Comments on: Why it’s wicked cool to park your car at Harvard.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:35:48 +0000

Oh, fun, it’s my geographical trek in reverse. I just moved out to Boston from Berkeley, and I’m worried that in a year or so I’ll start talking like I grew up a block over from Havahd Yahd. I guess I’m just going to have to learn how to embrace Beantown and its wicked local flavor.

By: rhea

rhea — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:21:20 +0000

Public Garden. Frederick Law Olmsted.

By: JC

JC — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:52:18 +0000

There was a video about a girl talking several accents. I can´t remember if it was published here.

By: Noelegy

Noelegy — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:10:14 +0000

Forgot to mention: I’m from Texas. But I don’t have much of an accent compared to other natives, unless I’m around friends from the northeast, then my “drawl” stands out.

By: Noelegy

Noelegy — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:09:27 +0000

People who aren’t from the South US seem to have trouble discerning between different Southern accents (a Texan does not sound like a Georgian, who doesn’t sound like a South Carolinian). But I’ll admit that I have trouble distinguishing northeastern accents one from another.

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:13:59 +0000

Thanks, Miss C.

Indeed, my wife is from Thailand. We have been together for twenty years. Several years ago we built a house in the village she grew up in. Just as we live together in Massachusetts and she can call Kingston, Massachusetts “her town,” I have earned the right to refer to the village in Thailand where we maintain a second residence as “my village.”

By: Julians

Julians — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:31:19 +0000

The Boston Public Garden, and the building was designed by I.M. Pei. I don’t want a prize, I’m just interested in fine architecture that is all.

Bostonians are VERY LUCKY to have such a BEAUTIFUL CITY!

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:14:00 +0000

He didn’t say he was from Thailand. He once referred to his village in Thailand. My uncle uses the same wording to talk about the town in Thailand where he owns a house and plans to retire.

By: Chris C

Chris C — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:33:27 +0000

As a person who grew up on the North Shore, I second the ‘wicked pissa’ comment. hehe.

There are so many New England accents like someone above mentioning RI ones.

“Jeet yet?” Providence RI-speak for “did you eat yet?” They also have some New York influence in their dialect. (Went to college in Prov)

Or the redneck ones in Maine and NH which oddly also show up a little bit in the Kennedy accent.

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:56:57 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated by the many dialects in the US over its short life so far. Southern drawl, Bostonian, I even had someone I met once ask me if I was from Oregon because she detected an accent.

By: dan.rosol

dan.rosol — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:56:24 +0000

all i have to report is that my brother has been prank calling the harvard admissions office for about a week now haha, and yes he keeps telling them, GO YALE

By: bean

bean — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:41:10 +0000

So, Adam Stanhope… you’re from a village in Thailand, grew up in New England, and went to college in California? Neat.

By: stormie24

stormie24 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:21:28 +0000

I can relate to the teasing because when I was in grade 6 my family moved from a small town in Newfoundland to the city of Toronto.

I’ve always thought that it was neat that the States have so many accents from different pockets across the nation.

Newfoundland is similar to that because accents vary from town to town. Bay Roberts and the Bonavista Bay area have very strong accents in comparison to other towns.

By: Deb G.

Deb G. — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:46:51 +0000

We were listening to that show, too (and snickering). I’m originally from Ohio, but I’ve lived here 24 years…teaching communication. The various sounds of greater Boston have always intrigued me.

But I was in Ohio last week and picked up a prescription for my youngest sister. Asked to verify her address, I gave the house number on Harvard Street…and pronounced Harvard with only .5 “r”s.

Spoiled for life, I am.

By: astrodex

astrodex — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:57:09 +0000

I grew up in FL but have loved in Boston/Cambridge for 17 years. I have a friend who grew up here and had a “wicked” accent. I never got to hear it because he had it teased out of him at Boston College of all places!

The first time I rode the T, I thought the conductor said “Knott’s Station.” It was “North Station.”

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:46:38 +0000

Huh? Why, Ted?

The link is to an hour-long radio program. Did you miss that?

By: ted

ted — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:41:45 +0000

That was kind of a poor excuse for a link.

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:29:21 +0000

Ali’s right about the park.

HoolaGirl and Vinnie have the architect correct.

I don’t blame you for being homesick, Ali. Boston is one of the world’s most special cities! Certainly in the Top 100.

By: vinnie

vinnie — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:18:43 +0000

the fens and im pei

By: Neatoramawontsendmeapassword

Neatoramawontsendmeapassword — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:08:54 +0000

The New Research Building? By Architectural Resources Cambridge, Inc.?

By: Ali Pharmakidis

Ali Pharmakidis — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:44:56 +0000

Is it the Boston Public Garden?

Oh man, now I’m homesick.

That link to different local dialects left out Rhode Island… which TOTALLY has (horrible) accents all of its own.

weak.

By: Adam Stanhope

Adam Stanhope — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:49:01 +0000

HoolaGirl, dearest:

You got the second question correct, but the first is INCORRECT. The park within which that photograph was taken is NOT the Boston Commons.

Try again!

By: zav

zav — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:14:35 +0000

Wicked pissa! Actually, living in Doe-vah (Dover) I had hoped to never get the Baahstun accent. After moving to California, I realized I had it when I yelled out, “Bah tendah! Get me a beah!”

Let’s do some hole shots on the paakway, then we’ll go to the Hong Kong in Haaahvud Sqwaeh and get wicked tanked.
Is there a less intelligent sound accent in ‘Merika? Doubt it. Unless the words foil-age and new-kew-lur are in your vocabulary.

By: HoolaGirl

HoolaGirl — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:59:13 +0000

Boston Common. IM Pei.

Did I win? Do I get a prize? How about dinner at the Union Oyster House.