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The City of New York, as it's officially called, is quite a distinctive one. The way New Yorkers speak is different from generic US speech, both in the accent and in some of the phrases used. Learning how to pronounce your vowels and consonants, perfecting certain words and practicing every chance you get will have you sounding like a stereotypical New Yorker in no time.
Note: This is an exaggerated tutorial meant for actors or performers, and can (and should) be appropriately toned down if you want a less "out there" accent.
Steps
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Only pronounce your "r" sounds if they are before a vowel. The dropped "r" is a classic New York sound, though it is actually going out of style. The tricky part is to remember when to subtly drop the "r." It only disappears when it is before a consonant, though the disappearance is slight -- listening to native speakers will help you find the sweet spot. So, for example: [1] X Research source
- Park → "Pak."
- Nurse → "Nuhse."
- Water → "Watta"
- River → "Rivva"
- Fear → "Feah" [2]
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Research source
- Note, however, that some New Yorkers also add "r"s where they aren't needed, like "idea-r" or "law-r and order." These are generally colloquial and common in older speakers.
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Replace a "th" at the beginning and end of words with a percussive "d" or "t" sound. This is found in the cliched New York accent expression "toity-toid street" ("33rd Street"). But it is not always so cliche -- dropping the softer, whispery "thhhh" sound for a harder "ddd" or "tttt" sound is very New York.Advertisement
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Elongate your vowels into an "awww" sound, especially "a"s and "o"s. Many of the words that have the "o" sound (like in coffee) are pronounced with an "aw" sound. So the word dog, for example, would sound like "dawg", and "coffee" would sound like "cawfee."
- Talk → "Tawk"
- Thought → "Tawwt"
- The short "o" sound is pretty rare in New York English. Words which include the long "i" in the middle, like "liar", use a very similar "aw" sound, so "liar" should sound almost like "lawyer"
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Learn the tricky "split a" sound to extend out your vowels naturally. This is a tricky one, because it requires turning one syllable into two. Some linguists actually believe it is near impossible for outsiders to learn, but you can pick it up with a bit of practice. Check out the following examples and see if they make sense, trying to get through the first syllable quickly and sliding it naturally into the next.
- Cab → "ca-AHB"
- Avenue → "ahav-enue." [5] X Research source
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Pronounce New York English as if projecting forward in front of the mouth, almost like an open-mouthed pucker. Furthermore, most New Yorkers get their words out quickly, speaking with a pace just a bit faster than the average American. Test out a few words, phonetically spelled out for you, to get used to the accent before diving in. The capitalized letters are for emphasis.
- Sunday → "sun-dA"
- Monday → "Mun-dey"
- Tuesday → "Twos-dey"
- Wednesday → "Wehn-s-dey"
- Thursday → "Thuhs-dey" (err being kind of rolled r)
- Friday → "Fry-dey"
- Saturday → "Satuh-dey" [6] X Research source
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Speak nasally, with your throat feeling almost constricted, to really take your accent over the top. Bernie Sanders, Fran Drescher, and Jerry Seinfeld have all made this accent pretty recognizable, even if it is considered a bit over the top for every day speech. But if you're on stage, on screen, or just hamming it up, focus on breathing through your nose.
- Huge → "Yuuuuge." [7] X Research source
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Pick up the "attitude" in your speech rhythms. Speaking like a New Yorker is less about what you say, and more about how you say it. New Yorkers are known for being direct, opinionated and confident. They are also known for talking a lot, and talking loudly.
- Speak quickly and succinctly.
- Use loud , expressive tones when speaking.
- Really draw out those vowels for emphasis.
- Throw an extra "r" at the end of words that end in vowels, like "that's a good idear."
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Mash your words together and spread your vowels out for the Long Island classic accent. The best way to practice is the word Long Island itself, pronounced by residents as "Lawn-Guyland") Really take your time with the vowels, stretching them out for a nice long time. The "g" at the end of "-ing" isn't pronounced either. So "going" is pronounced "goin'" and "here" sounds like "hea". [8] X Research source
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Use some local, if cliched, colloquialisms. The following expressions aren't really used so much anymore, but they're still stereotypes. They will instantly place your listener into the NYC mindset, even if that mindset is about 15 years old by now. Typical expressions Noo Yawkez use include "Get outta hea", "Fawget aboutit" & "Ahrite ahready"
- Say "hey", instead of "hi" or "hello" and say it quickly.
