You Say Tomato, and I say …….
Once in a blue moon, I fire up my mind’s ear to actually “listen†to myself speak.
Look, I know that this will come as a shock to youse guys, but I believe I do have a bit of an accent – just a little one. Of course, anyone in the United States who doesn’t speak like Paul Harvey has an accent.
Here are a few examples:
Paul Harvey says “tomato†as toe-MAY-toe.
I say ta-MAY-ta.
Paul Harvey says “our†the same way he pronounces “hour.â€
I pronounce “our†as “are.†I do, however, say “hour†like ol’ Paul Harvey does.
Paul Harvey says “chocolate†with all three syllables, as CHAK-o-lit.
I only use two syllables, as in CHOOWK-lit. I know a couple real hardcore Jersey peeps who pronounce it CHOO-wuk-lit.
Paul Harvey says “Monday†and “Tuesday†as MUN-day and TYOOS-day.
I say MUN-dee and TOOS-dee.
On second thought, maybe Paul Harvey is da one wit dee accent.
tuhmaytoe, ower (our and hour sound the same), chocklit, toosday
Paul and you both have weird accents. Freaks.
Comment by zombyboy — October 24, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
God, now you got me thinking….
I think — but it’s too painful when I’m cognizant of it — I might pronounce “tomatoes” as “t’may-tehs.” We pronounce “our” the same way, but this: CHOOWK-lit? Dude, it’s like this: CHALK-LIT.
This, on the other hand: “TOOS-dee” … This I pronounce that it should rhyme with “youse” [or, “yooz”], as in “youse-day.”
Paul Harvey is kind of a pleasure to listen to, in a Garrison Keillor kind of way. He’s definitely da one wit da accent, doh.
Comment by Erica — October 24, 2007 @ 10:41 pm
Jimbo,
Just try to fit in when you travel south. I’m reminded of a certain scene from My Cousin Vinnie:
Mona Lisa: [Vinny looks at her funny] What?
Vinny: Nothing. You stick out like a sore thumb around here.
Mona Lisa: Me? What about you?
Vinny: I fit in better than you. At least I’m wearing cowboy boots.
Mona Lisa Vito: Oh yeah, you blend.
Comment by Jerry — October 24, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
Jerry: I should remind you [from Wikipedia] that “Vinny” was a “neophyte personal injury lawyer from Brooklyn,” and Marisa Tomei went to my high school…in Brooklyn.
Jimbo! They’re trying to get you to adapt their hillbilly ways! Don’t you see this??
Comment by Erica — October 25, 2007 @ 6:54 am
I think Paul Harvey must have gotten a new set of dentures recently. He used to have that denture-drop thing going on that causes a sibilant S (Too-ssssss-day) – very entertaining. I recently heard one of his broadcasts and the sibilant S was gone.
Comment by Suzette — October 25, 2007 @ 7:04 am
The rest of the story is – Paul’s originally from Okiehoma and really has some rather quirky intonations and inflections. No one else on earth speaks the way he does. Still going strong at 89, he’s an American radio icon. I still can’t resist listening to him every day. Good day!
Comment by Dash — October 25, 2007 @ 10:20 am
I’ve got a minor fascination with accents, American in particular. My north Jersey accent has somewhat faded after spending many years away in Montana and Utah and Alaska. But all the time my mind registers something I say in that accent. People look at me funny at times, knowin’ I ain’t from Alaska, no way, no how, not talkin’ like that, he ain’t. When I hear people from back “home” talk, that’s when I really recognize how different like Erica’s Brooklyn accent is which is similar to Westchester and even not too far north of there, and much of northeast Jersey where I’m from.
Yooze know what I’m sayin’? Ain’t nobody ever gonna confuzle me with someone from Nebraska!
Comment by Zooomabooma — October 26, 2007 @ 4:56 am