# Words (or syllables) that give an indication of where you're from **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 30, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789 "2019-05-30T20:28:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/1 "2019-05-30T20:28:23Z")
“Tolo” - what is (apparently) commonly referred to in other parts of the country as a “Sadie Hawkins dance.” “Pee-chee” - a term that my wife (and she’s no dummy) had never heard of until she moved from {undisclosed place #1} to {undisclosed place #2}. Canadians being known for “,eh?” (similarly - or not - Argentines are known for saying “che!” at the end of sentences [or they used to be, at least. So much so that in Chile’s “national comic book,” _Condorito_, the regularly-featured Argentine character was/is named “Che Copete.”] I’m sure there are other terms/sounds “out there” that people feel when they hear them they can confidently say to themselves, “I know where that person’s from!” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/2 "2019-05-30T20:30:25Z")
If someone says their waiting “on line” (vs in line) you know they’re from NY If they say “The 405” they’re from Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/3 "2019-05-30T20:41:33Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > Canadians being known for “,eh?” (similarly - or not - Argentines are known for saying “che!” at the end of sentences [or they used to be, at least. Funnily enough, people from Edinburgh, but not other parts of Scotland, also use ‘eh’ at the end of sentences in the same way. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/4 "2019-05-30T20:43:14Z")
If you’re in the Midwestern U.S., and someone says the term “bubbler” for a water fountain, you can be pretty confident that they’re from eastern Wisconsin. (Though, the term is also apparently used in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/5 "2019-05-30T20:45:01Z")
“Yinz” (for “you all”) is Western Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/6 "2019-05-30T20:46:56Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > I’m sure there are other terms/sounds “out there” that people feel when they hear them they can confidently say to themselves, “I know where that person’s from!” Dundee people have a very distinct pronounciation of any word that has a long ‘i’ - pie, five, aye, eye & drive are pronounced peh, fehve, eh, eh & drehve and so on. You probably can’t go 50 miles anywhere in the old world without encountering something like this, but by English speaking, even Scottish standards, the Dundee accent is something unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/7 "2019-05-30T20:48:57Z")
I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years, and I recall a few terms common that were common there that I’d never heard before: Bumbershoot (umbrella) Jumbo (bologna) Buggy (grocery cart) Red Up (to clean or fix something) I’m sure there’s more, but it’s been a long time. I don’t know how specific to western PA the terms were, but I never heard them growing up in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/8 "2019-05-30T20:50:33Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > “Pee-chee” - a term that my wife (and she’s no dummy) had never heard of until she moved from {undisclosed place #1} to {undisclosed place #2}. Well, I’ll disclose that everyone in Seattle grew up with school folders with “So-70s-They-Scream-Disco” drawings of happy athletes on them. Pee-chee was the brand, but became the generic name for a folder. ETA: Omigosh, [you can still buy them!](https://www.amazon.com/Mead-2-Pocket-Portfolio-Assorted-73331/dp/B00X7NQDP8/ref=asc_df_B00X7NQDP8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198095693473&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1591060559340423736&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1028057&hvtargid=pla-350387156109&psc=1) We had friends who were at the 1960(?) World’s Fair in NYC. They asked a guard where they could find a bubbler. The man pointed “Past this building and around that corner and how are things in Milwaukee?” They were indeed from Milwaukee. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/9 "2019-05-30T21:06:04Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > “Tolo” - what is (apparently) commonly referred to in other parts of the country as a “Sadie Hawkins dance.” Or a morp. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/10 "2019-05-30T21:22:43Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If you’re in the Midwestern U.S., and someone says the term “bubbler” for a water fountain, you can be pretty confident that they’re from eastern Wisconsin. (Though, the term is also apparently used in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.) Never knew it was used outside of RI (and nearby areas of MA). We have several of these, ‘down cellar’ for basement as an example. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/11 "2019-05-30T21:25:35Z")
Philadelphia has picked up the word ‘jawn’ as a sort of substitute for anything. It started after I left there so I don’t get it. Plenty of words uncommon outside of the south, britches for pants (from breaches). ‘Hollar’ for a hollow (a small valley or depression). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/12 "2019-05-30T21:33:28Z")
Can’t you be too big for your britches anywhere? Or am I getting old? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/13 "2019-05-30T22:01:03Z")
“_Pues_” (“then”) as the Pamplona equivalent of the Canadian “eh”; often used by humorists from the neighboring areas to identify someone as being from Pamplona, although people who are from more than about 200km away may completely miss the characterization. Irl it may be met with “so then… we’re from Pamplona, then?” or similar. > [@racepug](#): > > Canadians being known for “,eh?” (similarly - or not - Argentines are known for saying “che!” at the end of sentences [or they used to be, at least. So much so that in Chile’s “national comic book,” _Condorito_, the regularly-featured Argentine character was/is named “Che Copete.”] It’s also where Ernesto Guevara got his nick. One of the distinctions between Spanish dialects is the ending we use for diminutives. Officially, the general version is _-ito_; _-ico_ is from Navarro-Aragonés (but can be found in multiple Latin American locations as well); _-illo_ is from Andalusian (but not from Extremeño, which in other respects is very similar to Western Andalusian dialects). And if you’re from Costa Rica or from Navarre, you’re likely to pile 'em up: _aquí cerquitica_ (real, real close by); _chiquirriquitico_ (wee little child). ---