- Make the classic "you guys" into the NYC plural "yous guys." [9] X Research source
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Listen to native New Yorkers, online or in person, to get the subtle range of different accents. It is often a deep sounding voice, and words are spoken kind of in a relaxed way. Since New York was at one point very Italian, Staten Island and Brooklyn in particular (Staten Island is still 44% Italian, the highest percentage of any county in the country), people of Italian descent that live in the areas tend to have a little bit of Italian accent mixed in. So if you've ever heard, have or done an Italian accent, it may be a little bit easier to do a NY accent. Think of Sylvester Stallone. Now think of Danny DeVito. Both have similar accents, but also plenty of uniqueness. Your own accent can be similarly unique, as long as you follow the basic rules above.
- Check out this list of free files containing examples of different NYC accents to help practice. [10] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionIs a Brooklyn accent different from a Manhattan accent?Community AnswerQuite different. Brooklyn is the typical "New York" accent that you hear on TV shows and movies. Manhattanites don't have a distinctive accent, but they do talk faster than most Americans.
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QuestionIs "oiy vay " a New Yorker term?Community AnswerIt's a Yiddish term, which is often associated with NYC because of the city's high Jewish population.
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QuestionDo New Yorkers always end a question with "right"?Community AnswerNot always. Each individual has his/her own way of ending a question. Some end with "huh"; some even end with a mere "hmm."
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Tips
- New Yorkers say "like" a lot and use shortcuts for words instead of pronouncing the whole word or phrase.Thanks
- Invest yourself in New Yorker past times and pay attention to how they speak,slowly practice over time!Thanks
- Listen to TV shows like Seinfeld each of the characters has different tones and will help you work out which you want to pursue.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- I'm from Long Island (just over the city line), and I've always said "close" for "clothes," dropping the "th." Also, "forward" is pronounced as "fowad." I used to say "ding" for "thing," but moved to another part of the country, which softened my accent a bit.
- Using your hands while you talk won't improve your accent, but it will add to the overall impression of being a New Yorker—just don't overdo it. Robert DeNiro is the best natural at this.
- Words that end in “all” should be pronounced as “awl” (i.e., fall, call).
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Warnings
- As with any other accent, try to stay away from Hollywood actors that are faking a New York accent. You want to do a true New York accent, not an impression of e.g. Brad Pitt. Listening to native speakers is always the best way to learn.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about imitating accents, check out our in-depth interview with Patrick Muñoz .
References
- ↑ http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg277i_how-to-do-a-new-york-accent_creation
- ↑ https://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A30501703
- ↑ http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg277i_how-to-do-a-new-york-accent_creation
- ↑ https://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A30501703
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwny52Ncatk
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZveExbsKp5U
- ↑ http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg277i_how-to-do-a-new-york-accent_creation
- ↑ https://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A30501703
- ↑ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12916/yall-youse-8-english-ways-make-you-plural
About This Article
Article Summary
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If you want to get the stereotypical New Yorker accent, start by dropping the "r" sound from words that have an R after a vowel. Then, replace the "th" sound at the beginning of words with a "d" or "t" sound, and elongate your vowels, especially A's and O's. When you speak, talk quickly and succinctly, and use loud, expressive tones. If you want to really commit to the accent, throw in some New York slang, like "Ahrite ahready" and "yous guys." For tips on practicing your New York accent, scroll down!
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Reader Success Stories
- "Great, this is the most helpful material I've come across. Carefully specific on the do's and don'ts. Even without a video demonstration, you can easily grab the point. Hurray, I feel like a New Yorker already." ..." more
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"Great, this is the most helpful material I've come across. Carefully specific on the do's and don'ts. Even without a video demonstration, you can easily grab the point. Hurray, I feel like a New Yorker already."
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"What stood out to me is the pronunciation part of everything. It's really helpful because it's kinda obviously the main thing of trying out a new accent."
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"It really helped having both written enunciations of the words and a video for audial learning."
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