Does Cleveland have a distinctive accent? (Dayton, Parma: living in, delivery, car)

[jam40jeff]

Yes, Northerners get Southern accents mixed up, and Southerners get Northern accents mixed up. I was using that example to show why a Southerner may think a Clevelander is from Boston even though they sound nothing alike. I still contend that there is an accepted American English dialect that is the absolute base to which all accents are compared. Some differ more from it than others.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by tribecavsbrowns

Youngstahn has the least accent of anybody in the country? That's a pretty shaky assumption. I can pick out a Youngstown accent (Jim Tressel, James Traficant, every high school football coach in the Mahoning Valley) out a mile away.

I agree... Youngstown has a very noticeable accent, very similar to Pittsburgh/Western PA. Example: In Youngstown "Bob and John" becomes "Bawb and Jawn".

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by tribecavsbrowns

Youngstahn has the least accent of anybody in the country? That's a pretty shaky assumption. I can pick out a Youngstown accent (Jim Tressel, James Traficant, every high school football coach in the Mahoning Valley) out a mile away.

And a lot of northerners get Southern accents, such as, say, East Texas and West Virginia, mixed up, when Southerners hear those accents as not remotely alike. It's the same phenomenon, it just depends on where you're standing. Or, in other words, accents are relative.

Tressel is from Berea. Some in the Youngstown area have the Western Pa accent, but usually that's south of the city.......I don't have the Cleveland or Western Pa accent, because i can definitely hear it........my "th's" do sound like "da" though...........that is a trait of western pa.

[tribecavsbrowns]

That's true that Tressel's from Berea, but don't you think you sounds more like a Valley native than a Clevelander? He has the exact same accent as my relatives from Warren (of which I have a lot). Of course, you could probably argue people in Warren just talk like most people in Ohio, which happens to be nothing like the way most people in Cleveland talk.

[CortlandGirl79]

^I can say that not everyone that lives in Cleveland has the lake accent, i only hear it occasionally when i'm up there, but when i hear it it's definitely noticeable. It's just like not everyone in Pittsburgh speaks Pittsburghese.

I guess i sound like a valley native, but there are even different accents here. South of Youngstown in Columbiana County many residents speak Pittsburgese or have that southern Ohio, WV thing going on. I think it all depends on where your parents are from. A lot of people that live here are from Pa or WV so that comes into play.

When i take quizzes dialect quizzes my result is always that i have a Western accent, which means i have the TV accent (other than the "th" thing). Now i do know people in the Valley that have the western pa accent or they sound like they are from Appalachia, so it just depends on the person.

[MaryB65]

The "Jeeze oh man" remark really hit home for me. I was born and raised in Cleveland, but moved to Chicago when I was married. I have been in Chicago for 35 years but still say "jeeze oh man." I'm visiting Cleveland next month so I'll listen for an accent.

[Beavercreek33]

I think Cleveland, just like Chicago and Milwaukee has that "Great Lake" accent. I have noticed a long "A" in a lot of the words.

[chicken.or.the.nugget]

is it similar to buffalo
im from toronto and notice some of them have strange accents

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by chicken.or.the.nugget

is it similar to buffalo
im from toronto and notice some of them have strange accents

I think people in Buffalo sound different than people in Cleveland. I have quite a few friends down here in the Dayton area from Buffalo, they just sound different, some of their vowel sounds are different than Clevelanders.

[chicken.or.the.nugget]

true
thanks for the info!!!
....how far is buffalo from cleveland? 2-3 hours?