Baltimorese

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Baltimorese (sometimes pseudophonetically 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 South and Southeast Baltimore. During World War II, migrant workers from the Carolinas working in defense plants brought the southern dialect which further contributed to Baltimorese. Today, it is heard much less, as many people from other parts of the country have settled in the city. The films of John Waters, many of which have been filmed in and around Baltimore, often attempt to portray this Baltimore accent, particularly the early films. John Travolta's character in the 2007 version of John Waters' Hairspray spoke with an exaggerated Baltimore accent.

The Baltimore dialect is spoken throughout eastern Baltimore County, particularly in Essex, Middle River, and Dundalk, and in parts of southwestern Baltimore County and eastern parts of Carroll County, families who migrated out of the city along the Rt140 and Rt26 corridors brought the dialect and in some cases pronunciations melded with local colloquialisms such as the word "bixicated" referring to someone who is silly or simple.

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[edit] Pronunciation

Baltimorese closely resembles blue-collar Philadelphia-area English pronunciation in many ways. These two cities are the only major ports on the Eastern Seaboard to have never developed nonrhotic speech among white speakers; they were greatly influenced in their early development by Hiberno-English, Scottish English, and West Country English.[1] Vowels in Baltimorese are flattened and shifted, however, which is more characteristic of Southern American English.[citation needed] Some vowels, as well as certain vernaculars can be traced to Appalachian influences. Also, the "l" sound is "dark", indistinctive or vocalized.

  • [f] is often substituted for [θ]
  • [ʒ] is often substituted for [z] and, sometimes, [s]
  • prerhotic monopthongizations: [eɪ] becomes [i]; so bared can rhyme with leered and *[aɪ], [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 [fɑɹ], sometimes rendered pseudophonetically 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), as it is popularly written.
  • The [ɪŋ](-ing) ending of participle forms is pronounced as [in] as in "They're go-een to the store."
  • [ə] is often eliminated entirely from a word; "Annapolis" becomes "napliss", "cigarette" becomes "cigrette".
  • epenthetic [ɹ]; notably, "wash" is pronounced as [wɑɹʃ], popularly written as "warsh."
  • elision is common

[edit] Notable speakers

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Phonological Atlas of North America
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