The Boston accent is one of the most recognized accents in the United States. The Boston accent is often imitated in shows and plays for character development, as well as by comedians. People from Boston, Massachusetts, have very different linguistic patterns that follow those of earlier New England settlements and are influenced by various immigrant groups, such as Irish and Italians. Learning a Boston accent can take a month or so and takes a lot of practice, but it's totally possible!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Pronounce the Letters Correctly
Step 1. Drop the "r" ending
For example, the word car is read as “cah”. This is one of the most distinct speech patterns required to master a Boston accent. The letter "r" at the end of the word must be dropped. The technical term for this linguistic characteristic is “non-rhoticity”.
- Practice saying “birds of a feather flock together” with a Boston accent. The sentence is pronounced as "birds of a feathah flock togetha". A well-known phrase used to teach this principle is “pahk yuh cahr in hahvuhd yahd”. The phrase can be understood as park your car in Harvard Yard.
- The reason Bostonians dropped the "r" is because British immigrants in Boston did the same. However, the Boston accent does not sound exactly the same as the British accent because it is influenced by several other cultural groups, such as the Irish.
- Other examples of Boston pronunciation include saying " stah " instead of star, and " fah " for far.
- The sound of the letter "r" also disappears after other vowels, for example the sound "ee". For example, weird is pronounced as “wee-id”.
Step 2. Speak very quickly
People from Boston are known for their very fast speech because they drop letters, such as "r," at the end of words.
- Bostonians can pronounce a sentence faster because they don't round off consonants. Rounding the "r" sound in a word will take a bit of work.
- Try saying "how are you" by practicing the speed of a Boston accent. The sentence is pronounced as "hahwahya".
Step 3. Pronounce the letter “a” correctly
The letter "a" needs to be pronounced differently depending on whether it's at the end of a sentence or not.
- Add the sound of the letter "r" at the end of words that end with the letter "a". The word pizza is pronounced as pizza.
- Another example of this pronunciation is the words soda and pasta. The words are pronounced as “pahster” and “soder” in Boston. Say "Californiar" instead of California, and "arear" for area.
- To pronounce an "a" that isn't at the end of a word, open your mouth and say "ah" as you would in a doctor's office. For example, the words aunt and bath are pronounced as “ahnt” and “bahth” in Boston.
- “Ah” is pronounced more like “aw” in Boston English. For example, the word tonic is pronounced as tawnic.
Step 4. Eliminate other consonants
Bostonians generally omit other consonants in addition to the "r" sound. This is another reason why they can talk so fast.
- For example, Bostonians would drop the "d" and "t" sounds at the end of a word. There will be a lot of vowel sounds as a result.
- The word " don't " is pronounced as " doan ". Plenty is pronounced as “plenny”.
Method 2 of 3: Using the Boston Offshore Dialect
Step 1. Use words unique to Boston accent speakers
Bostonians have different terms for common things. For example, if you say “water fountain”, people will know that you are not from Boston. Bostonians would call it "bubblah".
- It's important to master how casual dialects are used in everyday language, especially if you're practicing a Boston accent for a role in a film.
- Sandwiches are referred to as “spuckies” in some areas of Boston. Also called subs. If you're trying to find a liquor store, ask using the word packie.
- Bostonians don't drink soda or pop (soft drinks). They call it the term "tonic". So if someone offers you a tonic in Boston, he's not offering gin. They might offer Pepsi.
- Steamed clams (steamed clams) are one of the most famous local foods. Bostonians refer to it as steem-ahs.
- Roundabouts – roundabouts on roads – are called rotaries in Boston (but pronounced rotah-ree). Say "blinkah" instead of the word turn signal. Instead of the remote control, say “clickah. Say barrel instead of trash can.
Step 2. Put the adjective “wicked” in front of the sentence
This is one of Boston's most distinct terms. If you like something, say it's wicked.
- For example, if you think that the Boston Red Sox are a good team, say that the team is wicked good to people.
