Questions tagged [pennsylvanian-english]
Questions related to the peculiarities of the dialect of English spoken in Pennsylvania.
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Anyone have details on NE PA slang term “Grauner”?
My dad grew up in the Anthracite coal region of NE Pennsylvania. NEPA is known for a pretty unique accent, phonetically more Midwest than Philadelphia or New York, and a lot of vocabulary that ...
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Girlfriend has weird English and I don't know the words to describe the question ("needs delivered", "wants fed", etc) [duplicate]
ELU!
My girlfriend has been using some strangely-formed English in the past few years. It's not just her because I've heard it elsewhere too. I've got a video of a screenwriter where he says, "...
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Can "to be" be ommitted if it's implied? e.g. "These items need completed by Friday" [duplicate]
Can "to be" be ommitted if it's implied?
i.e. Are the following sentences acceptable grammar?
"These items need done by Friday"
"These items need completed by Friday"
...
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What is the meaning of an expression "Tufted titmouse"?
I watch the show "The Good Doctor". It was used in season 2 episode 4. In flashbacks, Shawn had with his mother/caregiver (couldn't quite figure it out), she was dying and he had to move. They used it ...
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What is the origin of "smiddock"?
Pennsylvanian English: smiddock
Put your middle finger behind your thumb and flick it against your arm — or better, someone else’s. I believe this is usually called a thump nowadays.
But when I was ...
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Using anymore in the positive
I have used the term and have heard the term anymore used in the positive. For example:
I use Apple anymore.
I use Windows anymore.
My co-workers "yelled" at me because I was using anymore ...
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Incorrect grammar vs dialect (when/whenever)
My good friend is from Pittsburgh and frequently uses the word whenever to mean the word when. I am aware this is a regional dialect and really wish to respect that, but it is causing numerous ...
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A Philadelphia Question
Up until recently I was firmly convinced that the expression "youse guys" originally came from Brooklyn, New York. A couple of days ago I ran across an essay that mentioned (in a disgustingly ...
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Where does the intrusive R come from in “warsh”?
My grandmother, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, pronounced wash and Washington with an intrusive R: “warsh” and “Warshington.” Where does the intrusive R come from in that dialect? It doesn’t ...
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What are the origins of the regional pronoun “yinz” of southwestern Pennsylvania?
A common informal word used in southwestern Pennsylvania and the forefront example of what is commonly known as "Pittsburghese" is the word yinz, pronounced /jɪnz/ in IPA.
Alternatively it ...
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How are "needs to be washed," "needs washing," and the regional variant "needs washed" to be distinguished"?
I'm from Central Pennsylvania, and apparently, we have a strange language construct in this area. I was recently talking about how "my car needs washed" to a friend from NJ, and she told me that my ...
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Incorrect grammar versus different dialects
My girlfriend, someone from southern New Jersey, constantly says phrases like "I'm done my homework" or "I'm done my dinner." I try to correct her and say, "I'm done with my homework" or "I'm done ...
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"Needs cleaned" or "needs to be cleaned"
I'm from Western Pennsylvania. Until I moved away, I never realized that when I omitted the to be from phrases like needs to be cleaned, my usage was different than what most English speakers are ...
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Central Pennsylvanian English speakers: what are the limitations on the "needs washed" construction?
In the Central Pennsylvania dialect of English (and possibly elsewhere), the following construction is possible:
This car needs washed. (=needs to be washed)
The room needs cleaned. (=needs to ...
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