Regional things a student should know

Parent Cafe
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<p>I wonder if cray-on…you mean “crahn?”
I remember when NJ friends visited and were so confused about the opposite cars letting them turn left against traffic. It was just manners, I think. </p>

<p>We used to call barely stopping at a blinking red light, then rolling through, a “California red.” </p>

<p>Last time I checked, it’s only NJ and OR that don’t allow you to pump your own gas. In NJ, they claimed it was something about promoting small business, keeping people employed.</p>

<p>Midwest friends drove to FL; somewhere in the deep South, they couldn’t figure out why the gas station attendant wanted to put “Earl” in the car.</p>

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<p>We said cray-on. </p>

<p>Poor Earl.</p>

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<p>That reminds me of a standardized test I took in third grade, which included a spelling component. The principal was pronouncing the words for us. The final word was “oral.” I concluded that he was just mispronouncing “oil,” probably to the bafflement of the graders.</p>

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<p>I absolutely refuse to say ‘pop’ no matter how many decades have gone by.</p>

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<p>I don’t understand why my DS who was raised in CA until he was 13 started saying pop when he moved here. I haven’t switched back, but he picked it up. Even my DH who was raised in Manhattan and lived in CA most of his life says pop most of the time.</p>

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<p>I grew up with British English, although there were lots of American imports as well - we use ATMs rather than cash machines, and we say pants to mean trousers (for lack of an equivalent AmE word) rather than underwear. On my first day at NYU I said something about my slippers to my new roommate and she looked at me for a while and said, “oh, flip-flops!” I also said I was going to the toilet and she gave me a weird look. After that I started saying “bathroom” instead.</p>

<p>I laughed at the aunt/ant one - I pronounce it “ah-nt” and nobody I know at home pronounces it any other way. When I said “aunt” to a friend from AZ, she stared at me for a while and said, “oh, ant!” My use of the word “dodgy” also elicited a chuckle from her, and that’s just the beginning.</p>

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<p>When I was 10 years old, my dad took a year’s sabbatical in southern England. We were New Zealanders. A senior girl was assigned to show me around my new school and she asked my name. I said “Eern”. (That’s my best attempt at a phonetic representation of how I said my name, at the time). She said “Ian?” I said indignantly, “No, Eern!” After some back-and-forth she had a brainwave and said (here’s my phonetic representation of her accent) “Oh! Your name is Unn.”</p>

<p>My real first name is now apparent to readers, probably. :)</p>

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<p>How about Canadian terms:</p>

<p>pop - soda
parkade - multilevel parking garage
washroom - restroom / bathroom / toilet
ABM* or automated bank machine - ATM
university - bachelor’s or higher degree granting school that would be called a university or college in the US
college - usually refers to something closer to what would be called a community college or trade or technical school in the US</p>

<p>*Somehow, it seems unlikely that Canadian banks are expecting ballistic missile strikes to need anti-ballistic missiles (ABMs) at every branch.</p>

<p>Of course, some things do vary regionally in Canada, like the meaning of flashing green traffic lights.</p>

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<p>^ I bet more Americans say pop than Canadians :wink: lol. <a href=“http://strangemaps.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2008/08/popvssodamap.gif[/url]”>http://strangemaps.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2008/08/popvssodamap.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’d say that covers at least 10% of Americans, no?</p>

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<p>Here’s another exotic Canadian term:</p>

<p>chesterfield = sofa or couch</p>

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<p>and another Canadian term, at least a southern Ontario term, is hotel for bar.</p>

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<p>I refuse to say pop and I still say water as wood-er. If I hang around Philadelphians for any length of time, I pick up the accent again.</p>