**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:** [May 30, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/14 "2019-05-30T22:03:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If you’re in the Midwestern U.S., and someone says the term “bubbler” for a water fountain, you can be pretty confident that they’re from eastern Wisconsin. (Though, the term is also apparently used in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.) I ddn’t know about the eastern usage! I was in LA and talking to some locals and said how I liked the ocean. Must be something about how I said the “o” as long o “OH shen”, because they said, “you’re from Wisconsin, right?” > [@Procrustus](#): > > If they say “The 405” they’re from Southern California. If someone says “the 10”, they are from SoCal If they say I-10, they are from anywhere else, but if they say “the I-10” they’re from Phoenix metro. We are a weird hybrid. > [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > Red Up (to clean or fix something) It must be so - Goren used it as a clue in an episode of L&O:CI. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/15 "2019-05-30T23:12:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Never knew it was used outside of RI (and nearby areas of MA). We have several of these, ‘down cellar’ for basement as an example. Here’s [the dialect map](https://cdn0.wideopeneats.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/lets-ignore-the-east-coastwest-coast-split-and-notice-that-wisconsin-and-rhode-island-call-a-water-fountain-a-bubbler.png) for “water fountain” (red), “drinking fountain” (blue), and “bubbler” (green). Two little green blobs. 😃 The term [may have come from a particular design of drinking fountain made by the Kohler Company](http://whoonew.com/2015/03/closer-look-why-bubbler-in-wisconsin/) (based in eastern Wisconsin), though it’s not entirely clear. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/16 "2019-05-30T23:27:59Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > “_Pues_” (“then”) as the Pamplona equivalent of the Canadian “eh”; often used by humorists from the neighboring areas to identify someone as being from Pamplona, although people who are from more than about 200km away may completely miss the characterization. Irl it may be met with “so then… we’re from Pamplona, then?” or similar. > > It’s also where Ernesto Guevara got his nick. > > One of the distinctions between Spanish dialects is the ending we use for diminutives. Officially, the general version is _-ito_; _-ico_ is from Navarro-Aragonés (but can be found in multiple Latin American locations as well); _-illo_ is from Andalusian (but not from Extremeño, which in other respects is very similar to Western Andalusian dialects). And if you’re from Costa Rica or from Navarre, you’re likely to pile 'em up: _aquí cerquitica_ (real, real close by); _chiquirriquitico_ (wee little child). “Pues” was taught when I took Spanish in high school (many, many years ago, now). My dad (from Chile) always scoffed. But he was very jingoistic about Chile (South America, 2nd). For example, when I told him that we’d learned “alpinismo” as a word for “skiing” in Spanish, his response was something along the lines of: “‘Alpinismo’? Hogwash! In Chile we say ‘andinismo’!” (he was/is a VERY proud _Chileno_ [although he later became a naturalized citizen of the U.S.]) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/17 "2019-05-30T23:44:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Here’s [the dialect map](https://cdn0.wideopeneats.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/lets-ignore-the-east-coastwest-coast-split-and-notice-that-wisconsin-and-rhode-island-call-a-water-fountain-a-bubbler.png) for “water fountain” (red), “drinking fountain” (blue), and “bubbler” (green). Two little green blobs. 😃 Your blob is bigger than our state (which is usually over-represented on maps in order to see it). > [@](#): > > The term [may have come from a particular design of drinking fountain made by the Kohler Company](http://whoonew.com/2015/03/closer-look-why-bubbler-in-wisconsin/) (based in eastern Wisconsin), though it’s not entirely clear. Interesting article. Conventional big bottle of water dispensers still seem like the most likely explanation. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/18 "2019-05-30T23:47:11Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I ddn’t know about the eastern usage! > > I was in LA and talking to some locals and said how I liked the ocean. Must be something about how I said the “o” as long o “OH shen”, because they said, “you’re from Wisconsin, right?” Didn’t know about that one. People do pick up my Midlantic origin when I pronounce the word ‘on’ like ‘awn’. OTOH up here in the Boston region they don’t seem to be able to differentiate the words ‘dawn’ and ‘don’. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/19 "2019-05-30T23:54:21Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years, and I recall a few terms common that were common there that I’d never heard before: > > Bumbershoot (umbrella) > > Jumbo (bologna) > > Buggy (grocery cart) > > Red Up (to clean or fix something) > > I’m sure there’s more, but it’s been a long time. I don’t know how specific to western PA the terms were, but I never heard them growing up in Texas. FYI, it’s “redd” up, not red up. Yinzers tend to use the word “leave” and “let” interchangeably in ways that they aren’t used elsewhere in the country. Yinzers also often leave out the words “to be” in a sentence, as in “my clothes need washed”, instead of “my clothes need to be washed.” The Yinzer accent also sometimes inserts an R sound where there isn’t one, so “washed” can sound like “warshed”. I grew up in West Virginia, but I was close enough to Pittsburgh that I have a lot of the yinzer-isms in my speech. Buggy for grocery cart is a southern thing. It’s not specific to western PA. Bumbershoot isn’t a common word these days, but it’s not specific to PA. There’s a yearly Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, for example. Jumbo Balogna used to be a local brand name. I don’t think it exists any more, but that’s where the name comes from. To add to your list: Hoagie is mostly a Pennsylvania word for submarine sandwich. It’s not a Pittsburgh-ism but it is mostly PA specific. I believe it started in Philadelphia. We also often call a thorny bush a “jagger bush”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/20 "2019-05-31T00:20:20Z")
In Shpoygin, Scansin, we have: “ **stop and go lights** ” instead of stoplights “ **En so**?” as a regular interjection in conversation. “ **C’mere once** ” instead of “Come over here” “ **Ainna** ” instead of “isn’t it” or even “ain’t it”. “ **Start wit me last** ” meaning you’re telling the waitress to take everyone else’s orders first. " **schmeltin’** means going fishing for smelt. And bite they tiny heads off. “ **doze** ” for “those”. You can hear Sheboygander-speak in all its glory here: [Soundboard | Visit Sheboygan](https://visitsheboygan.com/soundboard/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789.md?page=2)