Welcome to Baltimore, hon! Whether you’re just visiting, watching "The Wire" or you’ve chosen to attend one of the fine establishments of higher learning in the Baltimore area, you might be wondering what the heck these crazy people are saying! There are some noticeable differences between the English the rest of the country speaks and the lovingly butchered dialect we speak.
The Baltimore accent or "Bawlmerese" originated from the blue-collar residents of Baltimore and is a combination of influences that include the Southern accent and Mid-Atlantic American English as well as a whole lotta "whaaa?" Here is a cheat sheet for what you should expect:
Phonetic Characteristics:
- Elongated “O” sounds, almost made into an “ew” sound
- Disregard for hard “T” sounds, usually omitted or turned into “d” sounds
- Addition of the letter “r” into places it doesn’t belong
- "Baldimore" = Baltimore
- "Merlin" = Maryland
- "Wooder" = Water
- "Boutta" = about to
- "Warsh" = Wash
- "Zink" =Sink
- "Oll" = what you put in your car
Terms that might be unfamiliar:
- The Bay = The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It's home to the annual Polar Bear Plunge where people run into and out of the Bay in January. Its freezing, but worth it. All the proceeds go to the Special Olympics.
- Berger Cookies = They are a combination of fudge, a soft vanilla cookie and the kind of love only German-Americans in Baltimore can cultivate. Delicious.
- Hon = It's short for honey. It's a term of endearment usually used at the end of a sentence. It is also the name used to describe the beloved archetype of an overly made up woman from Baltimore and celebrated annually in Honfest in Hampden, a neighborhood in northern Baltimore.
- Lax = It's short for lacrosse, Maryland’s state team sport (the state sport is jousting…weird I know, we want to change it too.) It is most often spoken by the youth players of the sport. Baltimore is home to the headquarters of the governing body for lacrosse in the U.S. and is home to 10 Division 1 NCAA National Championships. The state of Maryland has a total of 27 Natty champs for men and women... not that we're bragging.
- ‘Nappolis = It's short for Annapolis (Maryland’s State Capitol.)
- Natty Boh = It's slang for National Bohemian, a beer originally brewed in Baltimore that is only a step above drinking Bay water.
- Oh-REE-oles = It is the state bird and Baltimore Baseball team which is also shortened to “dem Ohhs."
- Old Bay = It is a seasoning for steamed crabs, shrimp, chicken, popcorn, fries, ice cream… it goes with everything and is delicious. It is a staple in any good Baltimore household.
- Utz = It is a potato chip brand that has been in the Baltimore area for generations. It started and is manufactured in Hanover, PA and is loved in Baltimore, MD. Famously proclaimed to be “better than nutz."
Don’t be surprised if this dialect grows on you, especially if you’re going to college in Baltimore or the surrounding areas. If you are, kudos to you for choosing to spend the greatest years of your life in the "Greatest City in America!" (Open for debate, but if you can’t trust a city bench who can you trust?)
Now, get out there and start making friends with the locals, hon!
