# One word that pinpoints your home state **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860 "2016-07-01T12:44:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/1 "2016-07-01T12:44:40Z")
Here’s the challenge, pick one word and one word only that when spoken lets you know that the speaker is a native of your state. I’m talking about accent not a unique phrase. For New Jersey it’s tough. For a small state the accent is very varied. South Jersey is greatly influenced by the Philly accent. North Jersey is greatly influenced by the New York City accent. In between tends to be more generic mid-Atlantic. One word I can think of is the name of our capital. Those outside of the state tend to clearly pronounce both syllables, Tren-ton. Jerseyites tend to blend the two together and drop the t, Tre-in. Much more noticeable in South Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/2 "2016-07-01T12:49:34Z")
Y’all (Texas) Youns (Western PA) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/3 "2016-07-01T12:52:15Z")
Sauna. If you pronounce it correctly, per the Finnish, “Sow-na”, you’re a Yooper, no question. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/4 "2016-07-01T13:02:48Z")
No longer my home, but “hella” is hella Northern California. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/5 "2016-07-01T13:27:48Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No longer my home, but “hella” is hella Northern California. I’ve lived in NorCal for 30 years and that means nothing to me. If it’s just one word, probably “wine”. My home state is Rhode Island And I’d say “Quahog”, but not sure that would mean anything to folks not from there. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/6 "2016-07-01T13:32:02Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No longer my home, but “hella” is hella Northern California. I think you missed the part where I’m not looking for slang unique to the state. Looking for pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/7 "2016-07-01T13:33:22Z")
\ Like so many things… there isn’t one. There are boring states, and bland states, but ours is pretty much the invisible state. By choice. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/8 "2016-07-01T13:59:50Z")
Any one of the following county and city names will quickly let you know who is “from here” and who ain’t. -Houston county is HOWstun, not HYUston -Taliaferro county is TAHLiver (rhymes with Oliver), not any of the 100’s of mispronunciations I’ve heard -The city of Dacula is duhKYUla, not DAKula ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/9 "2016-07-01T14:00:38Z")
There really can’t be for PA. The Philly accent is shared with a lot of the eastern seaboard, while the Pittsburgh accent is basically midwest. Incidentally, I also say Tren’n for the capital of our neighbor to the east. On the other hand, the cite of the governor’s mansion gets its full “Prince-ton” ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/10 "2016-07-01T14:23:17Z")
It’s will-AM-ette, not william-ette. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/11 "2016-07-01T14:37:00Z")
Just saying the name of the state. For the southern 2/3, it’s “Ahia.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/12 "2016-07-01T14:43:29Z")
Apparently. for me at least, it is the word “Ocean.” When I lived it LA, and I was talking to some locals, I said I like going to the ocean. Immediately one said, “Oh you’re from Wisconsin!” I’m not sure how I say it that is different (sounds OK to me) but it must be recognizable. Probably the long-er OOO. Maybe any word with an initial O might be a giveaway. Anyway, I think y’all talk funny and I’m correct. You betchya. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/13 "2016-07-01T14:47:30Z")
“Wicked” or possibly “pissah” - Massachusetts ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/14 "2016-07-01T14:51:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Here’s the challenge, pick one word and one word only that when spoken lets you know that the speaker is a native of your state. I’m talking about accent not a unique phrase. > > For New Jersey it’s tough. For a small state the accent is very varied. South Jersey is greatly influenced by the Philly accent. North Jersey is greatly influenced by the New York City accent. In between tends to be more generic mid-Atlantic. One word I can think of is the name of our capital. Those outside of the state tend to clearly pronounce both syllables, Tren-ton. Jerseyites tend to blend the two together and drop the t, Tre-in. Much more noticeable in South Jersey. I have been told that I say ‘water’ (what-a) and ‘coffee’ (caw-fee) fairly distinctly, while the rest of my speech sounds neutral. (I absolutely loath the whole “you from JOISEY” stuff) FWIW, I’ve always pronounced the capital as ‘Tren-ton’, and I’m from the Shore (don’t get me started on what happens when I mention that to non-Jerseyites). ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/15 "2016-07-01T15:01:44Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/16 "2016-07-01T15:07:33Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No longer my home, but “hella” is hella Northern California. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’ve lived in NorCal for 30 years and that means nothing to me. > > If it’s just one word, probably “wine”. > > My home state is > > Rhode Island > > And I’d say “Quahog”, but not sure that would mean anything to folks not from there. I should have read more than just the title, _duuuuude!_😉 But still, I have not heard the “hella” you speak of, _duuuuude_. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/17 "2016-07-01T15:11:23Z")
For Rhode Island, maybe the way we pronounce Warwick (where the airport is). It’s “War-ik”, but more like it was just one syllable. Not “WAR- wick”. However, that is more a generic New England pronunciation rather than peculiar to RI. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/18 "2016-07-01T15:15:20Z")
I’m from western PA. In a bar in St Martin a guy told me he could tell from my speech where I was from. He even bet me a drink on it. “OK, bet accepted, where am I from?” “Not around here.” I bought him a drink (T-Ponch). Later he bought me one. I reciprocated. etc. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/19 "2016-07-01T15:23:55Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Y’all (Texas) > > Youns (Western PA) Ya’ll tends to be a lot of the South and in Western PA its actually yinz. With jagoff being a close second. > **[PITTSBURGHESE .com](http://www.pittsburghese.com/)** > > Learn the official language of Pittsburgh! Also the home of the Reflections of Pittsburgh photo prints! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860/20 "2016-07-01T15:25:01Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But still, I have not heard the “hella” you speak of, _duuuuude_. I’m familiar with “hella,” but I’ve only heard it from Australians. It does appear, after some Googling, to be a San Francisco area word, though. I’m from Chicago, but we have quite a distinct accent from the rest of the state. I can’t think of a particular word that would be a specific Illinois pronunciation and not regionalizing me to the Chicago area. Maybe “KAY-roh” for the city of “Cairo, Illinois”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-word-that-pinpoints-your-home-state/758860.md?page=2)