Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?

[Anonymous]

Is it due to city size? Are there other cities outside of NYC that have this?

I just watched a few YouTube videos of native New Yorkers explaining the differences in accents across the boroughs.

Why did distinct differences in speech patterns or words not develop over time across the city?

[Anonymous]

Size, incomers, not as many families living in same ward for generations except maybe SE and some NE.
Also in NYC a borough is more self sufficient. You can live,work marry, raise kids and never leave Brooklyn or Staten Island.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Size, incomers, not as many families living in same ward for generations except maybe SE and some NE.
Also in NYC a borough is more self sufficient. You can live,work marry, raise kids and never leave Brooklyn or Staten Island.

This.
Ethnically self-seggregated burroughs in NY, that were self sufficient communities that didn't want to intermingle with others not like them, and many of the people being poor meant they didn't travel, which created the distinct accents.

[Anonymous]

They do. Some people call crayons "crans"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They do. Some people call crayons "crans"

Marines call them chow.

[Anonymous]

Ny boroughs are more geographically segregated

[Anonymous]

Wards 7,8 and 9 do in fact have some very pronounced linguistic features. In a blinded test, you would be able to pick out the Ward 8 young woman from an array of same age/ same race young women from wards 1, 2, and 3 (basically WOTP).

We are not allowed to discuss this however, even though linguists would explain that this dialect and/or language is valid and distinct.

[Anonymous]

DC is smaller than half a borough. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wards 7,8 and 9 do in fact have some very pronounced linguistic features. In a blinded test, you would be able to pick out the Ward 8 young woman from an array of same age/ same race young women from wards 1, 2, and 3 (basically WOTP).

We are not allowed to discuss this however, even though linguists would explain that this dialect and/or language is valid and distinct.

I’m a native Washingtonian raised in Ward 8 (Congress Heights) and this is not at all true.

[Anonymous]

Black people who are from DC, many of whom live in Wards 7 & 8, have a very distinct DC accent. White people in Ward 3, even if they are from DC, do not have the same accent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wards 7,8 and 9 do in fact have some very pronounced linguistic features. In a blinded test, you would be able to pick out the Ward 8 young woman from an array of same age/ same race young women from wards 1, 2, and 3 (basically WOTP).

We are not allowed to discuss this however, even though linguists would explain that this dialect and/or language is valid and distinct.

I’m a native Washingtonian raised in Ward 8 (Congress Heights) and this is not at all true.

Let’s start with ‘axt’ and go from there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wards 7,8 and 9 do in fact have some very pronounced linguistic features. In a blinded test, you would be able to pick out the Ward 8 young woman from an array of same age/ same race young women from wards 1, 2, and 3 (basically WOTP).

We are not allowed to discuss this however, even though linguists would explain that this dialect and/or language is valid and distinct.

I’m a native Washingtonian raised in Ward 8 (Congress Heights) and this is not at all true.

Let’s start with ‘axt’ and go from there

Yeah, that's not remotely unique to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wards 7,8 and 9 do in fact have some very pronounced linguistic features. In a blinded test, you would be able to pick out the Ward 8 young woman from an array of same age/ same race young women from wards 1, 2, and 3 (basically WOTP).

We are not allowed to discuss this however, even though linguists would explain that this dialect and/or language is valid and distinct.

I’m a native Washingtonian raised in Ward 8 (Congress Heights) and this is not at all true.

Let’s start with[b] ‘axt’ and go from there [/b]

Yeah, that's not remotely unique to DC.

Not in DC but I only hear that from some people in the black community, or white people who have grownup close by, lower education/lower income.

[Anonymous]

Because almost everyone in DC is from someplace else. That’s why.

This town is the national distillery of a-holes. A-holes from around the entire country who all think they’re all too good/talented/important to stay where they’re from, all concentrate here.


-12th generation Marylander