Wicked Good Guide to Boston English
Compiled by Adam Gaffin
" 'Everybody says words different,' said Ivy. 'Arkansas folks says 'em different, and Oklahomy folks says 'em different. And we seen a lady from Massachusetts, an' she said 'em different of all. Couldn't hardly make out what she was sayin'!' "
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, 1939.
"Boston State-House is the Hub of the Solar System. You couldn't pry that out of a Boston man if you had the tire of all creation straightened out for a crow-bar."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, 1858
Everybody knows about pahking cahs in Hahvihd Yahd, but there's a lot more to Boston English than that, despite what Hollywood would have you believe. We have our own way of pronouncing other words, our own vocabulary, even a unique grammatical construct. Journey outside the usual tourist haunts, and you just might need a guide to understand the locals...
Click on any of the following to learn more about the unique brand of English spoken in the Hub of the Universe.
Pronunciation
It'll take a lot moah than dropping your ahs to talk like a native.
Vocabulary
One could compose entire sentences that would make no sense to the uninitiated (the guide starts with A-B; follow the links up at the top for more words).
Place names
The pronunciation of local town names often bears little resemblance to their spelling.
The Wicked Good Conference
Online forum for discussing Boston English (and other Boston topics). Come on in!
More to come! Thanks to the dozens of people who've contributed, and everybody who's sent me nice notes. You are all wicked awesome!
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A few words to add...
(These are some words I've picked up working with toddlers and their families in Boston. I'm including expressions I've heard from at least three families who I don't believe know each other.)
Fresh: Used by Bostonians, particularly white folks in Southie and Dorchester, to mean any undesired behavior on the part of a child. (As opposed to only designating sassy or smart-ass behavior as it does in most other places.) "You better stop being fresh, young man!" Sometimes "freshy" is used with particularly young tots: "You stop being freshy and hold Mommy's hand when I ask you to."
Tubby: Bathing, when talking to a young child, or about a young child. "Hi, we're going to be a little bit late, because Peter just finished taking a tubby." "Peter, it's time for you to come in here for your tubby."
Piggies: Toes. While conducting developmental assessments on toddlers, I've literally had dozens of parents who, when we ask the toddler if they can point to various body parts, explain that "we always call them piggies, so you gotta ask where your PIGGIES are!"
so true
I grew up in Roslindale and I recently had a baby. I'm guilty of all of the above. So funny, I never would have guessed that those words link me to my Boston heritage!
Thanks
Forgotten Word
Hun - Someone who takes too big a sip of a drink from a common container or someone who holds onto an object (ball, primitive video game, etc.) for too long. Noun Example - "Don't be a hun with the watah." or as a verb; "Guy, Stop hunning the ball, pass it."
Hadn't heard it for about 20 years until a few weeks ago.
Boston vocabulary
I grew up in Dedham during the late 40s and 50s. I now live in the midwest (Illinois and Iowa) and have done so for the last 45 years. A couple of nights ago I was out with some friends and I offered to treat the group to some ice cream. As I did so a phrase my father used under similar circumstances popped into my head, "I'll shout" meaning he would buy. None of my friends, all native Iowans, had ever heard the word shout used in that way. It occurred to me that this usage may have been unique to the Boston area. He was raised in East Boston.
Tom Gartland
West Branch, Iowa
Squirrel
Do Bostonians pronounce Squirrel Skwerl or Skwirl?
Thanks,
RB
boston pronunciation
The small furry animal is pronounced Squeer-el.agisile