New England Accent? (Woodland: movies, camp, groceries)

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by thepastorsson

Hahaha I love all these stories. I wonder if my kids will pick any of it up at all. They are still elementary school ages.

Probably not in Portland. Very few people under 40 have a Maineah accent unless you go up nawth.

[thepastorsson]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Probably not in Portland. Very few people under 40 have a Maineah accent unless you go up nawth.

Lol. Well we will definitely visit up "nawth".

[mensaguy]

I heard about one guy that finished all his emails this way:

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr r Just put those in where you think they should go!

[Dport7674]

My aunt and uncle moved to Maine when my cousins were young..None of them picked up an accent, but when I visited they'd say things I had never heard, like 'Jesum Crow."

There were more but that's the only one that comes to mind.

[thepastorsson]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

My aunt and uncle moved to Maine when my cousins were young..None of them picked up an accent, but when I visited they'd say things I had never heard, like 'Jesum Crow."

There were more but that's the only one that comes to mind.

Omg same here in Michigan! The one from here that stands out the most is "Oh geez oh Pete's". Lol! What the heck is that? So my kids say that and so do I because I thought it was sooooo funny when I first heard it so I started saying it...then it stuck!

[dubthang]

I'm originally from NH. A large portion of my family is from north of Boston. I don't have a Maine accent, but people know I'm from New England. Each New England state sounds unique, and those accents break down even further depending on the county. I've been training myself for some time to pronounce things correctly, but it's not always easy.

I work with a guy from Philly, and half the time I have no idea what he is saying... nor does he understand me.

[thepastorsson]

Originally Posted by dubthang

I'm originally from NH. A large portion of my family is from north of Boston. I don't have a Maine accent, but people know I'm from New England. Each New England state sounds unique, and those accents break down even further depending on the county. I've been training myself for some time to pronounce things correctly, but it's not always easy.

I work with a guy from Philly, and half the time I have no idea what he is saying... nor does he understand me.

I look forward to experiencing all of the different (to me) accents in the northeast. I talked to a potential landlord today, an older lady with a place in South Portland. Definitely heard that accent! I enjoyed the conversation and the way she pronounced certain things, and found her to be straightforward and pleasant. She sounded exactly like my preconceived idea of a true "Maineah". Haha.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Some people in their mid-40s and older have a Maineah accent. Lots of trouble with their Rs. Or as they say it: "Aaaaahs." The farther north (faathah nawth) you go, the more accent. The faathah sooth, the less.

People in their early 40s to younger have almost no discernible accent. That's what happens when you learn most of the language by watching TV instead of listening to your grandparents.

When I was a kid all my relatives in Eastport had thick accents, the only TV at that time was two Canadian channels.

[deerislesmile]

I do have to say that the Maine accent is alive on my island. Ayuh, Deah, alive and kickin'.

[inthetrees]

People in New England love using the adjective wicked. I grew up down south, and wicked always meant something that was spooky or creepy, like a witch during halloween for example.

Here though, people use the term wicked to mean extreme. "I'm wicked hungry." "That's wicked funny."
It doesn't seem as common in Maine compared to Southern New England, however its still way more common than the rest of the country. First few years it annoyed me, now I play into it and egg people on.