Philadelphia English

Philadelphia English, also known as Delaware Valley English, is a special way of speaking American English that comes from the city of Philadelphia and its surrounding areas. This way of speaking is heard in places like southeastern Pennsylvania, parts of New Jersey, some counties in northern Delaware such as New Castle and Kent, and even on the north Eastern Shore of Maryland. Cities like Camden, Wilmington, Reading, Vineland, Atlantic City, and Dover also share this accent.

Philadelphia English is very well studied because of the work done at the University of Pennsylvania by famous language expert William Labov. This accent has some similarities to the way people speak in New York City and parts of the Midland United States. Together with the Baltimore accent, it is part of what experts call the Mid-Atlantic dialect, covering the middle area of the Mid-Atlantic United States.

The development of this accent was shaped by people moving into the area and the region's geography. It was especially influenced by immigrants who came from Northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Today, people with a stronger Philadelphia accent are often found in neighborhoods where Irish-American and Italian-American working-class families live.

History

By the twentieth century, the way people spoke in Philadelphia and New York had some special sounds that you won’t hear everywhere else. These included a special way of saying sounds like in the words “cot” and “caught,” and a unique split in how the “a” sound is made, like in “gas” and “gap.”

Most people in Philadelphia have always said their “r” sounds clearly, unlike some speakers in New York City. Older Philadelphia accents shared a few sounds with accents from the American South and Midland areas, but over time, Philadelphians developed their own special way of speaking. Today, Philadelphia’s accent is moving closer to Northern American English, especially among younger people and those with more education.

Linguistic features

Pronunciation

Vowels

The way people in Philadelphia say their words has changed a lot over the past hundred years. Research by William Labov has looked at how more than half of the vowel sounds have shifted.

THOUGHT vowel: People in the Middle Atlantic area, including Philadelphia and New York, say the vowel in words like THOUGHT differently. It often sounds like "oə" or "ʊə". Because of this, words like "cot" and "caught" don’t sound the same in Philadelphia.
LOT–CLOTH split: The word "on" sounds like "dawn" instead of "don." This is common in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern areas, unlike in Northern American English where "on" and "don" sound the same.
Southeastern vowel fronting: Philadelphia shares this feature with other Southern U.S. dialects. Vowels like in "goat" and "foot" are said more to the front of the mouth. This change is still happening, especially among younger people.
Short-a split: Like in New York and Baltimore, the vowel sound in words like "bat" and "bath" is different. In Philadelphia, "bats" sounds like “bæts” and “baths” like “beəθs”. Not everyone in Philadelphia uses this today.
Mary–marry–merry three-way distinction: Most English speakers say these three words with different sounds. Some older Philadelphians say "merry" and "Murray" the same way.
Canadian raising: The vowel in "like" is said higher than in "line." This is common among male speakers and is a newer change in Philadelphia speech.
FLEECE, FACE, and DRESS vowels: Traditional Philadelphia speech lowered these vowels, but recent trends show they are being raised again.
Many Philadelphians say the vowel in START like “ɔr”. The words "horse" and "hoarse" often sound the same. The vowel in CHOICE is also raised sometimes.
The vowel in STRUT can sound more like in "put", especially among male speakers.

Consonants

Philadelphia is a strong area for saying the “r” sound at the end of words. Some people, especially from South Philadelphia or older generations, may not say the “r” sound as much.
In casual speech, some sounds change:
- The “s” sound before “tr” can sound like “sh”, so “streets” might sound like “shtreets.”
- The “l” sound at the end of words or before consonants often turns into a “w” or “o” sound. This is why some call Philadelphia “Fluffya” or “Filelfia.”
- The “th” sound can sound like “t” or “d,” especially in working-class speech.
- The “h” sound in words like “human” and “huge” is often dropped, saying “yuman” and “yuge.”
- Some “t” sounds in clusters are dropped, so “mustard” sounds like “mussard.”

Phonemic incidence

The word “on” traditionally rhymes with “dawn” in Philadelphia, unlike in New York where it rhymes with “don.”
The word “water” often sounds like “wooter” or “wooder,” with the first syllable rhyming with “put.”
Some long vowel sounds are shortened before “g,” like in “eagle” which rhymes with “giggle.”
In some words like “gratitude” and “beautiful,” the “i” sound can sound like “ee.”

Grammar

Philadelphians sometimes use a special way of speaking with “be done” plus a noun phrase. For example, “I am done my homework” means “I have finished my homework.” This is different from the usual way of saying “to be done with” something.

Lexicon

The word “yo” started in Philadelphia among Italian-American and African-American youths as a greeting or to get attention.

Philadelphians often use “yous” to talk to more than one person, like saying “y’all.” It can sound like “yiz” or “yous.”

In Philadelphia, a long sandwich filled with lunch meat, cheese, and vegetables is called a “hoagie.” Small chocolate or colored sprinkles on ice cream are called “jimmies.”

The word “jawn” is a versatile noun used to talk about many things, objects, places, or people.

Notable native speakers

Lifelong speakers

Many well-known people from Philadelphia have a strong local accent. Some of these include:

Lifelong non-rhotic South Philadelphia speakers

Some speakers from South Philadelphia have a special version of the accent:

Marginal speakers

These people have a slight trace of the Philadelphia accent:

In media

Philadelphia English is not often shown in movies or TV shows. When stories are set in Philadelphia, characters usually speak with a New York City accent instead. Some exceptions exist, like the character Lynn Sear in The Sixth Sense, who speaks with a true Philadelphia accent. In Sleepers, the character Sean Nokes, played by a Philadelphia native, uses an exaggerated Philadelphia accent.

The Philadelphia dialect was featured in the 2021 TV series Mare of Easttown, set in Delaware County, close to Philadelphia. The accent was praised, though it was also made funny on Saturday Night Live. The Delco accent, like Philadelphia accents, has special ways of saying vowels and sounds.