Want to lose your Pittsburgh accent? There's a course

Tribune-Review (Suburban Pittsburgh) ^ | Friday, August 16, 2019 10:08 a.m. | Paul Guggenheimer

[Vigilanteman]

Marilyn Caye grew up in Pittsburgh’s Perry Hilltop neighborhood and graduated from University of Pittsburgh. A few years later she decided to explore the other end of the country and wound up in the San Francisco Bay area. She soon learned that while she could leave Pittsburgh, there was a part of the Steel City that wouldn’t leave her.

“I was about to audition for a commercial in San Francisco. When I was at Perry High School, I had done voice work for Rege Cordic’s ‘Cordic and Company’ on KDKA radio. I called a fellow in Sausalito to get some advice,” said Caye, “and the first thing he said was, ‘Marilyn, you’ve got to get rid of your Pittsburgh accent.’

“I had lived in Northern California for nine years and didn’t think I had that accent at all!”

Since then, Caye has dedicated a good part of her life not only to getting rid of her own Pittsburgh accent, but helping others get rid of theirs.

For nearly 20 years, Caye has taught classes at Community College of Allegheny County in voiceover acting and public speaking. In the late 1990s, she went for the local angle and created “How to Lose Your Pittsburgh Accent.” The class lasted for three years and then fizzled out.

Now it’s back. Starting in October, you can “come to this class and learn how to subdue your Pittsburghese,” according to a description in the CCAC course catalog.

[Vigilanteman]

Honestly speaking, this is the first time I have heard the colorful way of speaking in these parts blamed on our early Scott-Irish settlers. That demographic is common throughout all of Appalacia and they don't talk like the Yinzers in the 'burgh.

[Buckeye McFrog]

My parents gave me the greatest gift that any two parents could possibly give their child.

They did not move back to Pittsburgh until after I had learned to speak.

[thesharkboy]

When I had to lose my (northern Ohio Valley/almost Pittsburgh) accent, I just put a gum band on my wrist and snapped it every time I said “red up.” Younz can do the same.

[dsrtsage]

Dey needs talk more soundin’ like teeeeveee people

[Reily]

Why would I want to?

Anyway I would have to learn it first!

[Buckeye McFrog]

I got fired from my college radio station for reading a newscast in which I pronounced the word “bear” as “bahr”.

Later my mom told me that when I was a toddler in Columbus we were the only non-Kentuckians on the block.

Still I’ll take my mildly southern drawl over my sister’s Yinzer accent any day. She used to date a kid from Brooklyn and whenever they’d discuss anything my ears would bleed.

[USS Alaska]

A friend and I once produced a tape for sale at pro shops stressing the etiquette for golf, just simple things, like fixing balls marks and if the course is wet and you are restricted to staying on the carts paths, to take three clubs with you when you walk across the fairway to your ball.

Just common sense stuff. We both tried to do the voice over, and we were both professional sales men and thought we were well spoken.

After listening to ourselves along with the video, we hired a professional announcer for the audio.

I could not believe how piss poor we sounded on a recording using first class equipment, in a studio run by professionals.

I don't know if it was the 'Burgh sound, or we both had crummy voices for audio tape, but the sound was very bad.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The legendary Myron Cope was incredulous when they asked him to start doing a radio show. He thought that he had the absolute WRONG voice for that.

The station manager told him that “we see a trend in this business towards lousy voices!”

Apparently the trend had ended by the time I was drawling my way through newscasts.

[Beowulf9]

I haven’t a clue as to how a Pittsburgh accent sounds but it seems to me that unless you are working in a professional manner and need to sound like everyone else it should be considered part of your identity, your heritage and you should be proud of where you come from and how you sound because of it.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Listen to some of these videos if you want to hear how it sounds.

https://www.youtube.com/user/pittsburghdad

[DoodleBob]

http://www.pittsburghese.com

And my personal fav....

Yinz better watch aht,
Yinz better not paht,
Yinz better not cry,
I’m tellin yinz hauscome,
Santa Claus is comin’ dahntahn.

He’s makin’ a list,
He’s checkin’ it aht,
He’s gonna find aht who’s nebby an ‘at,
Santa Claus is comin’ dahntahn.

He knows if yinz is a jagoff,
He can see inside yinz haus,
He knows if yinz been workin’ hard,
Or just sittin’ on yur caach (caach, caach, caach).

Yinz better watch aht,
Yinz better not paht,
Yinz better not cry,
I’m tellin yinz hauscome.
Santa Claus is comin’ dahntahn!…..

He sees yins on the Nor'side
In 'Sliberty and Sahside, too.
He don't want yinz to be ascared
Just do what yer asposed ta do. (Doo Doo Doo)

Yinz better watch aht,
Yinz better not paht,
Yinz better not cry,
I’m tellin yinz hauscome.
Santa Claus is comin’ dahntahn!

[slapshot]

Funny how being stationed in Texas and North Dakota for several years removes vestige of “Lawn guylant” accent formed growing up. Only slips out a when I order a cawwfee

[Leaning Right]

> I haven’t a clue as to how a Pittsburgh accent sounds <

Here’s a fun little quiz on Pittsburghese. Click on the audio links to hear the accent. And you’re right about the heritage thing.

http://www.pittsburghese.com/quiz.shtml

[Dr. Sivana]

The station manager told him that “we see a trend in this business towards lousy voices!”

WABC in New York had a number of "bad voices". Most here would have heard Joy Behar. She was a harridan 30 years ago, too. But the stronger accent was on Lynn Samuels (R.I.P.). They even highlighted her voice in the advertisements: Oy was boo-awn in Noo Yawk, Oy was raised in Noo Yawk, Oy nevuh go ennywayuh but Noo Yawk, so this is the way that I soo-ownd!"

She lost it and was fired when paired with Barry Farber (a real pro!). He knew how the punch her buttons. I believe that she was a comparatively honest liberal, and actually was sympathetic to pro-life activist Joan Andrews, having her on the the program.

Besides Samuels and Ed Koch, the station had Ed Koch (umm....ummm). Bob Grant was his own animal. Besides him, only Rush and had good radio voices. Earlier they had mid-westerner Dave Dawson, who was great, but a bad fit for NYC. The roster of bad voices (Samuels/Behar/Kpch) was top rated at the time.

[Tax-chick]

I spent some formative years in South Texas and was still occasionally saying “aaahrn” and “aaahl” (iron and oil) a decade later.

[Paddyboy]

I wouldn’t give up my Philly accent for anything..it keeps people away from me

[Vigilanteman]

Pittsburgh Dad is great! He not only talks the part, but looks it, too.

This February, when candidates were making the rounds in our neighborhood both to get petitions signed and stump for votes, one of them gave me the usual speech of how long he was tied to the area, graduated high school here, etc.

I took a look at him and said "That's a big part of the trouble with these local elections, everybody's from the same mold."

He took a look at me and laughed, "I can tell you are from the Midwest."

"How could you tell?" I asked.

"Midwestern accent," he replied.

"We're said to be the only people who don't have accents," I retorted.

We then had a nice conversation where I understood he had a conservative judicial philosophy and I said "Yinz earn my vote."

[mak5]

Get aht of tahn. Don’t yinz have any respect for diversity? Redd up and head on over to Sliberty for your penance.

[Vigilanteman]

Mick Irish Philly? Wop Philly? Or ‘hood Philly?

[Bethaneidh]

I can’t tell Brooklyn from Bronx, but they are both way more cringe-worthy.