How to speak like a New Yorker: these tips and tricks will have you speaking like a native in no time.
Talking like a New Yorker just for shits and giggles is one of my favorite things to do. I will never actually adopt the New York accent on my own, so my version of the dialect ends up sounding like a 54-year-old retired mom from Staten Island who chain smokes and wears floral print polyblends to church.
When all is said and done, the New York accent is one of the most fun accents there is, so here are a few pointers on how to pull it off. One caveat though; do not attempt to use this accent in a mocking way in front of a born-and-raised New Yorker. They are really protective of their geographic heritage.
Without further adieu, our tips on how to speak like a New Yorker:
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Project your speech outwards. When you are talking to someone, pretend you are actually talking to someone 6 feet behind them.
Make sure you sound angry, especially about things that you aren’t actually angry about at all.
Houston is actually pronounced ‘Howston’. I know it may go against the Bible, but New York doesn’t care about that, it’s too busy trying to get to one of the two H&M’s that are across the street from each other in Soho, only to realize they have since merged and moved.
The word ‘new’ is pronounced ‘noo.’ Noo exceptions.
The ‘o’ sound is pronounced ‘aw’ as in ‘Lawn Guyland’, or ‘cawfee.’
If all else fails, try to channel an Italian person or a Jewish person. Those two dialects are the two that most heavily influenced the idea of what a Noo Yawker should sound like.
If you liked learning how to speak like a New Yorker, you’ll love Bodega Cats of New York.
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