Talking Pennsylvanian
Got this in an e-mail from my mom. I had posted a version of this before, but with several new readers, and new posts from me on some of these topics, I thought I’d share this version too.
Talking Pennsylvanian (Joan’s notes in parentheses)
You refer to Pennsylvania as “P-A” (pronounced Pee-Ay). How many other states do that? (Also, my mom calls it “Pennsy,” pronounced Penn-See. Anyone else hear that one?)
“You guys” (or even “youse guys,” in some places) is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men and women.
You know how to respond to the question “Djeetyet?”
You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, the Poconos, Tamaqua, Kutztown,Tunkahannock, Bala Cynwyd, Duquesne and Monongahela. Also Conshohocken.
And we know Lancaster is pronounced Lank-ister, not Lan-kaster.
You know what “Punxsutawney Phil” is, and what it means if he sees his shadow. (Bonus points if you either love or hate “Gus, the second-most-famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.”)
The first day of buck season and the first day of doe season are school holidays.
At least five people on your block have electric “candles” in all or most of their windows all year long. (Window candles! I love window candles!)
You know what a “State Store” is.
Words like “hoagie,” “crick,” “chipped ham,” “dippy eggs,” “sticky buns,” “shoo-fly pie,” “lemon sponge pie,” “pierogies” and “pocketbook” actually mean something to you.
You live for summer, when street and county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season.
You know what a township, borough, and commonwealth are. (OK, I will differ on this one. Most people I talk to say they live in York, even though they live in any one of 71 other county townships/boroughs.)
You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
As a kid you built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than you were.
OK, so that was their list. What should we add?
