Yo! Welcome to Pennsylvania

American Spectator ^ | 3/11/2008 12:08:23 AM | Jeffrey Lord

[martin_fierro]

Yo! Welcome to Pennsylvania By Jeffrey Lord Published 3/11/2008 12:08:23 AM

HARRISBURG -- Yo! Let me get yunz a gumband! It's time to redd up the house!

Welcome to Pennsylvania! Who would have believed those of us with a primary backed up into the hinterlands of the calendar would really have had a chance to seriously make an impact New Hampshire-style? April 22 is one long electoral stretch from January 8...

Actually, it's only Pennsylvania Democrats who will be doing the heavy lifting, although Senator John McCain will be visiting on Thursday for a fundraiser a mere block from our family abode. So let me help all you non-Pennsylvanians get acclimated to what will be spilling through your TV screens the next seven weeks.

First, a translation of three of our state dialects that were illustrated above.

< -- SNIP -- >

[martin_fierro]

h/t to smoothsailing

[Rudder]

I worshed my hands of Penssylvania years ago.

[smoothsailing]

Yunz are too kind!

Learn Pittsburghese in a Day!!!

Great resource for outta town politicians! ;-)

[radiohead]

I haven't lived in Philly for 10 years, but ‘yo’ is still in my vocabulary. It's a wonderful word, kinda like ‘dude’ - useful for many occasions. I'm not sure they know what to make of it out here in the heartland.

[haircutter]

oh my...your first sentence made me chuckle out loud....

Born in PA. and at the age of 10 moved by my family to OHIO and there I became a “Buckeye” for 52 years... There the kids made fun of me bringing my lunch in a paper poke.
I’ve now returned to PA. in my retirement and every day I tap my head and ask my self “what am I’m doing here”. Then I realize that hubby pays the bills and I had to follow...I’ve adjusted to country life but the democrate state of PA. leaves alot to be desired......the country folks in PA. still think it is the 1950’s and most can’t wait for the government to take care of them...

as I type this I am wintering in sunny Florida and could stay here forever, now have to influence hubby!!!! If I just had a gumband to snap him with.!!!!!

[jiggyboy]

I’ll say it again, I can hardly wait to hear Hillary give a speech in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg and tell the crowd that she needs yunz to vote for her so she can redd up Washington, etc.

Better yet would be if she studies up on some local lingo and through either typos or an unclear phone connection gets it slightly but obviously wrong: “why yes I just had some dipping eggs this morning, and some scrappie with maple syrup...”

[kb2614]

Yinz too?? I left over 20 years ago.

GO STILLERS!!!

[knarf]

It took some time, but I perused most of the categories .. nouns, verbs, etc. ... and have concluded ... either Bostonians settled Pittsburgh, WV and elsewhere ... or there is a culture that exists in every state that is simular.

I think ...

We're all (proud) rednex.

[kb2614]

I noticed the author of this article didn’t mention the northwest part of the state (where I grew up). There isn’t much up there except some very nice golf courses, so I guess I can see why that region is ignored.

[smoothsailing]

We're all (proud) rednex.

Well, that just about sums it up! LOL!

Hay Bir Here---translation---- Beer Here. Yelled By the Bir venders at 3 Rivers stadium during foutball games. It gave me a hed ake.

( Nowleasedweef Heinz Field,ahnat! )

[RoadKingSE]

Hay Bir Here

IC Light??

[PAMadMax]

Hey, yinz goin’ dahntahn before the stiller game?

Local radio station, WDVE (wdve.com) has a morning show that for years has got the Pittsburgh accent down pact.

[knarf]

"IC Light??"

Only when y'wake up.

[sneakers]

Nah. Put Ellis Canon (WPGB 104.7 in Pittsburgh) next to Howie Carr (WRKO in Boston) - I listen to both when I can) - and you’ll hear a distinct difference.

[sneakers]

They didn’t mention the area where I live either - Indiana County. (Land of the actor - and conservative Republican - Jimmy Stewart.) Our county, and most of central Pa except Cambria (Murtha country), voted red last election.

[sneakers]

If you’re ‘country folk’ in Pa, then you probably live in a ‘red county’, which means you aren’t sitting around waiting for a handout. Oh sure, we have our share of those types, and we have our pockets of democrats (lots of them in the coal-mining communities where the unions ruled)

I’m a ‘yunzer’ from Pittsburgh originally. Still love Pittsburgh, but give me the Pennsylvania countryside anyday!

[knarf]

Ellis Keyanin and Howie Cahh ... ... yah, I s'pose y'right.

Still ... I learned canipshun fits as a boy in Boston.

And we drank beeah.

[johnny7]

Yun's guys...

[sneakers]

“canipshun fits”

AH! So THAT’S where that term originated from!

I love Howie’s accent. It’s different - but the same - if you get my drift. It’s distinctive like the Pittsburgh accent. Something homey and American about it. I haven’t listened to Howie in a little while. Bad time of day for me. But I should tune in again.

[RU88]

Interesting article that paints a fairly accurate picture of the political landscape here in the “Keystone State.” I'm one of the people who have moved into Pennsylvania. I moved from New Jersey 18 years ago into Bucks County. (My fathers side of the family originally settled in Ashley, PA, just outside of Wilkes-Barre before moving to N.J. in the 1930’s.) Was reading that according to the head of the State DNC at least 40,000 people have changed their voter registrations from Republican or Independent to Demorat to vote in the primary since January 1st. Suspect this number will go much higher since Texas and Ohio. In a million years I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'll be pulling the lever on April 22nd for the beast. If she carries Penna. it will only make the rat waters that much murkier going into Denver.