Utah English

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Utah English, sometimes humorously referred to as "Utahnics", is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of Utah. Influences are as varied as ancestries of its immigrants, from Scottish to Mexican Spanish.

Since the field of Sociolinguistics is relatively new to academia, very little research has been done on the dialect. However, a research team at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah has begun a comparative project on the topic.[1]

1 Distinctions of the dialect
- 1.1 Vowel shifts
- 1.2 Introduction, removal, and morphing of stops and plosives
2 Changes
3 Utah Slang
4 References

[edit] Distinctions of the dialect

[edit] Vowel shifts

The merger of [oʊ] and [ʊ] to [ʊ] before [ɫ], making pairs like the following homophonous (the second word in the pair is pronounced like the first):
- bowl / bull
- foal / full
- foley / fully
- Folsom / fulsome
- poll, pole / pull
- polar / puller
Further diphthongization (splitting one sound into two) of [ɛ] as [ɛɪ]: "egg" and "leg" are pronounced "ayg" and "layg", "leisure" and "pleasure" pronounced "layzhur" and "playzhur."
The merger of /ɑr/ and /ɔr/, such that "born" may be pronounced "barn" and the town of "American Fork" becomes "American Fark."

[edit] Introduction, removal, and morphing of stops and plosives

Introduction of a "T" into certain words: "teacher" pronounced "teat-chur;" "preacher" as "preat-chur;" other examples include between the sounds "L" and "S" ("Nelson" and "Wilson" pronounced as "Neltson" and "Wiltson").
Shortening of some words from several syllables to one or two (different from general consonant cluster reduction): "corral" as "crall", "probably" to "probly" or "prolly."
the final "T" is frequently voiced as a glottal stop: "cute" becomes [cuʔ] and "late" becomes [laʔ]. Non-native speakers often have trouble distinguishing between the local pronunciation of words like "can" and "can't". The same also applies to the letter "T" in the middle of a word such as "mountain," "button," or the Northern Utah town of "Layton;" the "T" is replaced with a glottal stop (becoming, roughly, "mahw-uhn," "buh-uhn," or "Lay-uhn"). (This is possibly the most widespread element of the dialect.)

[edit] Changes

The unique pronunciations of the dialect, as is typical of American accents, are most marked in the speech of rural and older residents. Much of the state continues to move towards the General American accent (due in large part to immigration and technological/communication advances within the last fifty years, specifically the ubiquity of the television). More extreme elements of traditional "Utahnics" are sometimes used sarcastically by teenagers, in jest of the "older" accent; for example, "fer cute" or an exaggerated "see-ick" (for "sick") may be observed, especially among teenage females.

[edit] Utah Slang

Utahns typically shorten place names to their initials: Pleasant Grove becomes "PG", American Fork becomes "AF", and South Jordan becomes "SoJo." The two largest universities are often referred to by only one letter: Brigham Young University is "the Y" and the University of Utah is "the U." Salt Lake Community College is SLCC, pronounced like "slick."

Utah Valley is often referred to as "Happy Valley" because supposedly everyone is so happy there. It's also sometimes called "the Bubble" because BYU students shelter themselves from evil worldly influences.

Other abbreviations come from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS or Mormon Church) or BYU students. "FHE" stands for Family Home Evening, a family night held each Monday by church members. Before BYU students begin dating they will often have a "DTR" (Define the Relationship), the talk where the couple officially decides to start dating. If they choose not to date, they may settle for "NCMO" (sometimes spelled nicmo, pronounced NIC-mo) which stands for "non-commital make out."