Where did the accent in mass. come from??

[OgreFade]

I'm just wondering, because I can't think of any place it should come from. Then again, I haven't been many places. Can anyone tell me where the accent comes from? Like if its a country.. or whatever reason? Please?

Thanks alot dopers!

What accent?

Hey, YOU'RE the one with the accent, pal! :D



------------------
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" - the White Queen

[OgreFade]

i was just wondering...... sorry....

[Wendell Wagner]

Your question is incomprehensible. What's "mass."? Why can't you be bothered to write out your question in full? Is it that hard to write one paragraph? What accent are you talking about? Why do you think it's strange that the accent should exist? Don't expect us to waste our time answering a question that you can't be bothered to clearly state.

[whitetho]

I'm pretty sure the "mass." in this question refers to Massachusetts. And I think its an interesting question--people in that state have a variety of accents, some similar to British accents, some unique.

[OgreFade]

he's write i guess. Nevermind, don't answer the question if you feel personally offended by it. Flame away. Its nothing i can't take. I just wondered why those in that particular portion of the country spoke differently.

"paak tha caar in haavaad yaaad' hehe.

But if you're too disturbed that I didn't bother to spell out Massachusetts. There it is..LOOK AT IT?? I'm sorry you couldn't grasp that. MA would have worked better? Perhaps I should have named cities, in the state or perhaps its geologic location.

I was asked by a friend, and I'm puzzled as well. If you don't understand the question you could always ask me to clarify, that isn't too hard. Maybe perhaps before you go an insult someone. Incomprehensible, .. as well as bothered.. that is a blatant assault on my character. Honestly, you must be a little light upstairs if you couldn't figure it out.

interesting. You found it nessicery to blast me.. You call me lazy, worthless, a bad writer, apathetic, and stupid as well.

I don't really appreiciate it. I still want my question answered. Evidentally you didn't have CLUE what i was talking about. If someone asks you a question about thermodynamics in superfluous state, in a vacuum, lacking gravity, and you don't understand.... do you call them stupid? .. if you can't understand an acronym, do you call them LAZY? I don't know what VESPR means.. YOUR LAZY.. because you don't write it out.. even though it is a common chemistry abreiviation.

Also I know I'm not the best when it comes to the pen or the keyboard. It would mean i was using crayons and couldn't spell my own name backwords if it took me a paragraph to write out this question. HONESTLY.

How's that? Is that lazy? Do you know what state i'm talking about. Also an accent is generally referred to as speech pronounced differently than your own. If you didn't know. Tell me if there are any other problems you have with my question.


OgreFade
_________________________
If life is a stage, I want to operate the trap door.

[casdave]

Ogrefade

Just get on with and write it out in full for us dim Brits eh!
How on earth would I know what you meant.If I were to ask what Glamorg stood for I'll bet you wouldn't know it's the Brit shortened way to refer to Glamorganshire-one of our counties, good grief, you never even capitalized it.

.

My monitor is not a crstal ball-talk to me!

[OgreFade]

Right, I woudln't even presume to try and answer a question posed .. about "Glamorganshire" now would I? Being that I do not understand the question, I wouldn't proceed to attack you.. for asking it.

How about I call you stupid and lazy because I don't know anything about britan. OH MY GOD I Didn't capitalize it! I'm so sorry. I know that its such a very important thing, I didn't know i was being criticized for my grammer.

Okay, here's the grade school version

Massachusetts is a state in the north eastern part of the united states((when the needle of a compass(a tool that uses magnetics to point to the same direction every time.) goes between the places labeled NORTH.. and EAST)The United States is a country in NORTH AMERICA.. that sits between the atlantic and pacific oceans..(ocean is a BIG body of water)with CANADA and MEXICO boarding to is north and south respecivly.). My question.... Why do these people speak (speaking.. also known as talking..) in a different (not the same)way than most(being everyone who doesn't talk that way)? Also where does this origniate (originate means 'where does it come from").

Does this work for you??


OgreFade
______________

My monitor isn't a crystal ball. My brain uses common sense.

[WallyM7]

No.

[OgreFade]

how can i clear it up for you?

[waterj2]

Just admit that you could have phrased the question better. Hell, I live in Massachusetts and couldn't quite figure out what you meant. For one thing, you asked "where" as if the Massachusetts accent arrived in a boat from, say, France. No one was asking you where Massachusetts is, just to refer to it in a way that lets us know what you are talking about. Like perhaps by capitilizing it.

