Barbara Johnstone Lecture: Pittsburghese

Learn how "Pittsburghese" has come to be such a strong symbol of Pittsburgh's identity. Barbara Johnstone, Professor of Rhetoric and Linguistics in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of English, will trace the history of the dialect, talk about how it is changing and how people across the country are keeping it alive.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Carnegie
• Mellon
• language
• hss
• humanities
• english
• Johnstone
• pittsburghese
• dialect
• pittsburgh
• pennsylvania
• linguistics

[IvorBarry]

Pittsburghese is not bad grammar. It's a different grammer, perhaps, but not 'bad'; that is, it's used consistent manner.

[j2xl]

I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years and only heard "Geagle" from my fellow CMU students. Not even Pitt students say that. "Gian-Iggle" is definitely the more local pronunciation.

[GW9H]

I've lived in da 'Burgh all my life and appreciate the explanations of why I speak the way I do. I have relatives living in other parts of the U.S. who were born and raised here and they cling to their Pittsburghese as a treasure - as they should.

When I was small I remember my mother criticizing how I spoke; she said I exaggerated the 'g' at the end of a word. I figure teachers were speaking correctly so I picked it up. As I grew up I learned to drop it. I now speak perfect Pittsburghese.

[HostingReviews1]

it make me more appreciated.

[muhammadzahmad]

so nice and interesting...

[fiddygalic]

All of that being said, I have amazed my wife, and the Pittsburghers I ahave met away from home, with my ability to know someone is from Western PA after hearing him/her talk for a few seconds. When I ask said person person if he/she is from Pittsburgh, he/she is surprised when I say I picked up on the accent, or dialect.

[fiddygalic]

A lot of what we native Western Pennsylvainians refer to as 'Pittsburghese', is actually fairly common to all of Appalachia. I have met several folks from the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee who say 'yinze', 'N'At, 'dem, 'dis, 'dat (Them, This, That), etc. The Scotch-Irish and the Germans moved throughout the mountains. The Southern movement came after the Whiskey Rebellion, but those folks came from the Western PA mountains.

[ilyverymuchly]

By "the Mon", don't they mean "The Monongahela"?

[ilyverymuchly]

My grandma lives in "Wooshington Kahny" and she "wooshes" her clothes in the "wooshin machine".

[ilyverymuchly]

We might not say Jine Iggle, but we do say Jine Eagle! The "jine" is still there. She said it herself! :P

[tracermunk]

I agree with most of the video, but the "iggle" thing...everyone I've ever known from Pittsburgh, where I'm from, say "eagle" that way. So, either that ad campaign was awesome, everyone I know is secretly from Philadelphia, or we do say it.