Do you live in the Boston area?

[phorsenuf]

On another thread there is a discussion about the pronunciation of Mary and marry. I've always had a very strong Boston accent (grew up in the area) and I say them the same, as does my friends and relatives up there. Another poster seems to insist I am wrong and that if I did have a Boston accent I would be pronouncing marry as meery confused3). I have never heard it pronounced that way.

So, how do you say them? Do they sound the same?

 

[dogluva]

On another thread there is a discussion about the pronunciation of Mary and marry. I've always had a very strong Boston accent (grew up in the area) and I say them the same, as does my friends and relatives up there. Another poster seems to insist I am wrong and that if I did have a Boston accent I would be pronouncing marry as meery confused3). I have never heard it pronounced that way.

So, how do you say them? Do they sound the same?

I pronounce them differently and I do not say meery.

 

[mtemm]

I've lived in the boston area off and on since college and my dh is from just outside boston and has a strong accent. I just asked him to say both and there is a slight difference. It doesn't sound like meery though. that almost sounds more rhode island?

I have to add that there is not just one boston accent, there are several, quite a range, actually. so even though some might do the mary/merry difference, to others there might not be.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I live an hour west of Boston but I say Mary as Meary, and marry as maahry (the aa sounding the the a in at) . I do agree that there are lots of different Boston accents, almost a neighborhood thing. I also agree that "meery" sounds like RI to me.

 

[CupcakeKelly]

On another thread there is a discussion about the pronunciation of Mary and marry. I've always had a very strong Boston accent (grew up in the area) and I say them the same, as does my friends and relatives up there. Another poster seems to insist I am wrong and that if I did have a Boston accent I would be pronouncing marry as meery confused3). I have never heard it pronounced that way.

So, how do you say them? Do they sound the same?

I grew up in Watertown, and I definitely don't have a bad accent, but it's enough for people to notice when I go out of town.

When I pronounce marry it's like MAH-ree. When I pronounce Mary MARE-ee. I don't know if those descriptions are helpful, but that's how I say it. Hope those ansahs ah of some help

 

[phorsenuf]

See, now I totally agree with the whole different areas have different accents. I've heard it myself plenty, but I'm sure I still would have been wrong.

 

[Acklander]

I have to add that there is not just one boston accent, there are several, quite a range, actually. so even though some might do the mary/merry difference, to others there might not be.

True enough. To outsiders it might sound about the same (and lump in all Boston accents together) but I can hear a Dorchester accent at a thousand paces

I guess it's like that everywhere. If I hear someone from the south talk, I know it's a southern accent, but I'm not good at picking out Alabama vs. Mississippi vs Georgia. I just know its somewhere down south

 

[dogluva]

I grew up in Watertown, and I definitely don't have a bad accent, but it's enough for people to notice when I go out of town.

When I pronounce marry it's like MAH-ree. When I pronounce Mary MARE-ee. I don't know if those descriptions are helpful, but that's how I say it. Hope those ansahs ah of some help

This is me.

 

[mtemm]

True enough. To outsiders it might sound about the same (and lump in all Boston accents together) but I can hear a Dorchester accent at a thousand paces

I guess it's like that everywhere. If I hear someone from the south talk, I know it's a southern accent, but I'm not good at picking out Alabama vs. Mississippi vs Georgia. I just know its somewhere down south

Yep! I grew up in California and used to think all northeast accents sounded the same (ny/nj included with New England). When I first moved here I had a really hard time understanding anyone who had a thick accent. But now I've been here long enough I can hear the nuances much better. Its fascinating, actually, how many differences there are. I agree with the pp that it is almost by neighborhood rather than state.

I still can't do a good generic boston accent, even though I'll try every once in a while just to amuse my husband. best left to the professionals I guess! lol

 

[waffles77]

I grew up in Watertown, and I definitely don't have a bad accent, but it's enough for people to notice when I go out of town.


When I pronounce marry it's like MAH-ree. When I pronounce Mary MARE-ee. I don't know if those descriptions are helpful, but that's how I say it. Hope those ansahs ah of some help

Born and raised in the Boston area and we generally speak the same as this.

Mary = Mare - ee
Marry = Mah-ree (like the short a in at)

The same is said for most rhyming words - scary = scare-ee and Harry = Hah-ree

I do come from a strong-accented family, although my personal accent isn't quite so Boston-like. I do keep my 'r's.

