Is your car a “photo” or “four door”: The difference in dialects

Im back everyone as I said I would be and was pondering over what my next blog topic would be. Topics usually come to me by things that are on my mind, my friends mind or just day to day experiences. So..this next topic is actually an experience and it was a trip because of how it came about and I know some of you can relate to this.

Last night me and my friend was sitting here and decided to order in. I made the call and he wanted the pizza that had pineapples on it. (ewww) When I was speaking to the man, he started laughing so after I hung up, I asked what for. He said that my southern “drawl” was too cute. I asked what did he mean. Now backing it up a bit, he is originally from New Jersey, lived in the Boggie Down, Charleston and then here. So he has been exposed to a variety of dialects. But he spent most of his years growing up in New Jersey and New York….so you will see where im going with this.

We got into a discussion about dialects and how they differ. He said I pronounced “pineapple” as “pie-napples“. I didnt really realize that but after saying it to myself again..I did. So I walked over to the washing machine and picked up a bottle of liquid Tide and asked him what it was. I did this because I have family up north and they DO NOT refer to it is washing powders. He looked at it and immediately said it was “detergent“. I was waiting for “soap” because that it what my grandmother who lived in Detroit used to refer to it as. He asked what did i call it and I said washing powders. He mocked what i said and said, “washin-powderz”. I laughed so hard because when I thought about it, thats how I said it..country as hell!

I had him to repeat a few things that really stand out in the dialect department, you know..how you can tell if someone ain’t from here. Word like call, dog, talk, store, car, mall..the list went on. And we pronounced them different big time. This is how he said it sounded to him. Call and Mall sounded like cawl and mawl. Dog, it sounds like dawg and store, we say stowe. Basically, we add alot of aw’s to words that shouldnt have them.

And the title of this blog was something we were talking about. I knew this guy that was from somewhere up north and somehow we were talking about cars. I can’t remember exactly what the conversation was about but I said something about my car and it being a four door. He looked at me and he said, “Your car is a “photo”?????” and fell out laughing. I didn’t get it until he explained it to me. If you say photo kind of fast, it sounds like your actually saying four door.

Me and him both agreed that it is different and funny actually when you actually listen to it especially me..lol (im kuntree)!!! My friend also made another point. Have you known people that are from here and go to New York or somewhere for the summer or to visit and as he said..Comes back with a manufactured accent? I was rflmao. Not manufactured but anyway, that was interesting and funny.

Do you notice the big difference and what are some words that we as southerners say that actually sound like another word like photo and four door? And have you known someone who has returned to the dirty after visiting up north and is now back home and has a Manufactured accent?

Holla Back and until next time