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A Southern-fried friend of mine once told me that Idaho, despite popular opinion, does have distinct dialect. “Y’know, y’all do have an accent up here,” he said with a Kentucky twang. “It’s called proper English.” He may be right. On the surface, the Idaho vernacular seems generic to its core. But take a closer listen. For the discerning ear, the influence from surrounding areas is obvious. From the North, Canadian long “O’s” are abundant in the local lingo (i.e. How’s it goin’?) The pronunciation of been as bean, however, remains unique those pale-faced, puck-hucking Canucks, and let’s thank the almighty Gretsky for that, eh? Idaho also adopted a watered-down version of accentuated mid-west “R’s”, for sure (pronounced fir shir)/Loren Kelly, NIC Sentinel. More here.
Question: Do Idahoans have an accent?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Arch_Druid on February 03 at 9:10 p.m.
Yeah, since Dave did bring this up. Call it the Northwestern accent, as a consequence of the tourist trade from up north.
Liz on February 04 at 12:34 a.m.
well, since I moved here from Boston, yeah..I would have to say they talk different from us…but accent???? nah….
moscow_minidoka on February 04 at 7:44 a.m.
Spend some time in Mormon-dominated southern Idaho - especially southeastern Idaho. It’s less apparent than it used to be, but much of the lingo and accents came from Missouri/Illinois along with the Mormon pioneers.
For example, I never realized that “borrowpit” was a regionalism until I went to college at the UI and all of my new friends called the borrowpit a “ditch”. (Where I come from, a ditch carries water - it’s not just the borrowpit alongside a road).
There are more examples, but that is perhaps the best.
tjh on February 04 at 3:23 p.m.
Pronounce the word “creek”