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Regional vocabularies of American English

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This article deals with lexical differences within American English; see American English regional differences for differences in phonology and grammar.

Historically, a number of everyday words and expression used to be characteristic of different dialect areas of the United States, especially the North, the Midland, and the South; many of these terms spread from their area of origin and came to be used throughout the nation, and oftentimes two (or more) different words for the same thing can be used interchangeably. Such traditional lexical variables include:

  • faucet (North) and spigot (South);
  • frying pan and spider, both of New England origin (the former brought over by the English), and skillet (Midland);
  • clapboard (North) and weatherboard (Midland and South);
  • gutter (South), now the mainstream term, as opposed to eaves trough (North) and spouting (parts of Mid-Atlantic);
  • pit (North, from Dutch) and seed (Midland);
  • teeter-totter (originally Northern, now also Western) and seesaw (Midland);
  • firefly (North) and lightning bug (Midland);
  • swill (North; garbage for hogs) and slops (Midland and South);
  • pail (North) and bucket (Midland and South).

Many differences however still hold and mark boundaries between different dialect areas, as shown below. Newer lexical variables that have been studied in recent years are, for example, the different terms in use to denote

  • a sofa, couch, or (now old-fashioned) davenport;
  • carbonated beverages or soft drinks (soda, pop, coke, etc.);
  • a long sandwich with meat, lettuce, etc. (submarine sandwich, hero, hoagie, grinder, po' boy etc.);
  • a rubber-soled sports shoe (mainly sneaker and tennis shoe).

Below are lists outlining regional vocabularies in the main dialect areas of the United States. A term featured on a list may or may not be found throughout the region concerned, and may or may be not recognized by speakers outside of said region. Some terms appear on more than one list.

Contents

[edit] The Northeast

  • brook: creek. Mainly New England, northern New Jersey, and parts of New York, term creek is thought of as a smaller brook.
  • (shopping) carriage: (esp. Southern New England & Northern New Jersey) shopping cart.
  • cellar: alternate term for basement. [1]
  • sneaker: although found throughout the U.S., appears to be concentrated in the Northeast. Elsewhere (except for parts of Florida) tennis shoes is more common. [2]
  • soda: usual term for soft drink.
  • stoop: from Dutch, traditionally associated with New York City, now found throughout the Northeast.
  • whiffletree: piece of wagon gear elsewhere known as whippletree, swingletree, etc.

[edit] New England

  • basement: (local) a lavatory (as in a school).
  • bubbler: a water fountain.
  • bulkhead: cellar hatchway.
  • clicker: television remote control.
  • grinder: submarine sandwich (except usu. ME)
  • hosey: (esp. parts of MA & ME) to stake a claim or choose sides, to claim ownership of something (sometimes, the front seat of a car)
  • intervale: (also spelled interval) bottomland; mostly historical
  • johnnycake: (also journey cake, esp. RI jonnycake, also called Shawnee cake) a type of cornmeal bread
  • leaf peeper: a tourist who has come to see the area's vibrant autumn foliage (also colloquially leafer)
  • masshole: (except MA) derogatory term applied to someone from the state of Massachusetts
  • necessary: outhouse, privy.
  • packie: (chiefly MA) a store that sells "packages", or 24-can containers of beer.
  • rotary: traffic circle.
  • spa: (mainly Eastern NE) soda fountain.
  • tilt, tilting board, totter, dandle, teedle board: seesaw, teeter-totter
  • tonic (Boston): soft drink.
  • wicked:(adv.) very, extremely (this has gained popularity throughout the U.S. in popular culture[citation needed], especially among younger people) also, cool

[edit] Northern New England

  • ayuh, or ayup: "yes" or affirmative.
  • "The County": Aroostook County, Maine, so called due to its large size.
  • camp: usually waterfront vacation cabin or cottage.
  • dinner: sometimes used to describe the practice of going out for dessert after the evening meal.
  • dooryard: area around the door of a house, typically including the driveway.
  • flatlander, flattie: describes a person "from away" (q.v.). In NH occasionally used for a person from the extreme southern part of New Hampshire (which lacks mountains).
  • from away: phrase describing a person from another state or country (or as is sometimes the case in Northern Maine, a person from Southern Maine).
  • Italian sandwich: (ME) submarine sandwich.
  • Kaybecker: a lumberjack who is a native of French-speaking Quebec (alteration of Quebecer).
  • logan, pokelogan: a shallow, swampy lake or pond (from Algonquian).
  • shmunk: forshortened term for a Chipmunk.
  • outfit: a group of people (e.g. "What are you doing hanging around with that outfit?" meaning "Why are you associating with those people?")

