# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/61 "2019-06-01T03:08:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > 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. It’s a “hero” in New York. Or at least in New York City. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/62 "2019-06-01T03:10:22Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > It’s a “hero” in New York. Or at least in New York City. In some parts of Westchester it’s a Wedge. Sub is nearly universal. Hot hoagies in Philly may be called Grinders. In some regions they are just called Italians. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/63 "2019-06-01T03:13:43Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > West coast: “soda” (sometimes “coke” is used as a generic for any soda) Midwest: “pop” I was in a theatre in Vancouver BC once and the fellow ahead of me in the concession line ordered a soda. The concession clerk looked puzzled and said “A soda?” He said “Yes” in an irritated voice. She poured him a soda water from the dispenser and gave it to him. “I didn’t ask for this!” he said in an irritated voice, put it back on the counter, and left to see the movie. Concession clerk looked puzzled at one of the other clerks, who shrugged and said “American.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/64 "2019-06-01T03:19:45Z")
In Saskatchewan, “boughten” is an old term in rural areas, likely dying out, for something bought at a store instead of home-made. “This bread is good. Did you bake it?” " No, it’s boughten." Slightly derogatory or shame-faced in tone, suggesting that a real housewife bakes her own bread, etc. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/65 "2019-06-01T03:22:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Chicagoans do that a lot too. “Sophie, I’m going down to da Aldi’s, ya need me to getcha anything?” And, of course, traditionally, “da Jools” (the local Jewel supermarket). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/66 "2019-06-01T03:26:17Z")
And if you pronounce “Saskatchewan” so the last syllable rhymes with “ran” you’re clearly from away. Certainly not from round here. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/67 "2019-06-01T03:32:40Z")
While hoagies are the Philly term, my father for some reason called them heroes. He’s an immigrant who learned English in Philadelphia; you’d think he would go with the dominant vernacular. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/68 "2019-06-01T03:43:21Z")
“Yo” when I try to get someone’s attention or to acknowledge my presence if someone is taking attendance betrays my Philly roots. My wife’s occasional mention of a “cheeseburg” or “hamburg” is an indication of her western Massachusetts origins. She also used to call milkshakes “frappes” and hoagies “grinders”. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/69 "2019-06-01T03:46:08Z")
My brother and I argue about that word that means river. He says that I am saying the word that means a door needs its hinges oiled. I tell him he is referred to a stiffness in the back of one’s neck. But I am not sure what the regional distribution of each pronunciation is. I think of his pronunciation as being Southern-ish, but he only lived in Florida for a brief year and has lived within sight of real mountains (not those pissant glorified hills that have no snow on them in August) for more than 60 years. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/70 "2019-06-01T03:55:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And, of course, traditionally, “da Jools” (the local Jewel supermarket). 🙂 🙂 I only picked Aldi for the national name recognition; otherwise, of course that sentence should have “da Jools” in it. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I would drop the “da” typically in both constructions (though probably not always), but “da Jools” is the stereotypical one. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/71 "2019-06-01T03:57:18Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > My brother and I argue about that word that means river. He says that I am saying the word that means a door needs its hinges oiled. I tell him he is referred to a stiffness in the back of one’s neck. But I am not sure what the regional distribution of each pronunciation is. I think of his pronunciation as being Southern-ish, but he only lived in Florida for a brief year and has lived within sight of real mountains (not those pissant glorified hills that have no snow on them in August) for more than 60 years. Crick is common in the south and in the Pacific northwest. Creek is also used in the south and other regions where brook or stream is not preferred. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/72 "2019-06-01T04:00:02Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > My brother and I argue about that word that means river. He says that I am saying the word that means a door needs its hinges oiled. I tell him he is referred to a stiffness in the back of one’s neck. But I am not sure what the regional distribution of each pronunciation is. I think of his pronunciation as being Southern-ish, but he only lived in Florida for a brief year and has lived within sight of real mountains (not those pissant glorified hills that have no snow on them in August) for more than 60 years. I grew up with the “creak” pronunciation of “creek,” but my father-in-law who grew up in basically the same neighborhood (though a generation and a half before me), says “crick.” He’s the only person I know from around here who says it this way. I think of it as a more rural pronunciation. I’m not sure if I think of it as explicitly Southern, though. I suspect parts of Illinois and Indiana outside major urban areas say it that way. I know he did spend a few years in the Great Plains states and I think Idaho, so perhaps he picked it up there. ETA: Shoulda guessed, of course there’s a map for that. [Here’s a heatmap of where the “crick” pronunciation is predominant](https://twitter.com/jwgrieve/status/634458724757831680). Looks like Great Plains and Idaho does explain my father-in-law’s pronunciation. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/73 "2019-06-01T04:06:00Z")
