How to Speak With a Bostonian Accent
Drop the final “r.” For example, the word car is said “cah.” This is one of the most distinct speaking patterns required to master a Boston accent., Speak very fast., Say the letter “a” right., Leave out other consonants.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Drop the final “r.” For example
You have to drop the "r" at the end of your words.
The technical term for this linguistic quirk is “non-rhoticity.” Practice saying birds of a feather flock together, the Boston way.
It’s pronounced “birds of a feathah flock togetha.” A famous phrase used to teach this principle is “pahk yuh cahr in hahvuhd yahd.” You might know it as park your car in Harvard Yard.
The reason Bostonians drop their "r" is because English immigrants to Boston did so.
However, the Boston accent doesn’t sound exactly like a British accent because of the influence of other cultural groups, like the Irish.
Other examples of this pronunciation include saying "stah" instead of star, and "fah" instead of far.
The letter “r” sound also vanishes after other vowels, such as “ee” sounds.
For example, weird is pronounced “wee-id.” -
Step 2: the word car is said “cah.” This is one of the most distinct speaking patterns required to master a Boston accent.
Because they are dropping letters, such as the "r" at the end of words, people from Boston are known for speaking very fast.
Because they don’t round out their consonants, Bostonians are able to say a sentence faster.
It takes some effort to round out the "r" in words.
Demonstrating the speed of the Bostonian accent, try saying the sentence "how are you." It's pronounced "hahwahya."
You will need to pronounce the letter "a" differently depending on whether it's at the end of a word or not.
Add an “r” to the end of words that end in “a." The word pizza is pronounced pizzer.
Other examples of this pronunciation are the words soda and pasta.
They are pronounced "pahster" and "soder" in Boston.
Say "Californiar" instead of California and "arear" instead of area.
To pronounce the letter "a" when it's not at the end of a word, open your mouth and say “ah” like you are at a doctor’s office.
For example, the words aunt and bath are pronounced "ahnt" and "bahth" in Boston.
In Boston English, ah is pronounced more like “aw,” though.
For example, the word tonic is pronounced tawnic. , In addition to the “r,” Bostonians often leave out consonants.
This is another reason they speak so fast.
For example, they will drop the "d" and "t" at the end of words.
There are a lot of vowel sounds in Bostonian as a result.
The word “don’t” is pronounced “doan.” Plenty becomes “plenny.” -
Step 3: Speak very fast.
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Step 4: Say the letter “a” right.
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Step 5: Leave out other consonants.
Detailed Guide
You have to drop the "r" at the end of your words.
The technical term for this linguistic quirk is “non-rhoticity.” Practice saying birds of a feather flock together, the Boston way.
It’s pronounced “birds of a feathah flock togetha.” A famous phrase used to teach this principle is “pahk yuh cahr in hahvuhd yahd.” You might know it as park your car in Harvard Yard.
The reason Bostonians drop their "r" is because English immigrants to Boston did so.
However, the Boston accent doesn’t sound exactly like a British accent because of the influence of other cultural groups, like the Irish.
Other examples of this pronunciation include saying "stah" instead of star, and "fah" instead of far.
The letter “r” sound also vanishes after other vowels, such as “ee” sounds.
For example, weird is pronounced “wee-id.”
Because they are dropping letters, such as the "r" at the end of words, people from Boston are known for speaking very fast.
Because they don’t round out their consonants, Bostonians are able to say a sentence faster.
It takes some effort to round out the "r" in words.
Demonstrating the speed of the Bostonian accent, try saying the sentence "how are you." It's pronounced "hahwahya."
You will need to pronounce the letter "a" differently depending on whether it's at the end of a word or not.
Add an “r” to the end of words that end in “a." The word pizza is pronounced pizzer.
Other examples of this pronunciation are the words soda and pasta.
They are pronounced "pahster" and "soder" in Boston.
Say "Californiar" instead of California and "arear" instead of area.
To pronounce the letter "a" when it's not at the end of a word, open your mouth and say “ah” like you are at a doctor’s office.
For example, the words aunt and bath are pronounced "ahnt" and "bahth" in Boston.
In Boston English, ah is pronounced more like “aw,” though.
For example, the word tonic is pronounced tawnic. , In addition to the “r,” Bostonians often leave out consonants.
This is another reason they speak so fast.
For example, they will drop the "d" and "t" at the end of words.
There are a lot of vowel sounds in Bostonian as a result.
The word “don’t” is pronounced “doan.” Plenty becomes “plenny.”
About the Author
Richard Bishop
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow crafts tutorials.
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