DC accent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is hard for me to describe but I think there is a distinct accent. It's pretty close to the Maryland/Baltimore one, a weird mix of NJ and Southern. Who else would pronounce Bowie the way we do?

Exactly. Some of the local news guys talk this way. The way Marylanders say “on” is pretty unique I’d say.

Sounds like “ohwn”

Sen Pat Buchanan is a great example of a Washingtonian accent. Even the way he said his name, Paaat Byuu cahhhnnen.
Long A’s.

This is for Baltimore accent but they have the “ohwn” in it about halfway through. Great spelling. I could not figure out how to describe it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3Tl3t88Mc

My grandfather was born and raised in DC (the actual city and not the burbs) and this is how he spoke!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Yeah man" or "mannnnnnn"

Never, ever "dude."

Some white people say "buddy" instead of man, like "hey buddy how you doin'?"

There is an actor from D.C., Jon Bernthal, who totally speaks like this when he is being interviewed. He was Shane on the Walking Dead. He was also in Wolf of Wall Street, Grudge Match and is in a new movie coming out called Fury. Definitely a D.C. thing.

These are...just regular words.

You people are idiots.

[Anonymous]

I’m a third generation DC native. Someone once approached me in a store in NYC to ask me if I was “from NW DC”. Given that a complete stranger nailed it based on overhearing me say a few words, I’d say that there is a DC accent, and I apparently have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Southerners (and I mean Georgia, FL, etc) think I have a NY accent. wth?

My cousins in NY say we sound like Southerners! lol

ABSOLUTELY!

NP. It has always been this way for me. Sometimes I’ll get west coast. Rarely.

[Anonymous]

There used to be a receptionist in our office (older white lady) who was born and raised in Southeast DC and she had a very strong accent that was far more like a Maryland accent than a lilting southern drawl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

I say Maryland properly, but definitely do the "o" thing. My grandfather (a white Jew) always said Murland, Balmer for Baltimore and Itly for Italy.

Itly! lol

As an Italian, I've always found that funny. So long, A!

My grandmother was born and raised in Baltimore, 100% Polish, and said Itly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

Very on point, except I would say that what you refer to as the AA accent extends to white people as well. It's like a mumble. I'm white. When I went away to college, people asked me why I was talking to myself or mumbling and I was like I am talking to YOU, what the hell are you talking about. Then, I went home from break and heard my parents mumbling to each other and burst out laughing and thought OMG - THAT is what I sound like to other people.

Example: "I'm going to" = "I munna"
"what are you doing?" = "whacho doin'?"

Yes, I am guilty of saying this probably every day. And I am a lawyer.

These are also just Southern things, but some are AA things, too:

"I'm finna" do something about that.

"Hi yow doin'?"

The reason is becowse...

the name "Gowge" for George.

I find these pronunciations from both AA and whites in the South and it is adorable, but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Yeah man" or "mannnnnnn"

Never, ever "dude."

Some white people say "buddy" instead of man, like "hey buddy how you doin'?"

There is an actor from D.C., Jon Bernthal, who totally speaks like this when he is being interviewed. He was Shane on the Walking Dead. He was also in Wolf of Wall Street, Grudge Match and is in a new movie coming out called Fury. Definitely a D.C. thing.

These are...just regular words.

You people are idiots.

Ok, I agree that these are just words, but mannnn, you need to stop being so insulting. It's just a jokey thread about accents. Why do you have call people names up in this joint?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

I say Maryland properly, but definitely do the "o" thing. My grandfather (a white Jew) always said Murland, Balmer for Baltimore and Itly for Italy.

Itly! lol

As an Italian, I've always found that funny. So long, A!

My grandmother was born and raised in Baltimore, 100% Polish, and said Itly.

+1 to Itly and Merlin 🧙‍♂️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

Very on point, except I would say that what you refer to as the AA accent extends to white people as well. It's like a mumble. I'm white. When I went away to college, people asked me why I was talking to myself or mumbling and I was like I am talking to YOU, what the hell are you talking about. Then, I went home from break and heard my parents mumbling to each other and burst out laughing and thought OMG - THAT is what I sound like to other people.

Example: "I'm going to" = "I munna"
"what are you doing?" = "whacho doin'?"

Yes, I am guilty of saying this probably every day. And I am a lawyer.

These are also just Southern things, but some are AA things, too:

"I'm finna" do something about that.

"Hi yow doin'?"

The reason is becowse...

Same poster^^ actually, it's more like Jowage for George.

the name "Gowge" for George.

I find these pronunciations from both AA and whites in the South and it is adorable, but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

There is definitely a Northern Virginia accent out there, for Gen Xers and younger. Dave Grohl has it, Vivien Azer of CNBC has it, probably a lot of your kids have it. It's sort of like a very quickly spoken southern accent with a nasal twang and slight vocal fry and people say things like "tuh" for "to."

the "Warshington" northern virginia accent is for older folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

I say Maryland properly, but definitely do the "o" thing. My grandfather (a white Jew) always said Murland, Balmer for Baltimore and Itly for Italy.

Itly! lol

As an Italian, I've always found that funny. So long, A!

My grandmother was born and raised in Baltimore, 100% Polish, and said Itly.

My father was born and raised in Buffalo, 100% Polish, and says Itly. I think the Polish is more likely a thing than the DC part. PP, did your grandmother speak Polish at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a Northern Virginia accent out there, for Gen Xers and younger. Dave Grohl has it, Vivien Azer of CNBC has it, probably a lot of your kids have it. It's sort of like a very quickly spoken southern accent with a nasal twang and slight vocal fry and people say things like "tuh" for "to."

the "Warshington" northern virginia accent is for older folks.

Yeah, I think of the "Warshington" NoVA accent as being specific to areas where people have lived generationally and used to be considered further out, like Herndon, Dranesville, Dumfries, Goose Creek, etc. It has a lot of the same characteristics of the Maryland/Murland accent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are a native Washingtonian, there really is none. Some African Americans (more likely to be native Washingtonians rather than transplants) have a distinctive DC accent, but it's hard to describe. Swallowing of some vowel sounds is prevalent. Like saying "Murland" instead of "Maryland." Some Maryland people have a strange way of pronouncing vowel sounds as well. For example, instead of the long O sound in "photo," they'll say what sounds like "Fowto."

Wait- how do you say photo?

I say “Fowto”

[Anonymous]

I actually did some research on this topic during my quarantine boredom. Digging through the newspaper archives there wasn't much but what I did find made the "DC accent" seem more in-line with the Maryland accent than the Virginia accent. I remember one article from the 80s that pointed out how MoCo kids pronounced the "O" in "O Holy Night" with the Maryland "Ooooew."

This video is how all my family (white from Northern Virginia) talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIKxmlKgQZU