Do Long Islanders Really Have An Accent?

With a large population of students from Long Island merging with students from upstate and other regions, people tend to say that us islanders have an accent. Dialect is a very important skill, and people may view you differently based on it. Many people claim the Long Island accent is real and here are some examples of the theory.

First, us islanders tend to say Long Island as one word putting an emphasis on the gi sound. We pronounce it as LAWN-GUY-LIND, but outsiders think we're crazy for saying it like that. People from upstate say it as two clear and distinct words. Another common “mispronounced” word is “saw.” Though there are many variations of this words, long islanders pronounce it as either SAH or SAW with a heavy accent on the “w.” Lastly, we put CARAMEL on our ice cream, not carmel.

Not only do we mispronounce words, but we also say the wrong things as well. For what we know as subs, they are hoagies is other places. Carvel has sprinkles but upstate they have Jimmies. Lastly, a pop is your father, not your soda.

There are many other words that are either pronounced or said differently. Coming to a college in the upstate region, many people have told me that I have an accent and say my words weirdly, but different geographic regions do have an impact on linguistic behavior. While people have their own way of saying things, a sprinkle will forever be known as just a sprinkle.