Massacring the language (Pittsburgh, York: university, DMV, live)

[I_Like_Spam]

Listening to the radio, there is a security firm from Pittsburgh touting their services to businesses who want to "keep jagoffs out".


That's often your main customer base if you're doing business in this town, but the announcer's usage on the radio shows that he somehow thinks "jagoff" is a reference to the criminal element.

I hate it when out-of-towners ruin the language, this kind of thing often sticks. I lived my first 30 years without ever hearing Pittsburgh referred to as "the burgh", until an out of town ad agency came up with the slogan to sell beer.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I hate it when out-of-towners ruin the language, this kind of thing often sticks. I lived my first 30 years without ever hearing Pittsburgh referred to as "the burgh", until an out of town ad agency came up with the slogan to sell beer.

Kinda like how no one in Boston calls their city "Beantown" or how no New Yorker says "The Big Apple".

Out of towners seem to think that the area's accent is endearing and "local". However, it seems like everyone is forcing this type of cultural identity that few people actually want to be known for.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Listening to the radio, there is a security firm from Pittsburgh touting their services to businesses who want to "keep jagoffs out".


That's often your main customer base if you're doing business in this town, but the announcer's usage on the radio shows that he somehow thinks "jagoff" is a reference to the criminal element.

I hate it when out-of-towners ruin the language, this kind of thing often sticks. I lived my first 30 years without ever hearing Pittsburgh referred to as "the burgh", until an out of town ad agency came up with the slogan to sell beer.

We must be the same age.

Wasn't it a beer company that did that?

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by Copanut

We must be the same age.

Wasn't it a beer company that did that?

I thought it was WDVE, but I don't really remember that sort of thing very well.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I lived my first 30 years without ever hearing Pittsburgh referred to as "the burgh", until an out of town ad agency came up with the slogan to sell beer.

Oh. That's where that comes from. I thought it must have come from whoever first wrote "yuns" as "yinz."

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

I hate it when out-of-towners ruin the language

Yeah, me too. It's like they want to pretend they're real chummy with a town by using some affected nickname. They think it makes them sound like local experts, in reality the real locals think they sound like fools.

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Kinda like how no one in Boston calls their city "Beantown" or how no New Yorker says "The Big Apple".

Yup. Or calling San Francisco "Frisco" or the DC metro area "The DMV". Can't decide which of those is dorkier.

[ElijahAstin]

Is "the 'Burgh" really that frowned upon? I always thought Steeltown was the contrived out-of-towner nickname.

[doo dah]

Or "Pitt". It's Pgh!

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by doo dah

Or "Pitt". It's Pgh!

"Pitt" doesn't bother me as much as it bothers others. But I've been seeing "Pitts" more and more often, from sources that should know better.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Or calling San Francisco "Frisco" or the DC metro area "The DMV". Can't decide which of those is dorkier.

I lived in DC most of my life, but I never heard "DMV" until SCR used it here, and I've only been on CD since 2010.

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Is "the 'Burgh" really that frowned upon? I always thought Steeltown was the contrived out-of-towner nickname.

I never say "the 'Burgh" myself, but it doesn't really clang when others say it.

Originally Posted by SammyKhalifa

"Pitt" doesn't bother me as much as it bothers others. But I've been seeing "Pitts" more and more often, from sources that should know better.

Seeing "Pitt" instead of "Pgh" doesn't bother me, per se. It's just that they're abbreviations for two different things, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and the city of Pittsburgh (Pgh). And since I went to Pitt, it's all I think of when I read it, even though most of those who make the mistake are out-of-towners.