Culture of Western Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh, Somerset: to live, area, county)

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by ClovisMerovingian

They had a strange manner of speaking where they'd say Yinz to address a group of people, and call rubber bands gum bands, and would say Warsh instead of wash.

Another thing they say in Western PA (and Ohio and into Indiana) is "my bicycle needs fixed" instead of "my bicycle needs to be fixed". I had forgotten about that until a few days ago when I heard someone in real life say it, which caused me to look it up. So that ties them linguistically to Ohio rather than parts of Appalachia to the south.


I agree with some others who say Western PA is not as heavily Scots-Irish as Appalachia generally has a reputation for. Lots more Slavs and Italians, and of course Germans mixed in, and that effects the culture. More accordions and fewer banjoes, in other words. Check out the beginning of The Deer Hunter for a sample of Western PA life (although made in the 70's and set in the 60's).

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Charley Barker

Yes. And I have been told that for most of the 19th century rye whiskey was considered superior to corn based whiskey (sour mash/Tennessean whiskey,, bourbon, etc.). This from a docent at The Frick in Pittsburgh, home of Henry Clay Frick whose grandfather made Old Overholt rye whiskey in Scottsdale, I believe.

Old Overholt was mad in West Overton just outside Scottdale, and Broadford, which just sourth of Connellsville on the Youghiogheny.

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

If you guys didn't know any Pennsylvania moonshiners then you just didn't know the right people. Those mill Hunkies in Pittsburgh would drink anything.

I think I have told the story on here before of how my father work for a while at the Homestead mill and he and his buddies would take a Skippy peanut butter jar full of White Lightning from the Fayette County mountains to give to their foreman. He would get drunk and the Fayette County guys would find a place to sleep.

Originally Posted by jtab4994

Another thing they say in Western PA (and Ohio and into Indiana) is "my bicycle needs fixed" instead of "my bicycle needs to be fixed". I had forgotten about that until a few days ago when I heard someone in real life say it, which caused me to look it up. So that ties them linguistically to Ohio rather than parts of Appalachia to the south.

I agree with some others who say Western PA is not as heavily Scots-Irish as Appalachia generally has a reputation for. Lots more Slavs and Italians, and of course Germans mixed in, and that effects the culture. More accordions and fewer banjoes, in other words. Check out the beginning of The Deer Hunter for a sample of Western PA life (although made in the 70's and set in the 60's).

The Scots-Irish were the early settlers and became farmers. The later immigrants were southern and eastern Europeans who came to work in the mills and coal mines. Many of the coal patch towns were segregated by language. Most of these coal patches had an ethnic Catholic Church where the native language was spoken for a few generations. Where I grew up, the Irish Catholics did not go to the Italian Catholic church and vice versa.

Regarding The Deer Hunter, I never understood how they drove from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains the same day to go deer hunting. The deer hunting scenes were actually filmed in the state of Washington. Little of the movie was actually filmed in Pittsburgh. Filming was done in Cleveland, Weirton WV, Steubonville Ohio, and Struthers Ohio. The actual town depicted was supposed to be Clairton, PA.

[USC1986]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

Old Overholt was mad in West Overton just outside Scottdale, and Broadford, which just sourth of Connellsville on the Youghiogheny.



I think I have told the story on here before of how my father work for a while at the Homestead mill and he and his buddies would take a Skippy peanut butter jar full of White Lightning from the Fayette County mountains to give to their foreman. He would get drunk and the Fayette County guys would find a place to sleep.



The Scots-Irish were the early settlers and became farmers. The later immigrants were southern and eastern Europeans who came to work in the mills and coal mines. Many of the coal patch towns were segregated by language. Most of these coal patches had an ethnic Catholic Church where the native language was spoken for a few generations. Where I grew up, the Irish Catholics did not go to the Italian Catholic church and vice versa.

Regarding The Deer Hunter, I never understood how they drove from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains the same day to go deer hunting. The deer hunting scenes were actually filmed in the state of Washington. Little of the movie was actually filmed in Pittsburgh. Filming was done in Cleveland, Weirton WV, Steubonville Ohio, and Struthers Ohio. The actual town depicted was supposed to be Clairton, PA.

I thought " The Deer Hunter" was a great, albeit flawed movie, and those hunting scenes were very unauthentic , not remotely resembling Pennsylvania mountains.
I'm old emough to remember the USS Clairton Works during it's heyday in the 1960's. My uncle worked there, and a friend's father was a foreman in the plant.
While working during the summers while in college, I was given the option of working at the Clairton Coke Works, or USS Irvin Works. That was an easy decision.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by USC1986

I thought " The Deer Hunter" was a great, albeit flawed movie, and those hunting scenes were very unauthentic , not remotely resembling Pennsylvania mountains.
I'm old emough to remember the USS Clairton Works during it's heyday in the 1960's. My uncle worked there, and a friend's father was a foreman in the plant.
While working during the summers while in college, I was given the option of working at the Clairton Coke Works, or USS Irvin Works. That was an easy decision.

Not to mention the deer shown were mule deer, not whitetails.

[wharton]

Originally Posted by _Buster

"warsh" is not specific to Pittsburgh area, its actually said by older people in Philly and Baltimore areas, and basically all of the mid atlantic, but especially PA and MD. I've heard a few people from the DC area say it when I worked there. Its always older people --I've never heard any Gen Xers or younger generations say it though

Almost sixty years of being a resident of eastern, northeastern and south central PA. I have NEVER hear a single person say "warsh" or call soda "pop" unless they were/are a resident of the Pittsburgh region. Sorry, but "yinzer speak" stays in southwest PA, and has not spread all over the mid-Atlantic.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by wharton

Almost sixty years of being a resident of eastern, northeastern and south central PA. I have NEVER hear a single person say "warsh" or call soda "pop" unless they were/are a resident of the Pittsburgh region. Sorry, but "yinzer speak" stays in southwest PA, and has not spread all over the mid-Atlantic.

Check this map for pop/soda. You're a bit incorrect.

Why You Should Be Saying "Pop" Instead of "Soda" - CollegeHumor Post

[slowlane3]

Originally Posted by Charley Barker

Lodi? I used to live near Interlaken, NY, speaking of mispronunciations. ;-)

Interlaken, Switzerland --- in German, means "between lakes".

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by wharton

Almost sixty years of being a resident of eastern, northeastern and south central PA. I have NEVER hear a single person say "warsh" or call soda "pop" unless they were/are a resident of the Pittsburgh region. Sorry, but "yinzer speak" stays in southwest PA, and has not spread all over the mid-Atlantic.

sorry, just because of your isolated and limited experience, but you are dead wrong and I know based on experience. I'm not imagining it or making it up. they don't all say it, it's a limited amount of people, but they are definitely all around the mid atlantic. I know some of these people personally, and where they were born and raised, so don't tell me I'm wrong just because its something you haven't seen.

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by wharton

Almost sixty years of being a resident of eastern, northeastern and south central PA. I have NEVER hear a single person say "warsh" or call soda "pop" unless they were/are a resident of the Pittsburgh region. Sorry, but "yinzer speak" stays in southwest PA, and has not spread all over the mid-Atlantic.

I'm originally from just a bit West of Pittsburgh proper (worked in Pgh. though) - moved to my area many years ago and had a brief roommate who grew up in Laurel, MD - who pronounced Washington as Warshington (made me crazy) LOL

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

I'm originally from just a bit West of Pittsburgh proper (worked in Pgh. though) - moved to my area many years ago and had a brief roommate who grew up in Laurel, MD - who pronounced Washington as Warshington (made me crazy) LOL

Warsh is pretty standard down here for natives.