Burg-a-lar
Jew-ler-y
Noo Joisey.
“I’m from Exit ___.”
Allow me to be the first local to come in and remind everyone that “vacationing New Yorker” does not equal “New Jerseyite”. If you hear someone from Jersey taking like that, then change the channel.
Pronouncing “water” like WOOD-er.
The city of Trenton is pronounced TREN’n, with a glottal stop in there. No “t”.
A South Jerseyism: You don’t “go to the shore” or “go to the beach,” you “go down the shore.” I think this only applies if you don’t actually live AT the beach/shore.
Moved Cafe Society --> IMHO.
Bingo. We go to the beach…Bennys go “down the shore”.
Yeah, I’m from Trenton, and those are both true, but the water/wooder thing is more a Philly-ism, IME.
Joe
Most of the Jersey-isms are going to be New Yawk things. North Joisy is a suburb of New Yark. South Jersey is a suburb of Philadelphia. These are two distinct accents with different regional speak.
New Yawkers have great idears. Philly people drink wooder.
As a former Jerseyman*, I’ve never heard most of these pronunciations. I’m sure BrainGlutton’s entry is tongue-in-cheek, because nobody from New Jersey says “Noo Joisey”, except on SNL. And the “What Exit” thing has become a standard joke.
Burg-a-ler?
Jew-ler-y?
WOOD-r?
Not in my home town.
The only one here that rings true is carlb’s bit on the proper prionunciation of “Trenton”.
I’ll also add that “Newark” is something like “NOORK”, whereas the folks in Delaware pronounce their town as if it has two syllables.
Most of the things people think are New Jerseyisms are really New York or Philadelphia accents, most notoriously the Brooklyn accent.
*a tip of the Jersey hat to Ambrose Bierce, who suggested this term for a resident of New Jersey, but which no one uses. To my mind, it’s much better than “Jerseyite” or any of the other abominations that are use for state residents, except maybe “Garden Stater”.
So how do people in New Jersey pronounce those words? And what part of New Jersey are you talking about?
IME, joolry, sometimes wooder, and a normal burgler.
Joe
I’m from the Trenton area, too, and it always seemed to me like we’ve got a 50/50 mix of Philly- and New York-influenced speech. In some individuals (I think I’m one of them) it all sort of evens out into a generic “Mid-Atlantic” accent, in others it leans heavier toward one regional accent than the other, and in a small minority it becomes this weird mish-mash with elements of both.
But, yeah, the “wooder” thing is definitely more Philly-influenced, along with the less often heard “warsh” for “wash.”
Former South Jersey-ian* here: Wooder for sure. My kids still kid me about it.
- Audubon…Anyone?
Official state breakfast sandwich and hangover cure: Taylorhameggandcheeseonahardrollsaltpepperketchup (most often said just like that.)
Yeah, “Warshingtin, DC” I used to hear a lot…
Joe
Right down the road in Gloucester.
Let’s see. WOOD-er is a definite.
When I was growing up my teachers used to go insane getting kids to stop pronouncing color as “cowler”.
Then there’s my grandparents’ generation which seems to have an entirely different accent at times. I’ve heard jew-ler-y (though more like jewel-ler-y), “icen-ing” on a cake, the grocery store is the “Ac-a-me”, etc.
I live in South Jersey and there’s definitely a Philly-influenced accent. For example, Home is pronounced haeum, hoagie is pronounced haeugie, and out is pronounced aeut.
This thread: FAIL
New Jersey is fucked up in the middle (sorry Trenton, it’s not your fault).
The North is part of Metro NY
The South is part of Metro Philly
To jump in an go for Jersyisms requires that the OP heed the warning and pursue either New Yawkisms or Phillyisms.