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The New York accent is dying out as more transplants move here. Am quite young and can remember hearing *Ruse-eh-velt*. I myself have a New York accent and am quite educated. A question of the old ethnic New York accent being replaced. The Irish, Italians and other ethnic groups that helped to shape the NY accent are not nearly as prevalent as they once we're. Sure still have some enclaves, but overall things are changing. These hoity-toity transplants coming here trying to tell us how we should speak. It's like some knucklehead coming from some hole-in-the-wall town in Ohio somewhere and telling us that it's *Houston* like the city and not *House-ton* street. Can stick it where the sun don't shine.
*lol* If one grew up in Brooklyn or Queens, always said it the old-fashioned way (Koscziusco street that is). Are a few others that seem to have *two* different ways. *Van Wyck* always comes to mind. Growing up, always heard *Van Wick* instead of *Van Wike*.
Non-New Yorkers such as traffic reporters tend to say Van Wike, not knowing or maybe not caring that every person from Queens calls it Van Wick. I think local pronunciation since the road was built trumps how it was pronounced by the Dutch in the 1700s.
Another thing that I hear from traffic reporters is calling Queens Boulevard "the Queens Boulevard", Union Turnpike "the Union Turnpike", Jericho Turnpike "the Jericho Turnpike", etc. It's obvious that they don't travel those roads. It is correct to say "the Long Island Expressway" but not "the Queens Boulevard" as if it is THE boulevard of Queens. Likewise "the Union Turnpike" means it is the turnpike of Union, which is nonsensical.
Dekalb - deekALb , al said like the name Al , not the weird way its said on the train speaker.
Vesey - vesee , the ves pronounced as in vespers.
And Schermerhorn is pronounced, skimmahawn!
The question of "proper" pronunciation vs. how it has always been said by the people who've lived there are two different things!
Personally, I prefer the way these streets have been pronounced for decades (haha- especially skimmahawn!) by the people who can tell you everything about the place upside down and sideways, from way back when till now based on first hand life experiences.
The New York accent is dying out as more transplants move here. Am quite young and can remember hearing *Ruse-eh-velt*. I myself have a New York accent and am quite educated. A question of the old ethnic New York accent being replaced. The Irish, Italians and other ethnic groups that helped to shape the NY accent are not nearly as prevalent as they once we're. Sure still have some enclaves, but overall things are changing. These hoity-toity transplants coming here trying to tell us how we should speak. It's like some knucklehead coming from some hole-in-the-wall town in Ohio somewhere and telling us that it's *Houston* like the city and not *House-ton* street. Can stick it where the sun don't shine.
I made a thread about this, the stereotypical New York accent is pretty much dead. It's not just transplants, I know a lot of native New Yorkers and none of them have particularly strong accents. My grandpa was born in the 40s and lived in Brooklyn his whole life, he didn't have a strong accent. Well, not in my opinion at least.
Plus, only blue collar white people talked with that Tony Soprano accent. Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. New Yorkers never sounded like that.
Houseton is actually the more correct pronunciation, Hyooston is an American corruption.
Non-New Yorkers such as traffic reporters tend to say Van Wike, not knowing or maybe not caring that every person from Queens calls it Van Wick. I think local pronunciation since the road was built trumps how it was pronounced by the Dutch in the 1700s.
Another thing that I hear from traffic reporters is calling Queens Boulevard "the Queens Boulevard", Union Turnpike "the Union Turnpike", Jericho Turnpike "the Jericho Turnpike", etc. It's obvious that they don't travel those roads. It is correct to say "the Long Island Expressway" but not "the Queens Boulevard" as if it is THE boulevard of Queens. Likewise "the Union Turnpike" means it is the turnpike of Union, which is nonsensical.
I agree for the most part, but not with Kozsciuszco, there are a ton of Polish people in New York now and the proper pronunciation of Polish things is more well known.
I think the "old school" pronunciation is less common now due to the MTA and the presence of people from Poland.
I don't know what black or Latino people you're hanging out with but I grew up SOLIDLY middle class in Queens and we ALL sound like this where I am from. My neighborhood is extremely ethnically diverse--you got people from awl ova around heah who sound like dis. I myself have a very thick accent, which I would never change! lol
Anyway, Spuyten Duyvel is actually pronounced "Spout-in Dow-vil." My boyfriend is Dutch, so he told me that's how it would be said in actual Dutch.
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Can stick it where the sun don't shine.
