Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have heard from many people lately that their are different accents for people who live in different boroughs. Do you think that this is true, or is there only one NYC accent?
For example, I hear people and friends say that he has a "Brooklyn" accent or he has a "Bronx" accent. I have heard that the Manhattan accent that was dieing in the 1970's is basically gone now. And I really don't hear anything about a "Queens" accent.
I have also heard that the "Jersey" and "Long Island" accent also are different than the borough accents.
So, is this true, and is there still a lot of people in the tri-state area that speak with these accents?
I have heard from friends and family that there is a difference in the NYC accent bewteen the 5 boroughs.
For example I have heard people say that he has a "Brooklyn accent" or he has a "Bronx accent". I have heard from many that the "Manhattan accent" that was dieing out in the 1970's has basically disapeared. And I have not heard to much about a "Queens accent".
I have also heard that there is a difference bewteen a "Jersey accent" and a "Long Island".
Is this true or do you believe that it is just one big accent?
Also, how many people do you believe still speak with a NY accent? Is it dieing out or is the NY accent going strong?
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
8,900 posts, read 15,933,384 times
Reputation: 1819
It's dying out in the city because there are so many transplants. I'd say about 85-90% of the people in Manhattan are transplants. I notice a lot of native NYers move to the suburbs to raise family. My family did that. My family is from Queens and Manhattan. We moved to Long Island when I was a kid. Nearly all my friends growing up lived in the city when they were younger, or their parents did.
There is a difference in each borough. I'm told I have a NY accent, but it doesn't fall into any of the boroughs, it's weird. I guess that's because I lived in Queens and live here now again.
Some people from NJ think they have Brooklyn accents. I laugh at that. I tell them, I lived a mile from the Brooklyn border and I don't even have one. I think Brooklyn accents are strictly limited to THAT borough; hence the name BROOKLYN accents lol.
It clearly was true that the NY accent differed, particularly among the outer boroughs. Much of that was a function of the immigrant mix that settled in the boroughs. I used to be quite skilled at identifying each -- my wife likes to treat it as a quiz show whenever she hears a thick accent. I think the NY accent itself, as well as the relative distinctiveness of the different borough accents, has faded as historic NY immigrant groups have given way to new immigrant groups.
A coworker of mine once commented on my Brooklyn accent--which I thought was strange, because she herself had a Brooklyn accent that had to be at least twice as heavy as mine. (Waddaya tawkin' about? Fuhgeddaboudit!)
The traditional Bronx accent is very similar to Brooklyn's. I find that I have to listen very closely to be able to distinguish them.
The classic NYC accent isn't as prominent now as it was in the 70's but there are still traces of the accent. For example, alot of my friends say "there" or "here" as "thea" or "hea". But other than that the accent is not that strong. You could tell they're from NYC but thats about it. I dont know about me.
But there is no such thing as a borough accent. They use different words to say the same thing, but thats it. Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan accent is all the same thing.
My post somehow got lost. But the new york accent is strong in teens in the bronx brooklyn and queens. Manhattan is the only place where the accent is dying. And open heads calm down the accent is strong with jersey teens too. lol
I dont think each borough has a particular accent moreso as different ethnic groups have a distinct variance in there accent. We all have different slang however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachael84
It's dying out in the city because there are so many transplants. I'd say about 85-90% of the people in Manhattan are transplants. I notice a lot of native NYers move to the suburbs to raise family. My family did that. My family is from Queens and Manhattan. We moved to Long Island when I was a kid. Nearly all my friends growing up lived in the city when they were younger, or their parents did.
There is a difference in each borough. I'm told I have a NY accent, but it doesn't fall into any of the boroughs, it's weird. I guess that's because I lived in Queens and live here now again.
Some people from NJ think they have Brooklyn accents. I laugh at that. I tell them, I lived a mile from the Brooklyn border and I don't even have one. I think Brooklyn accents are strictly limited to THAT borough; hence the name BROOKLYN accents lol.
Alot of people from Jerz, especially North Jerz have "New York Accents". Most of the people who live there families are originally from NYC. Not to mention its very close in proximity.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Different NY accents, in different boroughs