- The word pissa means something good. In general, people in Boston will combine it with the word wicked to say wicked pissa towards something (but remember to say it with “pissah”).
Step 3. Understand local geographic clues
If you don't know how to pronounce words related to local geography, that's fine as long as you drop the r's and s's.
- If you say you want to go to “Public Gardens” or “Boston Commons”, everyone who is actually from Boston will know that you are not from there. These two terms are single words. So you should refer to “Public Garden” or “Boston Common” instead. But if you want to pronounce it correctly, say "Public Gahden".
- Tremont should be pronounced as “Treh-mont”. Say COPley, not COPEly Square (but the pronunciation is " Squayah ").
- How to pronounce different locations in Boston is very different from how it is spelled. So don't try to flip it phonetically.
- Avoid clichés about Boston. Referring to this city as “Beantown” would irritate people from Boston. Only tourists call it Beantown.
Method 3 of 3: Understand Different Dialects
Step 1. Speak in the Brahmin dialect
The Brahmin dialect is John F. Kennedy's very famous accent. This is an elite version of the Boston accent. This accent is very different from the Boston accent that, for example, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in the movie “Good Will Hunting”.
- Clearly, Kennedy was of high standards in the Brahmin dialect. To master it, why not watch some of Kennedy's earlier speeches on You Tube? For example, you can find Kennedy's opening remarks on the 1960 presidential debate on the Internet. The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, is another politician who speaks with a Brahmin accent.
- If you're trying to speak in a Boston Brahmin accent, use Boston English, but without a British accent.
- Some people think that the Boston Brahmin accent is harder to find these days. This upper class accent has more to do with British immigration. Brahmin accents tend to put more stress on vowels behind words, not in the middle or in front. For example, Harvard is pronounced with “Hahvid”.
Step 2. Learn the differences in the environment
The Boston Blue-collar accent may change slightly depending on the origin of a particular working class environment.
- Speak in the Southie Boston dialect. The South Boston dialect is sometimes referred to as "Southie". Southie is a dialect spoken in a working-class area of Boston made up of Irish, Italians, and other immigrant groups.
- Some Blue-collar communities in Boston replace the letter "r" with a "v". For example, the word brains becomes “bvains”.
- An example of a Southie accent is the dialect of the role played by Ben Affleck in the film "The Town". This accent is the closest to the stereotypical Irish accent, and the one most strongly influenced by it.
- The dialects of the far north and east were partly influenced by immigrants from Italy.
Step 3. Listen to people who speak with a Boston accent
To learn, start a conversation with a native Bostonian, or watch a video of a native Bostonian talking. Watch the way they talk. It will be easier to learn if you often listen to people speak in a native Boston accent.
- You can also visit the online “Boston to English” dictionary, which can translate common words into the various dialects spoken in Boston.
- Study the people whose speech patterns have the strongest accents. It's easier to learn that way. However, finding a native Boston accent speaker and talking to them in person is still the best way to go. So go to Boston. Don't just listen to them talk. Study facial movements when native speakers speak and try to imitate them by looking in the mirror while speaking.
- You can hire a voice coach. The voice trainer will listen to a native speaker, and record you speaking the same words. Or they will ask you to answer questions. Then, the conversation will sound more natural.
- Many videos on You Tube describe how to speak with a Boston accent. One of the best methods for learning how to speak in a Boston accent is to watch locals speak in their natural environment, for example a city council member speaking at a meeting.
- Find books with discs that can teach you how to speak different Boston accents, such as Southie.
Tips
- In phrases of at least two words, drop the "r" on the first word that ends in "r" and the second word that begins with a vowel. For example, “Where are you?” becomes “Whe-rah huh?"
- Boston is a generalization. People all over Eastern Massachusetts, from Lowell to the Rhode Island border and all the way to Provincetown have different variations of the Boston accent.
- If you have trouble using an accent or don't know what to do, visit Boston and talk to the locals. Talking to people from Boston will give you a general idea of how to speak with that accent.
