The Boston accent is a local accent of Eastern New England English.[1] It is spoken specifically in the city of Boston, its suburbs, and much of eastern Massachusetts. Eastern New England English also traditionally includes New Hampshire and Maine.[2] The accent originated with the Puritans who came to the area from East Anglia in the 17th century.[3] It was also influenced by 19th and 20th century immigrants from Ireland.[3] This resulted in the distinct r-dropping (locally called "wicked natural") dialect found in modern costal Massachusetts.[3]
- ↑ Jennifer Schuessler. "Is That New England Accent in Retreat?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- ↑ Bernd Kortmann; Edgar W Schneider, A Handbook of Varieties of English: A Multi-Media Reference Tool (Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 2005), p. 270
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Elizabeth Shockman (March 6, 2016). "Why is the Boston accent so wicked hard?". Public Radio International. Retrieved February 3, 2017.