Missed the window. Substitute this ETA for the last: ETA: Shoulda guessed, of course there’s a map for that. [Here’s a heatmap of “crick” vs “creak.”](https://twitter.com/jwgrieve/status/634458724757831680). Looks like Great Plains and Idaho does seem to explain my father-in-law’s pronunciation, though the Chicago area doesn’t seem to heavily favor one or the other. Odd, as I don’t recall hearing it around here. Actually, [here’s another couple of maps](https://twitter.com/jwgrieve/status/618402470272831488) where I can understand the information a little better. With that, it seems like the Chicago area only has 0-5.6% pronouncing it as “crick,” which sounds right. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/74 "2019-06-01T04:09:34Z")
Almond. If pronounced correctly with a silent “L” sound, then you’re from San Juaquin/Sacramento valley farm country. Ignorant dorks from the rest of the world pronounce the “L”. As if, everyone _knows_ that you knock the 'ell out of 'em, when you shake them out of the tree at harvest time… ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/75 "2019-06-01T04:14:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Missed the window. Substitute this ETA for the last: > > ETA: Shoulda guessed, of course there’s a map for that. [Here’s a heatmap of “crick” vs “creak.”](https://twitter.com/jwgrieve/status/634458724757831680). Looks like Great Plains and Idaho does seem to explain my father-in-law’s pronunciation, though the Chicago area doesn’t seem to heavily favor one or the other. Odd, as I don’t recall hearing it around here. > > Actually, [here’s another couple of maps](https://twitter.com/jwgrieve/status/618402470272831488) where I can understand the information a little better. With that, it seems like the Chicago area only has 0-5.6% pronouncing it as “crick,” which sounds right. Creek and crick are barely used in many places as you can see from your maps. Using the word with either pronunciation is often a clue that you ain’t from 'round these parts. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/76 "2019-06-01T04:18:20Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Creek and crick are barely used in many places as you can see from your maps. Using the word with either pronunciation is often a clue that you ain’t from 'round these parts. That’s not my experience at all. “Creek” is a perfectly normal word for me, and I grew up in the city. Certainly much more common than brook around here. “Stream” may be the more popular term for a small body of water, but for named bodies, it’s creek. Chicago even has the famous “bubbly creek,” so named for the decomposing waste it would have from the Union Stockyards back in the day (and for many years after.) ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/77 "2019-06-01T04:24:46Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Hey, y’all! I’m fixin’ to get a coke. I’ll get you one if you’ll tell me what kind. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/78 "2019-06-01T04:28:12Z")
I’m not sure where you’re getting that they’re not common names from that map, either. [Here’s another map](https://derekwatkins.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/dwatkins_usstreamnames.png) breaking down local names for types of streams. Note the note: > [@](#): > > _River_ and _creek_ are the most common stream names in the United States, and appear as shades of gray on this map . Looking quickly online, we have 23 streams called “creeks” in the Chicago area. It is definitely not a barely used word. (And that doesn’t include the “Bubbly Creek” I mentioned above, as that’s a local nickname for it.) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2019, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/79 "2019-06-01T04:32:06Z")
When I lived in Portland, our power bills were paid to Portland General Electric. It was always amusing to turn on the local news and spot the reporter/anchor imported from California by them calling it P G **and** E. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789/80 "2019-06-01T04:33:16Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not sure where you’re getting that they’re not common names from that map, either. [Here’s another map](https://derekwatkins.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/dwatkins_usstreamnames.png) breaking down local names for types of streams. Note the note: > > . > > Looking quickly online, we have 23 streams called “creeks” in the Chicago area. Look at your map. There are areas all over the country where creek is not used. It’s not about how common it is across the country, it’s how uncommon it is in the areas that don’t use it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-or-syllables-that-give-an-indication-of-where-youre-from/834789.md?page=5)