What Is A Philly Accent Called?

Unlike New York City English, however, most speakers of Philadelphia English have always used a rhotic accent (meaning that the r sound is never “dropped”).

How do you describe a Philadelphia accent?

The Philadelphia accent today is “rhotic” or r-pronouncing. There are some instances of non-rhoticity possibly found in South Philadelphia. But generally, all r’s are pronounced.

What do Philly people say weird?

Pronunciation Guide
Water is pronounced “wooder”. If someone says “Do you want ice in your wooder?” they’re asking if you want ice in your H2O. Bala Cynwyd is pronounced “BA-la KIN-wid”.

What are Philly slang words?

Philly Slang: From Jawn to Youse

  • Jawn. Some holiday jawn.
  • Wooder. Wooder ice.
  • Down the shore. Downtheshore (photo: EQRoy/Shutterstock)
  • Hoagies. Wawa hoagie for the shore.
  • The Linc. If you’re tailgating, you’re tailgating at the Linc.
  • Jeet? Well, did you??
  • Jabroni.
  • Wiz wit.

What does a Philly accent sound like?

The biggest tell for a Philadelphia accent is how they say the word “water.” When people with a “Philadelphia” accent say water it sounds like “wooder.” This is particularly prevalent when people talk about what we grew up calling water ice. It’s sounds like wooder ice here.

How do they say water in Philly?

A similar evolution is happening with the Philly version of “coffee.” “That sound is moving toward ‘ah’ so instead of ‘cawfee’ more Philadelphians are saying ‘coffee,’ ‘wooder’ becomes ‘water,”’ Labov said. “As people become aware … they tend to reverse them. They say, ‘Oh we shouldn’t talk that way.

Is jawn a Philly thing?

Jawn is Philadelphia slang for anything … literally anything. Jawn is used as an all encompassing substitute for any person, place, or thing. Like this definition, an informative jawn.

Do they say jawn in Philly?

Jawn is a slang term that refers to a thing, place, person, or event, substituing for a specific name. It is local to the Philadelphia Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Jawn is a context-dependent substitute noun, a noun that substitutes for other nouns. Jawn can be singular or plural.

Why does Philly say jawn?

Simply answered, jawn is a stand-in for, but not limited to, objects, places, people, and events. Jawn can mean nothing and everything. It’s similar to the word ‘thing’ in use but carries more local flair.

Is Yo a Philly word?

Yo /ˈjoʊ/ is a slang interjection, commonly associated with North American English. It was popularized by the Italian-American community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s.

What does JIT mean in Philly?

Its primary meaning, of course, would be a bag of jit; or, as you may more commonly know it, a used condom. There’s something almost Cockney about it, if you will pardon the pun.

Do people in Philly say y all?

“Youse” is associated with working-class white folks in South Philly, but “y’all” is the grammatical alternative to “you guys” in the dialect of Philly’s African American communities.

How do Philly people say boy?

Philadelphia has no shortage of residents who insist that the way they spell “boul” — a Philly word for “boy” — is the only way that’s true.

What does OCKY mean in Philly?

A jawn can literally be any person, place or thing. Ex: “Can you pass me that jawn?” And ocky: fake or not authentic. Ex: “Ayo, ya Tims ocky!”

How do you say hello in Philadelphia?

Yo. Yes, “yo” is said just about everywhere in the country, but it’s almost exclusively how we say “hello” in Philly. The greeting of “yo” can vary in meaning, though, depending on intonation.

Is Philly more Irish or Italian?

Philadelphia has the 3rd largest Irish American population in the country.

How do people from Philly say coffee?

*Like New York City Accents, Philadelphia English features a raised pronunciation of words like thought and coffee (“kaw-fee” or IPA kɔəfi).

What do Pennsylvanians call themselves?

Pennsylvania. People who live in Pennsylvania are called Pennsylvanians and Pennamites.

Is Drawlin Philly slang?

Acting out of character/Doing something that others don’t approve of. (Ex. If you don’t come out tonight you’re drawlin’).

What is a JUNT?

ˈjənt. plural -s. chiefly Scottish. : large amount : chunk.

Is jawn a black word?

African American English speakers in Philadelphia adapted joint and created the new word jawn.