English speakers all over the world use a variety of different accents. There really aren't that many reasons. There is no such thing as accentless speech. How would you feel if CasDave asked why all Americans mispronounce everything so badly? Hell, we Massachusettians(???) probably speak English more correctly as compared to the original source than you (whatever part of the country you happen to live in).

Massachusetts is hardly the only place known for having a strange accent. There's New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, Minnesota, Texas, the South, Southern California, etc. And that's just in the U.S. Why does the rest of America overenunciate the letter R so much? It doesn't really seem necessary. I can tell what people mean when they say Harvard the way it's supposed to be said, and am rather confused why so many people insist on it being Harrvarrd.

[casdave]

Ogrefade

I think you will find if you take the trouble to look, that a previous poster mentioned something about there possibly being an English based accent.

Forgive me for my ignorance but I do believe that some early settlers to your wide and wonderful land are rumoured to have been from these islands,thus had you been capable of illustrating your point more cogently I might have been able to point you in the right direction.

You are a student? Presumably you would know then the to capitalize a word that it is usually taken to mean that word is a proper noun unless it is a title or start of a sentence.

If you had chosen to do this and if you had illustrated things better from your first post I think you would be likely to get an answer sooner rather than later.

Now I might have been more helpful to you, I could have searched for the answer for you and ,who knows ,I might even have been able to speak directly to some of those pre-settlement ancestors.

Just supposing I had done so and had been able to come up with a family connection between you and some ancestral family of yours,wouldn't that have been nice?

Who know maybe one of those ancestors may even have had a title ready for you- the last of the line-to inherit.

It's possible that in just a few weeks time you could be sitting in an English stately home as a Duke or an Earl with thousands of acres of beautiful English countryside at your disposal, a string of polo horses, and a permanent invitation to dine with the most gorgeous people on earth.

BUT

Since you are such an arsehole I guess I'll not bother.
You'll just have to stay over there and afflict the poor ,innocent residents of the US with your childish mindless rantings.


.


------------------
Do not wait for the last judgement-It takes place every day
CAMUS-The Fall

[Billy_da_PT]

Casdave - Oooh, oooh! If Ogrefade's castle and lands are still up for grabs, lemme know! I've always wanted to be surrounded by the beautiful people. :D

------------------
Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

[tshirts]

OgreFade-

These guys don't have any answers for your perfectly reasonable question. Your best bet now is to let go for a few days, until it drops of the radar, and try again. I wouldn't even spell out the state. The first person to respond to a thread seem to set the tone, and it goes downhill from there. With luck, next time the first person to answer will know something of value and the hecklers will avoid the thread.

[johnson]

I guess they capitalize proper nouns on the other side of the pond, but don't use spaces after commas. ;)

[OgreFade]

here we go again..

I guess some people aren't quite as intelligent as they would like is to think.

Ok admissions

I didn't think I was talking to those who barely made it through grade school. I didn't think they would have the information. So I could have made the question more clear.


Waterj2
If you live in mass. then you should know better than anyone. Yes it did come on a boat.. in one way or another... just like many words have an entemology (sp) I figured this accent woudl have one also. I don't really care about hte other places because I don't have friends there.

All i wanted was an answer.... not a critisizm of my speech, not a questioning of my ability to inquire about something I do not know.

If you asked me how to make a laser.. I'd have to tell you i didn't know. I wouldn't bust your balls because you didn't put a question mark at the end.

casdave
Yes yes... casdave did in fact..mention the english possiblity. Thats like saying.. "I'd like to know how to fly a plane" I answer. "sit in it and fly it"

I'm fairly certain that, that part of the country was in fact contributed to by those 'islands'. I didn't even care to make this an american versus stupid limey r. soles

Sure I'm a student. A student of life. Who cares what my backgroudn is. If eveyrthing on this friggen board had to be gramatically corect I'd spell everything right use a spell checker, and the moderators would take my questions away from me.. as well as countless others on this board.

Either that or you could figure it out instead of acting retarded, you could have taken the time to ask NICELY. perhaps that doesn't matter to you. Just be an ass to anyone you can. I've seen more maturity in small rodents.

Also my grandmother has traced my geneology back previous to the mayflower. As you have shown, no one back there would want me anyway.