[edit] Mid-Atlantic

[edit] New York City Area

  • boce: a derogatory term for special education children. Derives from the acronym for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
  • bodega: a convenience store.
  • "The City": Manhattan.
  • clicker: remote control.
  • hero: submarine sandwich.
  • "The Island": Long Island (not including Brooklyn and Queens).
  • light and sweet: a method of serving coffee, with lots of milk and sugar
  • to wait/stand on line: to wait/stand in line (e.g. "I stood on line for 5 hours to get these tickets.")
  • pie: an entire pizza; a cheese pie or a plain pie has no toppings other than cheese and sauce
  • regular coffee: (pronounced "regulah") 10 oz. coffee with whole milk and two sugars
  • slice: one piece of a cheese pizza.
  • take the train: Ride the subway (in New York City). In New York City, other local commuter rail lines are often referred to by name – i.e., "I'm on the PATH" – However, on Long Island, riders of the Long Island Railroad say the same.
  • to stay: in the question "to stay or to go?" Other regions use the phrase "for here or to go?"
  • upstate: the part of New York state that excludes New York City and Long Island.
  • wedge (mostly in Westchester and Putnam suburbs): submarine sandwich.
  • youse: you (plural, but also singular).

[edit] Delaware Valley (Greater Philadelphia, Pa., southern New Jersey and northern Delaware)

[edit] The North

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  • Cheesehead: a native of Wisconsin; considered derogatory in Illinois and Minnesota, but a term of pride in Wisconsin (well known across the U.S. through sports media).
  • pop: generic term for any brand of soft drink, except in parts of Wisconsin; more at Soft drink

[edit] Iowa

  • sack: (Grocery) bag

[edit] North Dakota

[edit] Michigan

[edit] Wisconsin

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  • blinker: a turn signal.
  • bubbler: drinking fountain.
  • to budge: to cut in line.
  • over home: at home (e.g. "I stopped over home to pick up the tickets." or "He looked for me at the store, but I was over home.")
  • on top of: distance to the north (e.g. "The lake is about a mile on top of the highway.")
  • flatlander, F.I.B. (fucking Illinois bastard): a person from Illinois.
  • soda: soft drink

[edit] Minnesota

  • to budge: to cut in line
  • hot dish: a simple entree cooked in a single dish, related to but not the same as a casserole.
  • Duck duck gray duck: a children's game, more commonly called Duck duck goose.
  • The Lakes: (general) The region of Northwestern Minnesota most heavily affected by the most recent ice age, known for its great number of large, shallow lakes and widely used as a summer playground for affluent Twin Citians.
  • The Lakes: (Minneapolis) The city's famous system of lakes, especially the lakes of Chain of Lakes Park.
  • Minnewegian: The common accent of rural Minnesota, a variation of North Central American English. A portmanteau of Minnesota and Norwegian.
  • Timberpuppies, Twinkies, Viqueens: respectively (but not respectfully) the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings.
  • The Cities: the seven-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Specifically, the central cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
  • Pop: the common name used for carbonated beverages.

[edit] The Midland

  • dinner: the mid-day meal (esp. on farms); generally applied to the largest meal of the day whether at mid-day or in the evening.
  • for here: in the question "for here or to go?" Other regions use the phrase "to stay or to go?"
  • hoosier: someone from Indiana; also a hick or a redneck, low class.
  • husker: someone from Nebraska.
  • pop: soft drink.
  • to: used in place of the word "at"; especially in the phrase "I have to be to work by 6:00".
  • tower: (esp. in OK) job or work, as in "I'm off to work my tower"; originally related to the oil industry.
  • where all, who all, and what all: the plural form of these words (i.e., "Who all went out for your birthday, and what all did you do?"); one step away from y'all.
  • suckers: lollypop.

[edit] Northern and Eastern Missouri (Saint Louis, Columbia, Missouri, and Surrounding Areas)

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  • to love on someone: to show love to someone or love someone.

[edit] Kansas and Western Missouri (including Kansas City)

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  • Arkansas River: pronounced "Ar Kansas," not "Arkansaw"
  • pert near: from "pretty near" – very close (to); almost.
  • rack: a unit of measure of food in Barbeque; usually refers to one dozen.
  • reckon: to guess, bet, or gamble on; speculate; or reason.
  • rub: a mix of herbs, spices and seasonings used in Barbeque; to apply a mix of seasonings to food in preparation of Barbequing.
  • slab: a unit of measure for food in Barbeque, usually refers to one pound (16 ounces). A paved area of concrete.
  • taters: cooked or prepared potatoes.

