Sunday, September 7, 2008

West Hartford dialect: the Tag Sale

I love going to rummage sales. You never know what you're going to find. Sometimes nothing, sometimes a treasure. However, when I go to these sales, I tell my wife that I'm going to a Yard Sale. In West Hartford, and possibly in all of Connecticut for all I know, you don't seem to go to yard sales, you go to Tag Sales

Regional dialect is very interesting. It's something you don't expect to notice coming from Massachusetts to Connecticut. Sure, if I was in Georgia, I'd expect different popular terms to describe common items, but such differences from one New England state to another, especially two that share a border, throw me a bit.

So, this brings up a couple questions I remember asking kids years ago in college that were from other parts of the country. Is West Hartford a Bubbler town or a Water Fountain town? How about Grinders or Subs (this I flop back and forth between)? Thankfully, I know that I can at least still call my Coke Soda and not Pop (this seems to be more of a Midwest and Canadian thing).

I found a page of New England phrases on the Worcester, MA website. Do these apply in Connecticut? Is this a land of Oki Doki and Down Cellar (or cella), or are things Ok and In The Basement? I doubt things are quite as Wicked as they are in Massachusetts, but I could be wrong.

I don't know. Maybe I should just Let It Be. Not for nothing, but I find this sort of thing pretty interesting.

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