Baltimorese
Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAL : Baltimorese
Baltimorese, sometimes phonetically written Bawlmerese or Ballimerese, is a dialect of American English in the Mid Atlantic United States that originated among the white blue-collar residents of working class South and Southeast Baltimore. Today, it is heard much less throughout the city and in some areas of central Maryland, as many people from other parts of the country have moved to the city. It is considered a Northern Midland patois. It shares many characteristics of an Eastern port city. The films of John Waters, all of which have been filmed in and around Baltimore, usually feature actors and actresses with thick Baltimore accents, particularly in his early films.
Pronunciation
Baltimorese resembles Philadelphia-area English pronunciation in several ways. These two cities are the only ports on the Eastern Seaboard to retain rhotic speech, which was greatly influenced by Hiberno-English, Scottish English, and West Country English. Also, the "l" sound is "dark," indistinctive or vocalized. Vowels in Baltimorese are flattened and shifted, however, which is more characteristic of Southern American English. Some vowels, as well as certain vernaculars can be traced to Appalachian influences.
- [f] is often substituted for [θ]
- [eɪ] becomes [i]; bared can rhyme with leered
- [aɪ] as well as the diphthongs [ɔɪ] and [aʊ] become [ɔ]; choir and hire rhyme with war, aisle and boil with ball
- [aɪ] becomes [a] before [ɹ]; fire is pronounced as far
- t's become d's, disappear entirely, or blend with other sounds in a word; 'hunter' becomes 'hunner', 'Baltimore' becomes 'Baldimore' or 'Ballimer'.
- [oʊ] shifts to [eʊ]; one cheers for the Eh-ew's (O's, for the Baltimore Orioles).
- The [ɪŋ](-ing) ending of participle forms is pronounced as [in] as in "They're go-een to the store."
- epenthetic [ɹ]
- elision is common
Dialectic terms
- How bout dem A-O's? - a pleasant inquiry on the state of Orioles baseball.
- Anna Runnel - Anne Arundel County
- Bawlamer - Baltimore (pronounced BAWL-uh-mur)
- Merlin - Maryland
- arnjuice - orange juice (an example of the widespread use of elision)
- colm - what some othes folks call a "comb"
- downey ayshin (down the ocean) - at the beach (spent sum'r weekends downey ayshin). 'At' or 'to' is implied, but not a part of the elision.
- cole race beef samwish - cold roast beef sandwich
- hon - a universal name used for greeting (in extreme instances, pronounced in two syllables, "huh-in")
- sharr - shower
- youse - plural of you.
- ool - also known as oil
- warder - ('wood' rhyming with 'could', and not with 'brood') water
- iggle - eagle
- warsh - to wash
- Warshngton - As in Washington D.C.
- zinc - a basin in which one washes. commonly known as a "sink".
- crown - crayon.
References
- "[The Mid-Atlantic Dialects]," Evolution Publishing
External links
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