A Baltimore accent, also known as Baltimorese and sometimes humorously spelled Bawlmerese[1] or Ballimorese,[2] is an accent or sub-variety of Delaware Valley English (a dialect whose largest hub is Philadelphia) that originates among blue-collar residents of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It extends into the Baltimore metropolitan area and northeastern Maryland.[3][4][5]
At the same time, there is considerable linguistic diversity within Baltimore, which complicates the notion of a singular "Baltimore accent".[1] According to linguists, the accent of white blue-collar Baltimoreans is different from the African-American Vernacular English accent of Black Baltimoreans.[6] White working-class families who migrated out of Baltimore to the northwestern suburbs brought local pronunciations with them.
- ^ a b "Hold up, 'Hon': Baltimore's black vernacular youthful, dynamic if less recognized than 'Bawlmerese'" Archived 2017-11-04 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Leggett, Debbie A. (2016) "Drinking Natty Boh and speaking Ballimorese ‘Hon. Archived 2018-09-04 at the Wayback Machine" Tipsy Linguist. Tipsy Linguist.
- ^ Labov, William (2007) "Transmission and Diffusion", Language June 2007 p. 64
- ^ Malady, Matthew J.X. (2014-04-29). "Where Yinz At; Why Pennsylvania is the most linguistically rich state in the country". The Slate Group. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
- ^ "The Relevatory Power of Language". Maryland Humanities Council. April 14, 2017.
- ^ Jones, Taylor (2020). Variation in African American English: The great migration and regional differentiation (Doctoral dissertation), University of Pennsylvania, pp. 158, 239.