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The Boston Brahmin accent is an affected
New England
accent associated with the 19th century and early 20th
century upper social class most often called the
Boston Brahmins and
Harvard University before changes that took place in the
1960s. This accent has received considerable play in television
and film, most notably by the character
Thurston J. Howell III on
Gilligan's Island, Walter Gaines on
Cheers, and Dr.
Charles Winchester of
M*A*S*H. It has been steadily dying out over time.
A related, though somewhat different affected accent is known
as the Locust Valley Lockjaw, typified by a clipped manner of
speaking, stereotypically uttered with the teeth slightly
clenched and the lower jaw thrust forward. It is more typical of
the 19th and early 20th centuries upper social class of the
New York City area. Renowned speakers with this accent
included
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
William F. Buckley, and
Katharine Hepburn.
These accents share many similarities with
British English. The Boston accent, as is the case in many
British dialects, is
non-rhotic. This is less so in the case of the Locust Valley
Lockjaw.
The Boston Brahmin dialect is distinct from the urban,
working class
Boston accents of
Dorchester and
South Boston and the urban, upper-middle class
Back Bay accent, which are generally better associated with
later immigration patterns.
External links
-
Boston Brahmin Accent Sample: "The law is very formal
and strict in that regard"
Categories:
Wikipedia articles needing factual verification |
Linguistics stubs |
Boston culture |
American English