I had an argument once with my then 4 year old nephew that what he was wearing are called shoRts and not shots.

"But grandma told me they are shots!" Yep, I guess grandmas are always right

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I grew up just outside of Boston, learned to drive around Boston, went to college in Boston, worked in Boston most of my life, etc. (And can also detect different local accents pretty well.)

I don't pronounce them the same.

I am like those that say:

Mary = mare-ee

marry = mah-ree

Another poster seems to insist I am wrong and that if I did have a Boston accent I would be pronouncing marry as meery

This, I can't imagine, either. Are you sure the poster didn't mean you'd pronounce Mary as meery? (Which would be close, maybe a little more of an "a" sound.)

 

[DVCJones]

Lived here my whole life. I say...

MARE-EE = Mary. Can hear the word 'air' in the middle of M-Y. Like M-air-EE.

Marry sound like Harry Larry.... Mahhhhree

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I do come from a strong-accented family, although my personal accent isn't quite so Boston-like. I do keep my 'r's.

I had an argument once with my then 4 year old nephew that what he was wearing are called shoRts and not shots.

"But grandma told me they are shots!" Yep, I guess grandmas are always right

I've toned mine down a bit, too, but some can still detect it when I talk.

My mother lives with us and we go through the same type things with pronuncations, even with my kids' own names.

It's really funny hearing my kids talk because they have a mix. I can always tell when my mother's taught them, or talked to them about something, because of how they say it.

I hate watching movies with actors trying to talk with the Boston accent. I shudder, cause they can almost never get it right, really. (IMO) The one person who had me fooled was in The Town. This guy. I would have bet he was from Boston, but nope, he's from CA. He did a great job and showed it can be done!

 

[kim929]

I live an hour west of Boston but I say Mary as Meary, and marry as maahry (the aa sounding the the a in at) . I do agree that there are lots of different Boston accents, almost a neighborhood thing. I also agree that "meery" sounds like RI to me.

I come from Fall River, have lots of family there but grew up in RI and I say Meery. I've been told I sound like I have cross of Boston and New York accents. I never thought I had an accent, it was them that have accents.

 

[phorsenuf]

Lived here my whole life. I say...

MARE-EE = Mary. Can hear the word 'air' in the middle of M-Y. Like M-air-EE.

Marry sound like Harry Larry.... Mahhhhree

Mary, marry, Harry, Larry, all the same to me.

But the way you say Mary is how I say it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Mary, marry, Harry, Larry, all the same to me.

But the way you say Mary is how I say it.

I think we need a sound clip.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I pronounce them differently and I do not say meery.

This.

Lived here my whole life. I say...

MARE-EE = Mary. Can hear the word 'air' in the middle of M-Y. Like M-air-EE.

Marry sound like Harry Larry.... Mahhhhree

When everyone who's posted here use the "ah" as a way of writing the pronunciation, to me, that means like when the doctor says to say "ahhhh".

I hate watching movies with actors trying to talk with the Boston accent. I shudder, cause they can almost never get it right, really. (IMO) The one person who had me fooled was in The Town. This guy. I would have bet he was from Boston, but nope, he's from CA. He did a great job and showed it can be done!

I cannot watch a movie with fake Boston accents. Especially a movie about the Kennedys, who I swear had their very own accents. Altho I'm not sure which was worse...the actual Kennedys or the actors who played them. Ugh.

 

[waffles77]

I've toned mine down a bit, too, but some can still detect it when I talk.

My mother lives with us and we go through the same type things with pronuncations, even with my kids' own names.

I hate watching movies with actors trying to talk with the Boston accent. I shudder, cause they can almost never get it right, really. (IMO) The one person who had me fooled was in The Town. This guy. I would have bet he was from Boston, but nope, he's from CA. He did a great job and showed it can be done!

I feel the same way about those movies and tv shows. I watched this past season of American Horror story and thought that the great actress Jessica Lange, didn't get it right either.

LOL! My mother pronounces the word horse like 'huss'

 

[sunshinehighway]

I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life and have never heard the people here pronounce them the same. I didn't even know people did that until I read that thread.

 

[DVCJones]

Mary, marry, Harry, Larry, all the same to me.

But the way you say Mary is how I say it.

Then you must also say Hairy instead of Harry...