Yes yes, I happen to be a poor college student, that asked a simple question, and you shove the entire history of your country down my throat, so I don't really want your answer. I'd rather like the answer from someone who happened to know. Mayhaps my rants are... mindless.

Then again, you've managed to ruin my curiosity and purge the fun out of this message board for me. I'd still like to know.. but it really has taken the fun out of it. I guess you think you're very prim and proper as you call me an arsehole, mindless stupid, lazy, inflicting people wiht my presents, threaten me, make fun of me, i really don't see why you should even come here.

I remember my mother saying.. "if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all"

Now I was having a bad day, and that just took the cake. I even appologized to the first guy, but YOU.. YOU INSOLENT LITTLE BUGGER. You pissed me off.. You keep coming back for more. Americans are notorious for being brutish. I'm 6'6" if you said that to me in person.. You'd get two warnings and I'd take your block off.

DO NOT. INTERREGATE ME ABOUT MY SELF WORTH, PERSONAL STANDINGS, PERSONAL LIFE, EDUCATION, MORALS, OR EVEN MY FAMILY. OVER A STUPID QUESTION. HOW YOU CAN EVEN FATHOM TO BASE MY ACTIONS HERE AS A BASIS FOR ANYTHING IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Afflicting people, my god, what if perhaps I was suicidal? What if these attacks against me were taken SO PERSONAL, I decided I was completely worthless, and ended my own life?

What if i were that depressed? Hmm? What if other events were so bad, that I came home just to enjoy the presents of people who did not judge me by anything, and answered my little questions about lifes mysteries? What if you pushed me to kill myself? How would you feel. would it matter that i didn't capitalize the letter M... Is that worht my life? Did you even CONSIDER THAT? EVER?

Were you seo SELFISH.. That you decided your character was so far beyond mine.. that you can tell me how to live my life, knowing nothing more than A SIMPLE QUESTION I ASKED?

How would you feel in the morning? Its possible that I'm some very intelligent super hacker, and I know where you live, who your family is, and I just happen to have the money to hire a hit man.. in a few weeks time.. you could be lying in your beautiful grounds. I'm not either, I happen to be a poor college student, who had a bad day, is depressed, and just wanted to know why some peole talked the way they FUCKING talked. Okay?

If you don't know anything abou tthe way they talked.. then stay off my topic.

If you wanna reply you go for it

I'm going to go eat some damn dinner, and I'm not going to enjoy it, because I'm really pissed off.

OGREFADE
_____________
Sniper, One shot one kill.

Geez, I can't believe it. I go upstairs for FIVE minutes, and come back down, and look at this place!! Whatjaguys do, have a war? All right, I don't CARE who started it, I want it all picked up RIGHT NOW. I'm gonna go down to the 7-11 and get some milk; I want it clean by the time I get back.

And play nice now. I mean it. No biting.

:rolleyes:


------------------
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" - the White Queen

OgreFade, if you're still listening, I hope you understand that I at least was teasing you. My mother used to say, "Be glad when the other kids tease you; it's better to be teased than to be ignored."

The thing is, you asked a practically unaswerable question, OK? A person would have to have a Ph.D in linguistics, history, speech pathology, and dialects to answer it, and our collective mind just boggled.

It was kind of like asking, "Why do women wear dresses?" Just terribly complex, and you took us by surprise.

Not that it's a DUMB question, OK, just that I think it's beyond the scope of this forum.

And as for the subsequent flaming, well, hey, you've been here for a little while, you must know that's how it works. Like they say, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen."

You have to be ready at any time to shout, "Incoming!" and duck for cover. It's just the way the game is played, babe. OK?

You're right, some people in Massachusetts do have a distinct accent, sometimes known as "Yankee". However, it's dying out, because people move around so much, and your next door neighbor in Boston is just as likely to hail from Iowa and speak fluent "Midwestern", as to be from Concord and speak "Yankee".

But as to why people develop different regional accents, or where all the accents come from, gee, I dunno.

------------------
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" - the White Queen

[OgreFade]

say fine.. i don't care anymore. no one will answer honestly anymore. Oh well life goes on.

I quit.. unless that guy says something else to me.

I'll likely say something. I guess i can't take the flames. Someone kick me out of the message boards.

[Anti Pro]

Hey hon, don't let this ruin your digestion, ok?

