Pittsburgh Speech and Pittsburghese

by Barbara Johnstone, Daniel Baumgardt, Maeve Eberhardt

Linguists have sporadically noted peculiarities of pronunciation, lexis and morphosyntax in the speech of European Americans in the Pittsburgh area, and Pittsburgh speech, locally known as “Pittsburghese”, has been a topic of discussion in the Pittsburgh area for decades. This variety has never before been systematically documented, however. The first and only scholarly book to describe Pittsburgh-area varieties of English, Pittsburgh Speech and Pittsburghese is an essential reference tool for anyone studying the dialect of the Pittsburgh area and the only textbook choice for anyone teaching about it. The Dialects of English series provides concise, accessible, authoritative and up-to-date documentation for varieties of English, including English-based pidgins and creoles, from all over the English-speaking world. Written by experts who have conducted first-hand research, the volumes are the most obvious starting point for readers who would like to know more about a particular regional, urban or ethnic variety. The volumes follow a common structure, covering the context in which one clearly defined variety of English (or a number of closely related varieties) has been established as well as their phonetics and phonology, morphosyntax, lexis and social history. Each volume concludes with an annotated bibliography and some sample texts. Previous volumes are listed below. Recent and forthcoming volumes are listed on the "Volumes" tab. Advisory Board : To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact For further publications in English linguistics see also our book series.

124 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2015

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for native Pittsburghers or those interested in linguistics!