What don't you like about Pittsburgh? (Churchill: attorney, job, company)

[IAmAngieBowie]

My father forbade me to speak that way also. We were middle-class.

I always speak the way I speak - a first impression is called that for a reason.

Again, I'm not really interested in Pittsburghese from a linguistic perspective; so you could have saved yourself a lot of essay typing.

[Katiana]

The Northern cities vowel shift is not about northerners changing the way they talk, it's about how the vowels are pronounced differently.

Except for the use of certain of my, ahem, vocabularly words, I talk pretty much the same regardless of the company I"m keeping. I might say "yeah", instead of "yes" when talking to a friend, and "yes" when on a business call, but I don't say "youns" with my friends, or "ain't", etc.

I have read many articles on accents; it has always been an interest of mine. I still contend after all my reading, grammar should be correct and words should be enunciated. Other than that, I don't really care. We don't have an accent out here, LOL! (That is a joke, BTW.)

[BrianTH]

Understanding the basic nature of language helps one understand there is no such thing as right and wrong, or correct and incorrect, when it comes to the use of languages. That is because such terms imply some sort of independent measure or standard by which the use of languages could be judged, and there is no such independent measure or standard. In that sense, any widespread use of language is necessarily "correct", because the only available measure of whether a particular use of language is "correct" is if it conforms with some widespread usage.

That said, I long since learned it is very difficult to convince people of all this if they were taught from an early age that there is in fact a right or wrong, or correct or incorrect, when it comes to language. And that has practical implications ... for example, while in theory there is no independent standard by which "yinz" can be judged wrong or incorrect, in practice if, say, enough of one's prospective employers believe that such a standard exists, one may have to modify one's use of language to suit their preferences.

[Katiana]

Not to mention if you moved to CO, no one would know what you were talking about if you said "Yinz goin t'lunch now?" I agree to a certain extent, the same is true of what are known as "four letter words". It is the culture that makes them "bad", but every culture has them. Certain US expressions are considered very risque in other English-speaking countries, such as "stuffed" and "bloody".

[COPANUT]

Brian,

You sound like a tree-hugger, there is no right or wrong, only what feels good. Are you telling me that people using bad grammar, saying "I ain't got, I seen, Yinz guys, he don't, is OK?

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Not to mention if you moved to CO, no one would know what you were talking about if you said "Yinz goin t'lunch now?" I agree to a certain extent, the same is true of what are known as "four letter words". It is the culture that makes them "bad", but every culture has them. Certain US expressions are considered very risque in other English-speaking countries, such as "stuffed" and "bloody".

Yes, but unless you were brought up in a very secluded environment, surrounded by people who were only speaking Pittsburgh English, you wouldn't go to another part of the country and speak like that. Most people don't even notice how readily they slip in and out of standard and non-standard.

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

Brian,

You sound like a tree-hugger, there is no right or wrong, only what feels good. Are you telling me that people using bad grammar, saying "I ain't got, I seen, Yinz guys, he don't, is OK?

Why is it "bad" grammar?

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by supersoulty

Yes, but unless you were brought up in a very secluded environment, surrounded by people who were only speaking Pittsburgh English, you wouldn't go to another part of the country and speak like that. Most people don't even notice how readily they slip in and out of standard and non-standard.

You might if you thought "Yinz" was a read word, and acceptable in casual conversation. You might think everyone uses it, not just Pittsburghers. I don't know how to get this across, not everyone talks in two different dialects. Many Pittsburghers don't even use "yinz". Many Pittsburghers don't drink "Arn", they drink Iron City, or just Iron.

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by Katiana

You might if you thought "Yinz" was a read word, and acceptable in casual conversation. You might think everyone uses it, not just Pittsburghers. I don't know how to get this across, not everyone talks in two different dialects. Many Pittsburghers don't even use "yinz". Many Pittsburghers don't drink "Arn", they drink Iron City, or just Iron.

Why isn't "yinz" a "real word"? People say it, right?

[COPANUT]

Are you telling me that people using bad grammar, saying "I ain't got, I seen, Yinz guys, he don't, is OK?

Originally Posted by supersoulty

Why is it "bad" grammar?

Seriously. You think I ain't got, I seen, and He don't is proper grammar?

Tell me you're kidding.