The Southern aspect of the Pittsburgh accent (Philadelphia, York: live, areas)

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by srsmn

I also don't think QUE-pon is a Southernism....I grew up with it in Minnesota, and always heard COO-pon in my years in Pittsburgh.

I tried to say that the Pittsburgh accent sounded Southern to my ears several months ago, and got jumped on (most likely by Gnutella), so I'll refrain from discussion in this thread...

In what the company called “a surprise upset,” 57 percent of people in the U.S. say “cue-pon.”
That pronunciation was favored in 36 states, including most of the South, Midwest and Northwest. The top five states that skewed most heavily toward the pronunciation were New Mexico, Idaho, Missouri, South Dakota and North Dakota.




A Nation Divided on How to Say the Word "Coupon" - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD




EDIT--to be fair, when I spend time in the South, they think I sound like I'm from the North. They don't want us either.

[JimboPGH]

The Pittsburgh accent is basically just a hybrid* of the Mid-Atlantic accent with a Scotch-Irish based Appalachian accent, which sounds "Southern" to those who can't tell a Kentuckian and an Alabamian apart. Of course I can't tell a New Yorker and a New Englander apart, so I'm not one to judge.

*(There are at least two elements of the Pittsburgh accent that are unique; the reverse caught-cot merger and the vowel sound that turns "vowel sound" into "vahl sahnd.")

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by JimboPGH

The Pittsburgh accent is basically just a hybrid* of the Mid-Atlantic accent with a Scotch-Irish based Appalachian accent, which sounds "Southern" to those who can't tell a Kentuckian and an Alabamian apart. Of course I can't tell a New Yorker and a New Englander apart, so I'm not one to judge.

*(There are at least two elements of the Pittsburgh accent that are unique; the reverse caught-cot merger and the vowel sound that turns "vowel sound" into "vahl sahnd.")

I agree with everything you said. But, do you believe that Appalachian accents in WV are Southern?

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

I agree with everything you said. But, do you believe that Appalachian accents in WV are Southern?

Not in northern West Virginia.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Not in northern West Virginia.

Not at all. I'm surprised you aren't as confused as I am as to why he thinks Pittsburghese sounds southern at ALL. I agree its not a coastal northeast sound, but I think as a whole its closer to a New York accent than Alabama accent.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by SammyKhalifa

In what the company called “a surprise upset,” 57 percent of people in the U.S. say “cue-pon.”
That pronunciation was favored in 36 states, including most of the South, Midwest and Northwest. The top five states that skewed most heavily toward the pronunciation were New Mexico, Idaho, Missouri, South Dakota and North Dakota.




A Nation Divided on How to Say the Word "Coupon" - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD




EDIT--to be fair, when I spend time in the South, they think I sound like I'm from the North. They don't want us either.

That's funny -- I've always pronounced coupon as "a complete waste of time."

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Not in northern West Virginia.

Yeah, that's interesting. I'd wager that that due to economic and sheer population pressures, N.WVa speak comes from Pittsburgh influences more than the other way around.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Not at all. I'm surprised you aren't as confused as I am as to why he thinks Pittsburghese sounds southern at ALL. I agree its not a coastal northeast sound, but I think as a whole its closer to a New York accent than Alabama accent.

LOL
How?

Can you list examples of how New York pronunciation and Pittsburgh pronunciation are even close? They don't even fall under the same linguistic region by any means! Pittsburgh's accent is more Scotch-Irish influenced while NYC's is not by any means. Pittsburgh sounds closer to Chicago/Inland North American (which isn't even close) more than it sounds like New York.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by JimboPGH

The Pittsburgh accent is basically just a hybrid* of the Mid-Atlantic accent with a Scotch-Irish based Appalachian accent, which sounds "Southern" to those who can't tell a Kentuckian and an Alabamian apart. Of course I can't tell a New Yorker and a New Englander apart, so I'm not one to judge.

*(There are at least two elements of the Pittsburgh accent that are unique; the reverse caught-cot merger and the vowel sound that turns "vowel sound" into "vahl sahnd.")

What does that mean? Here's a caught-cot map:
https://www.google.com/search?q=caug...l%3B1158%3B600

[EddieOlSkool]

Pittsburgh's Scotch-Irish accent influence shares more in common with the South (where the Scotch-Irish influence is not even up to debate) than it does with a New York accent, which has more Dutch-isms.