Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 15:14     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 10:09     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/25/2025 09:10     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/25/2025 09:03     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/25/2025 01:13     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/24/2025 20:32     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/24/2025 20:15     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
DC is smaller than half a borough. That's all.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2025 20:13     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/24/2025 20:02     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
Ny boroughs are more geographically segregated
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2025 19:56     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
Anonymous wrote:They do. Some people call crayons "crans"


Marines call them chow.
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2025 19:13     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
They do. Some people call crayons "crans"
Anonymous
Post 08/24/2025 16:42     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/24/2025 13:37     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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
Post 08/24/2025 13:29     Subject: Why do the wards of D.C. not have distinct accent differences like the boroughs of NYC?
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?