[edit] The South

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  • hose pipe: not the actual hose itself but the point at which the hose attaches to the water supply (usually on a house/side of a building). Does not apply to fire hydrants.
  • buggy: shopping cart.
  • crocus sack (Atlantic), croker sack (Gulf): burlap bag.
  • fair: (verb, of the weather, used with off or up) to clear up
  • fix: to get ready, to be on the verge of ("I'm fixing to leave"). Fixing to is often shortened to "fitntuh" or "finna."
  • mash: used to describe virtually any action that involves applying any sort of pressure.

Including, but not limited to, pushing, smashing, stomping, pressing.

  • put up: put away, put back in its place.
  • straight drive, straight shift: manual transmission in an automobile.
  • tump over: to capsize, tip, or fall over. Probably alteration of thump or tumble, or from British dialect tumpoke.
  • tote: to carry ("Tote that bag in the house for me").
  • ugly: discourteous, rude ("you're actin' ugly").
  • yonder: over there.
  • y'all: contraction for "you all"; the plural form of the pronoun "you"
  • coke: generic term for any brand of soft drink (also less frequently cocola); more at Soft drink

[edit] Southern Louisiana

  • alligator pear: avocado.
  • banquette: (old-fashioned) sidewalk
  • bobos: any kind of wound, especially a bruise.
  • by location: to be at or in someplace (e.g. "by your mama's [house]"); to pass by (location): to stop and visit someplace
  • Cap: sir (from Captain)
  • cold drink: soft drink.
  • (to make) dodo: (to go to) sleep.
  • gout ("goh"): (old-fashioned) a little taste.
  • hickey: a bump on one's head.
  • lagniappe: a little bit of something extra.
  • locker: a closet.
  • to make groceries: to go shopping for groceries
  • neutral ground: median strip.
  • passion mark: a love bite/hickey.
  • po' boy: sandwich on French bread (baguette).
  • Where y'at?: "How are you doing?" Hence yat
  • Fais Dodo (Fay Doh Doh): A party
  • Make (age): Have a birthday; he's making 16 tomorrow
  • Flying Horses: Carousel, Merry-Go-Round
  • How's your mama an 'em: How is your family (mother and them)
  • Dirty Rice: A Cajun rice dish consisting of rice, spices, herbs and either ground beef, chicken giblets, or both
  • Pass a good time: Have fun, as in "Come pass a good time at da Fais dodo, y'all
  • Boo or Booboo: Affectionate name for a baby or small child, sometimes used with adults too
  • T'rows: Throws, or the beads, trinkets, toys and stuffed animals thrown during a Mardi Gras parade
  • Throw me something, Mister!: The plea for beads, trinkets, etc. during a parade
  • Parish: County. There are no counties in LA, only parishes

[edit] The West

[edit] Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Alaska)

Chinook Jargon was a trade language (or pidgin) of the Pacific Northwest, which spread quickly up the West Coast from Oregon State, through Washington State, British Columbia, and as far as Alaska.

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  • Beauty Bark (Washington), Bark Dust (Oregon): landscape or garden mulch consisting of chipped bark.
  • Chechaco: Derogitory term for new comers to the Northwest. A Chinook Jargon word.
  • crummy: a vehicle used to transport forest workers.
  • grip: an abundant amount.
  • gyppo: contract work (or worker).
  • Jefferson: a mostly rural area of Southern Oregon and Northern California known for its secessionist movements.
  • Packing a card: to be a member of a union, such as the Wobblies.
  • Pecker pole or Peckerwood: a small tree, often found in the understory of old growth.
  • Potlatch: a social gathering (a Chinook Jargon term).
  • Second-growth: timber that has grown back on a previously harvested unit, either by natural reseeding or replanting.
  • Skid road: the path over which oxen pulled logs; it came to mean the part of a city where loggers congregate.
  • Skookum: A Chinook Jargon word meaning good, strong, best, powerful, ultimate and first rate.
  • Snoose: damp snuff or dipping tobacco.
  • Tyee: Chinook Jargon for Chief, boss, etc.
  • Timber Tiger: Chipmunk (lumberjack jargon).
  • Till: a cash register.
  • Weak sauce: slang term for something disappointing (used more in the younger crowd).

[edit] Alaska

  • preacher: fallen tree in river (as the Yukon River) hindering navigation; snag.

[edit] Wyoming

  • barrow pit: ditch
  • goats: antelope
  • outfit: vehicle

[edit] See also

[edit] Regional American English

[edit] English around the world

[edit] Language studies

[edit] External links

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