Is it chowder or chowdah?

To start off my blog dedicated to the life of a New Englander, my first post will be all about the quirks and sayings that go along with life here. This past weekend I was walking through downtown State College and I saw on a sign "cheesesteaks and hoagies", and I had no idea what the heck a hoagie was. Not only that, but my friends I was with couldn't get over the fact I didn't know what that was. I have also noticed when I order coffee "regular" it doesn't mean with cream and sugar like in Massachusetts, it means black, which was disappointing to say the least. It was then I realized the many differences between the regions of our lovely country, and how diving into the quirks of one place, like my home, can give others the sort of "ah ha!" moment I experienced this weekend. Now I don't live right in the city, but most of the sayings and quirks are the same throughout New England. This is also not a complete list, or else that would be a full novel. However, this is a small insight into the language of Massachusetts.

The obvious thing that gives Boston a very distinct reputation besides angry drivers is the accent. Yes, Bostonians and New Englander's alike have a strange accent, but it is one I've grown to love. Not only does my dad have an extremely thick accent, but so do all my uncles and aunts and most adults in my life. The basics of it are that you just disregard as many "r"'s as you can. For example, Bar Harbor, Maine becomes "Bah Hahbah", clam chowder becomes "clam chowdah" and so on. Another thing often said is "Wassuh kehd?" also known as "What's up kid?" and my papa used to called all the grandkids "chowdaheads" when we were being silly.

Many Massachusetts residents, especially people that come from Boston or right outside the city like Medford (where I am from) or Somerville, have this bad habit of speaking completely awful English. Not only do people forget to keep the "r" in a word, they also say things like "so don't I". The intent for this term is to agree with someone, but it is a double negative and makes absolutely no sense, yet my dad continues to use it constantly. The comedian Seth Myers actually did a mock Boston accent movie trailer, and I have to admit it is not only hilarious but also accurate. There is also the extremely funny movie,  The Heat , with one scene showing the Boston accent to an extreme.

One of the phrases I am sure many of you already know, is wicked. Now, wicked is not to be used like "That's wicked!". The correct way is like so: "It is wicked hot out!" or "This Dunkin Donuts coffee is wicked good!" Wicked takes the place of using words like very or so. If you really want to fit in with the Massholes, then go ahead and throw a wicked in your conversation a few times. The list for strange words goes on and on, like "frappe" instead of milkshake, a buzz cut becomes "a whiffle", a roundabout is a rotary, sprinkles are "jimmies", a "Nor'eastah" is a blizzard, a water fountain is a "bubblah", soda is tonic, and dinner is always called "suppah". While the language used by New Englander's is beyond odd and is often laughed at, it has created a unique place to live, one that is fun and never boring.