I'm from Atlanta, GA, so I can't help with how or why people have their particular kinds of accents in Massachusetts (or anywhere else!)

But, we have neighbors that just moved to a house down the street, they are from Bah--stun (that's 'Boston') It tickles me to pieces to hear the mom yell at her son, 'Jaaahnnn, don't go in that naybuh's yaaaarddd!'

Or how about Louisiana? We had a policeman move here from there, I can hardly listen to what he is saying, for just listening to HOW he says it! It's kinda neat, really.

I suppose we are a blend of all kinds of accents, of course, the SOUTH being the best!! :D
--------
Judy

------------------
"Muck should replace 'suck'. For 'muck' is yucky, while 'suck' feels very lucky. So, don't stay stuck on suck, switch to MUCK, today."

[OgreFade]

i just wanted to know.. cuz i have a friend going to BU

[KCB615]

To start, shouldn't this be in the Pit? To toss some fuel on the fire, though.... The orignal question was vauge enough that I didn't know the topic, and, like Waterj2, I live in Massachusetts (and proudly have for my entire life). Cut the 'tude, admit that it was a vauge question, and relax. No need to get all in a tizzy over a clarification errror. Geez.

But moving on:

The name "Massachusetts" did not arrive on a boat, it walked down from current-day New Hampshire. An Algonquian tribe called the Massachuset lived there, and thus the Massachusetts Bay was named after them. When Boston was colonized in 1630, the Puritans called it the "Massachusetts Bay Colony," after the Massachusetts Bay Company that they had formed to make the trip over here. I'd say how they pronounced the name (or a corruption thereof) is where our "funny way" of pronouncing our name came from.

To Waterj2: We're not "Massachusettians," we're Bay Staters. At least thats what the General Court says. I'd figure they'd somehow throw the word "Massachusetts" in there, but what do I know.

And finally, from Notthemama:
You're right, some people in Massachusetts do have a distinct accent, sometimes known as "Yankee".

Between you and me, if you ever use the words "Massachusetts" and "Yankee" in the same sentence again, I'd break your kneecaps. Any true Bay Stater would be offended by it...keep those pin-striped fools in the Armpit (sorry, New York) where they belong :)


------------------
Jeremy....

Nobody ever calls me after they've done something smart.

[waterj2]

What I was attempting to explain was that there is no specific cause to the fact that people in a certain area speak one way. Massachusetts was first inhabited by English speakers in 1620. They were from England, so they all spoke like seventeenth century Englishmen. Over the intervening 380 years of being isolated from England, they developed their own way of speaking. There have been many waves of immigrants, as well as continual contact with other Americans as well. People in other parts of the country developed other ways of talking. There is nothing terribly unique about Massachusetts, we have to have some sort of accent.

[evilbeth]

OgreFade, I have no idea why everyone had such a fit over your OP. Honestly, I think everyone has either had too much caffeine or not enough fiber. I would apologize on behalf of people but I'd probably get flamed for that and too much room has been taken up already. This habit of attacking people for not doing things precisely as you would have liked has gotten out of hand. But since this is not the Pit[/b]

Okay, now that that is out of the way, I have no idea why people from Massachusetts speak that way! I guess it's just a way to make sure that no matter how hard we try, we can't all be exactly the same! Diversity is good! The accent is probably able to be traced back to the original settlers of that area. (That sentence made no sense!)

------------------
"You don't have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die." --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!

A Jesusfied sig: Next time I covet thine opinion, I'll ask for it!

[OgreFade]

you officially did NOT READ!! I ADMITTED IT!!! FUCK THIS!

I WROTE A BAD QUESTION. I'M WORTHLESS ON THE MB OK? I WROTE A BAD QUESTION!!!!! Happy accusing me? THANKS.

NO one can answer this question... moderator I'd be happy if you closed this stupid topic. I messed up.. I quit. I'm not going to post anything again. Call me a poor sport I can take only so much.

Screw this place. I Don't need it. All i wanted was two questions both were legit all i got was smart ass answers... and flames. FUCK IT.

if you really feel the need to flame me more.. Then email me. OgreFade@yahoo.com

cya later.. ihope you're all proud.

[waterj2]

KCB15, you've lived your entire life in Massachusetts, you're proud of this, you repeat a number of my sentiments, and your name is Jeremy? Are you sure you're not me?

