitely. It got weird when I was in Virginia Beach a couple years. Pizza isn’t supposed to have an “er” on the end. Idea too.

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redditor420_69 t1_j23p70q wrote

I have it, but I don’t at the same time. I sound more New Bedford/south coast. Some of my friends have also referred to it as an old timey cape cod accent.

If you’re from mass, you can easily tell the difference between someone from Boston and New Bedford

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SleepingJonolith t1_j23r4v3 wrote

People are surprised to hear I’m from Massachusetts, and they ask why I don’t have the Boston accent. I do say “wicked” though, which is a give away.

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spiked_macaroon t1_j23zzi1 wrote

Depends. In New England, I have a Worcester accent. Outside of New England, I have a Boston accent. And it's wicked thick.

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Elementium t1_j2bcgt0 wrote

I mean a Worcester accent is just a Boston one after 3 packs of cigarettes.

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Snufflarious t1_j23k4wy wrote

I say pudaydo - is that Bostonese?

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bryanhealey t1_j23kh3b wrote

out of staters have informed me that I have one, but it's not obvious to me or those who know me locally. so I assume I have a slight accent.

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Call555JackChop t1_j23sm3q wrote

I have a pretty thick one that I hide that rears it’s ugly head the more alcohol I’ve consumed

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Pard22 t1_j23x6p3 wrote

I believe many people that live in Boston actually don’t have an accent. It’s probably more of an outside Boston thing. Better off in this sub anyway

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Bawstahn123 t1_j272sk2 wrote

>It’s probably more of an outside Boston thing

Mainly townies trying to prove they are Bostonians, in my experience.

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thomastodon01027 t1_j23y0i2 wrote

I’m out in Western MA, so my accent is a little bit closer to American Standard, but there definitely are at least two regional dialects out here. My parents moved here before I was born, so I can sort of code shift in or out of it depending on who I’m talking to/how drunk I am.

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Splime t1_j241gew wrote

I have a half-English half-American accent (born in England, grew up on the NY side of CT), but there was one time in Boston that someone confused it with a stereotypical Boston accent. So, maybe a tiny bit?

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jpm01609 t1_j241owu wrote

Whenever I watcha movie that is supposed to be filmed in Massachusetts, I am as I am sure many on here are--very critical of the local accents

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Example:

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a) Perfect Storm--Clooney sucked, but the locals got it right

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b) The Town (Ben Affleck produced_--ALWAYS dead on

'c) Conviction--Hillary Swank--I loved the story. Took place in Ayer MA, but why the F do directors think everyone in MA talks like a Kennedy? I am from Worcester and in Ayer most ppl talk pretty close to us. In all my sales travels all over MA, I rarely have encountered a Kennedy accent (closest was a guy from Hingham who was a big boater and hung with Ted K quite often) but that was rare.

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ElectronicOrdinary58 t1_j245e9f wrote

I don't drop the r in words like "Wostah", but "wicked" is a popular word in my vocab

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memeintoshplus t1_j246t1d wrote

My voice is pretty neutral American in general, despite living in metro Boston my whole life. My girlfriend is from New York and it took her a bit to pick up some subtle Boston hints from the way I talk.

My mom certainly has a stronger Boston accent though.

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ivegotafastcar t1_j24rmxp wrote

People don’t usually notice and comment how I’m missing my accent. But other times, people just look at me funny and ask to repeat what I said because they can’t believe they heard me right. Lol… Goin’ to the packie and Wa-Maht. Need anythin?

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Sunbirdsoup t1_j25d1xf wrote

I’m from the cape, i dont have an accent…

Sometimes when im drunk tho.. 😂

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EvilHipi t1_j25h3q5 wrote

Mine comes out when I drink or if I'm around my extended family for a while.

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Belowme78 t1_j25l2ol wrote

When I travel to the Midwest they love it, but I won’t say catch phrases etc. pahk the cah, etc.

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jarod47 t1_j25moqz wrote

Comes out sometimes, but you’d not likely tell normally

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lufecaep t1_j25shsc wrote

I don't have it and most of my family that is around my age and younger don't either. A lot of my older relatives did/do.

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TEDSFROZENHEAD76 t1_j26n1qg wrote

I grew up in the minga valley dude. like a doctah.

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frankybling t1_j26yvfm wrote

especially when I’m drinking

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Bawstahn123 t1_j272d3b wrote

It is important to note that "The Boston Accent" as commonly seen/heard in movies

  1. largely never existed.
  2. The version that did exist was much softer than media makes it seem
  3. It also largely doesn't exist any more, because it was mostly a working-class accent and working-class people pretty much don't live in Boston any more. In addition, Boston is a pretty metropolitan city; the regional accents of the US have been dying out for decades

Amusingly, I am from Boston, despite my flair, and lived there for several years before moving away as a kid. I don't have the accent

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NachoTheGreat t1_j274j1g wrote

My mom sent me to speech therapy in first grade because I “couldn’t pronounce Rs.”

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SRFBoston t1_j279xfp wrote

It slips on a couple words or phrases here and there (usually when drinking or around my mom) but I am very self aware of my speaking so that I don't use it. The fascination with and so-called 'comedy' surrounding it is so cringe that I had to separate myself from it.

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SnoozeBox t1_j29l6jz wrote

I don't think I have much of a Massachusetts regional accent. I grew up close to Boston but neither of my parents were from MA originally.

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ECroce08 t1_j23v6bl wrote

Because we are a sanctuary state

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11BMasshole t1_j247450 wrote

Ya, That’s exactly why. Grow up.

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ECroce08 t1_j248ncm wrote

You got a better explanation?

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11BMasshole t1_j249h00 wrote

People have been moving to Mass for decades for work. Literally everyone on my parents street are transplants from all over the country. The Boston accent is fading because we are an employment center and draw people from all over. Typically minorities and immigrants didn’t have the Boston accent anyways. So your juvenile sanctuary state theory is just that.

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