Do Pittsburghers really talk like this?

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What, me worry?

Grandparents did and a bunch of cousins still.
One I can remember was Mamie telling me to pick up that gumband so's she can use the sweeper to redd up.

Yinz guys all gotta git Dahn Tahn n’at and getcha one a dem Permanti sammiches! But, whatever you do, if you see Uncle Stush, whatever yinz say, don’t mention Sid Bream!
Edit: If you know, you know!

Not just Pittsburghers, but the entire SW PA counties. I'm from a NE PA county, and we could tell when someone was from SW PA.

NE PA denizens talk like we're PO'ed all the time by our tone.

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Inconsistently consistent

There was once a book/pamphlet on how to speak Pittsburghese. Might still be available. There was also a polka where the refrain was "Dahn on south side Peetsborg, Penn-syl-vain-eyea." That last was sorta mocking eastern European immigrant accents.

Lesse now: posts 2 & 3 have several. Also wash= worsh. Been gone over 30 years, so the memories are fading....unless someone mentions a word.

Almost forgot, there's also a West Pa accent, a drawl. Didn't realize it until I traveled some and folks asked me what part of the southwest I was from.
Pittsburghese Dictionary: How to translate the Yinzer vocabulary | City Guide | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

Years back I went to Pittsburgh for two NFL games and a MLB game.

I never needed an interpreter.


PS" Primanti Bros. made the trip worthwhile.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I'm still trying to figure out "vacuum sweeper." Or electric sweeper. But, as stated above, ya need one to red up. And Bubba Mary says don't feed dem pigeuns; they got disease.

Edit: It's all just a local thing that got cashed in years ago, selling all the merchandising, PGH Dictionaries, tee-shirts, GOT SIX?, etc.
Oh, Got Six...that slipped!

My ancestral home is Punxsutawney, PA, which is about 90 miles NE of Pittsburgh. Last night I was at a reception in Maryland, and when I got up to leave the others at the table said, "Safe travels." They about busted up when I said, "Watch for deer."

Kinda depends upon where in the city you were and to some degree what class of folks you were with. Downtown & stadium areas not really prevalent.

If you go back, Primanti's has/had a branch location in Oakland (university area). I expect they don't keep the same quirky hours as the original location. That was run to suit the folks who worked in the strip district produce yards and industries.

For those who've never been there, like many other cities, Pittsburgh has/had sections of the city that were ethnic enclaves. Polish Hill is self explanatory. South side was predominantly Slavic. Germans were in the Arsenal area and so forth. If you look at the names of the churches-or the buildings that used to be churches-the names can give you a clue. St Stanislaus, St. Johans Kirke and so forth. They all contributed to the local dialect.

Rusty, Cincinnati shares many of those Pittsburg quirks like Warsh and Warshington. Might be that Deutsch and Appalachian mix

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Kind regards, Heinz

Almost as bad as Bostonians, maybe worse.

Pittsburghese Dictionary: How to translate the Yinzer vocabulary

Pittsburghese is a bit more complicated than just replacing commonly understood words with region-specific words. Yes, some yinzers call vacuums "sweepers" and shopping carts "buggies." But there is a thick accent, a lot of mumbling, and just a general attitude that takes some time to embody...

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

"The Burgh" has 90 distinct neighborhoods covering about 60 sq miles; cut apart by 3 rivers connected together by 466 bridges.

Remember reading years ago that Pittsburgh had a distinct dialect.... which only covered a small region compared to areas with dialects. It was a mix of the waves of immigrants each language leaving it's mark. .... often in the form of "loanwords" incorporated into the local language: Pittsburghese!

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Good write up on Wikipedia: Western Pennsylvania English. With a map

I think for some reason that Pittsburgh is the only town/city that has an H after BURG. I grew up over in New Brighton, Beaver County, and the language was pretty much the same. And although Primanti's is the popular sub shop, Peppi's over on the North Side has a far better quality of sandwich. It's pretty much walking distance from the ball parks.

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There's a Monster on the loose

My hometown (Aldeburgh) has an "h".

Eddie Izzard was comparing American to British pronunciations;

"Yanks pronounce herbs as 'erbs. Brits pronounce it herbs cuz it's got an "h" in it.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

YOUNS is the correct spelling!! YINZ is some prerpper determination of a dream. was asked several times if I was from Pittsburgh, mostly out of country.

Youse guys over in Pittsburgh sound real funny to all us folks from Balmer...

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

I think youns, etc. was started as a contraction for you ones, and yall was you all. Simplicity spelled them wrong. A n English teacher said simply you is proper. Time and laziness, I think, changed it. It’s a strange world. Thank you, Rustyt, now I can correct people around here!

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There's a Monster on the loose

I live an hour away. You can almost see
the language Barrier.

Wait a minute! I failed to say "in America" regarding the H. But at least now I can correct people, and many of these folks are dumber than I am, so I can correct the next person who says that. And no one needs to know where Aldeburgh is! Thanks for that one, Rustyt!

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There's a Monster on the loose

This discussion reminds me of a story my parents used to tell about a vacation trip they made in 1940. They were driving from Chicago to the Smoky Mountains, and while in Gatlinburg (no "h"!), they talked with some local children. The kids asked them, "Are you'uns what we'uns call furriners?" Of course, being in the South, they dragged out the pronunciation of "you'uns", but the word is used beyond Pittsburgh.

Now I'm wondering if there is a Pittsburgh version of "we'uns". "Winz", perhaps?

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What, me worry?

If so, would that make the Pittsburgh Bruins into the "Brinz"? (Asking as a furriner.)

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)