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<p>It’s interesting to see the common pronunciations. Little did I know that we in the South (NC to be precise) pronounce some words similarly to Midwesterners and even people from Long Island! “Dog” is pronounced “dawg” not “dahg,” and “walk” does not sound like “wok”. “Pin” and “pen” sound exactly the same, as do “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry”. Even though I am well-traveled, it wasn’t until fairly recently, with the influx of so many people from other states, that I realized how differently some other people say these words. (Of course, down here, THEY are the ones with the accents. :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>Although “coke” is a generic term for a carbonated drink in lots of the South, most people around here say “soft drink”. A “soda” is an ice cream parlor treat with Coke or Pepsi and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A “chocolate soda” is Coke/Pepsi with either chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.</p>

<p>“Aunt” is pronounced three different ways in NC: “Ain’t” is an older, more rural pronunciation, and I hear it most often in the west-central region. I usually hear “ahnt” from black North Carolinians as well as from white North Carolinians who live near the Virginia line. “Ant” is the pronunciation used by most everyone else. Of course, I’m sure someone can come up with exceptions!</p>

<p>“Y’all” is always plural, never singular. It is one of my favorite words. “All y’all” is just to emphasize that everyone is included.</p>

<p>Thanks, Packmom, for pointing out that in the South, “barbecue” is a noun, never a verb. In NC, barbecue is pork, cooked in a special cooker and seasoned a certain way (and there are at least three regional ways of cooking barbecue in NC – each method and sauce sacred to its adherents). We grill hamburgers on a grill.</p>

<p>I am very fond of regional/cultural accents and expressions. I hope we never become a country where everyone sounds just like everyone else. It bothers me when people put other people down because of some regional difference in their speech or when they assume that someone is less smart because of ethnic speech patterns. Even “the grass needs mowed” (an expression I’d never heard before), is charming.</p>

<p>Peculiarities – I love the word “dodgy”! I picked it up from my British friends and think it’s a wonderful addition to my vocabulary.</p>

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<p>Coming from North Jersey, I didn’t realize until I was in college that Mary, marry and merry could sound the same. I still remember sitting in an English class at Fordham when our Mid-Western teacher put those words on the board and tried to explain to us that they were the same sound to him. Bunch of New Yorkers just kept shaking our heads…</p>

<p>Is “orange” pronounced R-ange or OR-ange where you are?
And does anybody still drink egg creams?</p>

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<p>My younger son used to say “cran”, but I drummed it out of him. I assume kids at school were saying it that way though I never heard anyone else pronounce it that way.</p>

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<p>Scouts mom - I say orange (and Florida) with the first syllable rhyming with car. Not with more.</p>

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<p>Some people think that Aaron and Erin rhyme. Crazy talk!</p>

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<p>My dad, who grew up in Brooklyn but moved from there 50 years ago, still can’t correctly pronounce “beer” and “bear” (or “bare”) distinctly so anyone can tell the difference! Same problem with “hear” and “hair.” Not sure if that’s a regional issue or his personal language problem! He’s so much better with numbers than words! Since my mom is a retired English professor, they balance each other perfectly! </p>

<p>Scoutsmom: Now egg creams, that’s something that my dad could talk about (and pronounce correctly). I would not be surprised if they are served at the several country club communities on the east coast of Florida, places where my parents and their peers-- who grew up in Brooklyn - are now enjoying their retirement! </p>

<p>On another note - what’s with “THE Ohio State University”? Is that just a Columbus-ism? I crack up every time I’m watching an NFL game and the players come on to announce themselves and one says THE Ohio State University. Is there another Ohio State University? Occasionally, another player will goof on it and say, for example, THE North Carolina State University. Bottom line is that while there are regional differences, there are also specific languages on college campuses that your kids will come home with.</p>

<p>Which reminds me of my biggest pet peeve when I got to school in the midwest – the people who would say, “I’m going to a party. Do you want to come with?” With WHAT???</p>

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<p>Practical tips for a CA gal off to VT? Get your Uggs waterproofed.</p>

<p>Also: Rutgers, “the” State University of New Jersey.</p>

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<p>So my DH and I are sitting here trying to imagine how Mary and marry are pronounced differently. He was raised in Manhattan, Tucson Band erkeley, so he often has New York dialect, but this is escaping him. How on Earth will I be able to here the difference? :(</p>