Pittsburghese useage...

[PisnNapalm]

Ahh yes... "pop'. I still say that one too. Some people out here near Philly know what you're talking about when you ask for a pop. Most don't though.

For those not from Pittsburgh or western PA in general, we have a habit of dropping the "to be" out of sentences.

Example. "This room needs to be cleaned." We say... "This room needs cleaned." While it's not good grammatically it sounds perfectly normal and correct to us. However a real Pittsburgher would just say, 'Red up th'room." :o)

[PisnNapalm]

LOL!! I keep finding more words I still use!

Supposebly

Maybe I haven't lost as much as I think! :o)

[polamalufan43]

Well, once you live in Pittsburgh there is no turning back. I have never lived outside of Pittsburgh. I talk in Pittsburghese alot and most of the time I don't even notice it. Anytime I go to the deli everyone is saying "chipped." I went down to North Carolina one summer and I had to talk differently for people to understand me. It was actually kinda funny. They should make a Pittsburghese translation dictionary one of these days.

~Polamalufan43

[WisconsinSteelerMan]

I have lived in 'Scahnsin (Wisconsin for the Pittsburgher) for 12 years and have lost a little of the accent. I still turn it on here in the office at my company when talking about my Stillers. It makes everyone laugh around here...they talk so funny (Dohn-cha-knohw) (trying to get the 'Scahnsin accent in writing). They have no idea what chipped ham is up here, and they can't slice it thin enough for our family.

Funny story...I lived in Philly for a year or two after college, and worked at a retail store with carpet. When we were closing for the night, we always divided up the chores of cleaning the store. It was just me and one of the girls who worked in the store. I told her, "I will dust the shelves, if you 'sweep' the floor" She looked at me like I was from another planet... It took me a second and I said, "oh, I mean VACCUUM" the floor and she roared at me!!!

Up here in 'Scahnsin, I still used stuff like "dahn" and "up, 'er" and stuff like that. I have put the "to be" back in my vocabulary. My kids, however, speak pure 'Scahnsin Norske...it bugs the crap outta me!!!

Hey, I got an idea... "After the game on Sundee, yinz guys wanna go up Eat'n Park and get some pop an' 'at??"

Mike in La Crosse, WI

[floodcitygirl]

Originally Posted by PisnNapalm

Ahh yes... "pop'. I still say that one too. Some people out here near Philly know what you're talking about when you ask for a pop. Most don't though.

For those not from Pittsburgh or western PA in general, we have a habit of dropping the "to be" out of sentences.

Example. "This room needs to be cleaned." We say... "This room needs cleaned." While it's not good grammatically it sounds perfectly normal and correct to us. However a real Pittsburgher would just say, 'Red up th'room." :o)

LOL!!! I had no idea that it was strange to drop the "to be"! I do that all the time....never realized it was a Western PA thing.

[PisnNapalm]

Oh yeah... I've had people try to correct me by saying the sentence with the "to be" in it. It's like they can't compute it without the extra words.

[floodcitygirl]

Originally Posted by PisnNapalm

Oh yeah... I've had people try to correct me by saying the sentence with the "to be" in it. It's like they can't compute it without the extra words.

Now that I think about it, I think I do that more when I'm mad. Somehow it gives it more of a punch! That's so funny...I never thought about it. Oh....and I always say pop.

[iloveben7]

Originally Posted by floodcitygirl

LOL!!! I had no idea that it was strange to drop the "to be"! I do that all the time....never realized it was a Western PA thing.

I do that all the time!!

[polamalufan43]

Seriously. After reading this thread I decided to look up some Pittsburghese words that I didn't know about, and I use more of it than I thought. That explains why it took me a longer time to communicate with my cousins, who were born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, when they came here, lol.

~Polamalufan43

[LarryNJ]

I left Pittsburgh for 10 years, returned for 10 and been gone again for 5. Most of my Pittsburghese is a thing of the past.

I'd never say never but I really don't see myself ever moving back. I miss the Steelers and Pens but that's about it. ( I do get to see the pens whoop up on the Flyers a few times a year )