[KCB615]

From Waterj2:KCB615, you've lived your entire life in Massachusetts, you're proud of this, you repeat a number of my sentiments, and your name is Jeremy? Are you sure you're not me?

Sure am...we're from different parts of the Commonwealth. The rest of the Bay Staters think us people from the Fall River (pronounced: Fall Riv-uh) area talk funny. I just emailed you a little list about our peculiarities, if you haven't seen it before, I'm sure you'll agree with it.

Oh, I forgot to add something to may last post regarding what people from Massachusetts are called. People from down north (yes, down north, its a local thing), particularly Maine and New Hampshire from my experience, call us "Massholes." And yes, we take it as a complement.


------------------
Jeremy....

Nobody ever calls me after they've done something smart.

[MrKnowItAll]

:::looks around:::

What the hell happened here?

------------------
God is my co-pilot. Blame Him.

[pennys]

Dear Ogrefade,
Try the book version of that excellent series "The Story of English" which from memory devoted a whole chapter to New England accents. I think it aired on PBS or whatever that educational channel is called.

I hate to say this but I was puzzled as to whether this was a question about the Pope's accent!

[evilbeth]

Originally posted by pennys:
[B]Dear Ogrefade,
Try the book version of that excellent series "The Story of English" which from memory devoted a whole chapter to New England accents. I think it aired on PBS or whatever that educational channel is called.

[B]

Excellent suggestion. You should see if you can get a copy of the PBS series. It is wonderful and includes (of course!) several auditory examples of how the Massachusetts accent varies from area to area.



------------------
"You don't have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die." --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!

A Jesusfied sig: Next time I covet thine opinion, I'll ask for it!

[casdave]

Ogrefade

And to think that I thought your post name was fairly cool :)


Sorry to read that you are rather hacked off right now.I only just caught your other thread, guess I didn't help, eh?

BTW I think I straight insulted you ,not pleasant I know, but I felt that you jumped down my throat rather on the first post I made to this thread after you took a chunk out of someone else.Maybe my comment was too strong. A simple wittily coined put down by you would have been enough ,maybe no comment from me would have been better still.

One thing I did not do was make any threats however .If you look back you'll see that you made a comment as to how small you think I am and how large you are and what you could do if you were inclined.

You then posited several scenarios where you suggested that it was possible that you could be all manner of things and have all manner of motivations, before you told me what you are.
That,to me, was impied threat but I could be wrong.

Since I don't know you then it is reasonable to assume you do not know me, so how could you assume that I would not have the answer you sought?
You would not know that I am quite interested in social history but it is true.

If you want to come across as more threatening then why not do it all in lower case?I find that when I'm shouted at I don't worry one little bit but when people talk quietly I take great heed of what they have to say-a quiet angry man is much more dangerous,it suggests thought, rationality and self control.

BjOrn's thread about sarcasm (which is quite hard to follow) applies well in this case.Sometimes the way something is meant is lost when the disarming body language and tone that goes with speech is not available.

So , was I wrong to hurt you, unreservedly yes, I was ignorant of the fact that you were having a bad time and I could have been more polite.

[mipsman]

When you said accent in mass. I thought you were asking whether it was mass-a-CHU-setts or MASS-a-chu-setts or mass-a-chu-SETTS or mass-A-chu-setts.

[Milossarian]

To everyone who flamed the OP, I have a new question:

Who pissed on your corn flakes?

Anyone on this side of the pond that couldn't figure out he was talking about Massachusetts must be a dimwit. And the accent there decidedly is NOT British. The question has legitimacy.

Ogrefade, if I may make a suggestion: Spelling and grammar mistakes are like gasoline near an open flame on this message board. Your posts have been rife with them. If such mistakes are your Achille's Heel, just keep on posting, ignore the attacks and posters here and there will help you answer your questions. But I'd work on it, m'kay?

------------------
"We are here for this -- to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out." Primo Levi

[whitetho]

I don't think you can talk about a single "Massachusetts" accent--there are a range of accents, partly based on economic class. William F. Buckley's "upper class" accent is, I think, a conscious attempt to "sound English". But both the Kennedys and your average Boston cabbie have very distinctive and different accents, and neither group sounds similar to me to any British accent I've ever heard, although for all I know there is a small British port somewhere where "everyone talks like that".

[manhattan]

Closed at the request of the OP.