Come to Warren
County from another part
of NJ, and you will immediate notice a strange and unfamiliar dialect spoken by
the locals. Not everyone talks this way, and I've even met some folks who,
curiously enough, sound like they're from New York. But those who have lived here most
or all of their lives, speak with a most curious local drawl.
What type of accent IS it? Well... I'm not quite sure
exactly. A little bit Philly, a little bit NEPA, maybe some Kentucky thrown in there just so outsiders will know that around here, we're just a li'l bit country. Generally, the Phillipsburg/Warren County manner of speech
involves the use of extra vowels in certain words, and the omission of
necessary vowels in others.
For example, "What's going on?" would be heard as,
"Whut's gyeauwwun ooouuuuhhhn?"
"My brother is coming over," might be spoken as,
"Mah brutherrz cummin eauohh-vurr."
There is also an emphasis on the 'L' sound in certain words,
that is likely borrowed from our friends in Philadelphia.
"Ah lluhhv llivin' in Lleauohh-pat." (I love living in Lopat.)
"Whut'r yuh doon llayd-uhrr?" "Ah, prolly gawn hyeauoomme." ("What are you doing later?" "Ah, probably going home.")
I've gotten better at imitating it after living here for ten
years, and sometimes I even catch myself using a slight twang now and then. But
overall, as someone who didn't grow up here, I would feel like a poser talking like this!