Maine accent

The Maine accent is the local traditional pronunciation of Eastern New England English in Maine, especially along the coast. It is characterized by a variety of features, including r-dropping (non-rhoticity), resistance to the horse–hoarse merger in older speakers, a deletion or doubling of certain syllables, and some unique vocabulary.

Phonology

Maine English often features phonetic change or phonological change of certain characteristics. One such characteristic is that, like in all traditional Eastern New England English, Maine English pronounces the "r" sound only when it comes before a vowel, but not before a consonant or in any final position. For example, "car" may sound to listeners like "cah" and "Mainer" like "Mainah."

Also, as in much New England English, the final "-ing" ending in multi-syllable words sounds more like "-in," for example, in stopping [ˈstɑpɪn] and starting [ˈstäːʔɪn].

The Maine accent follows the pronunciation of Eastern New England English, plus these additional features:

• /ɜːr/ before a consonant is [ə~ɜ~ɛ].
• /ɔːr/ is [ɒə]; thus, for example, in horse ([hɒəs] "hoss"), war ([wɒə] "waw"), north ([nɒəθ] "nawth"), or porch ([pʰɒətʃ] "pawch").
• /ɔər/ is [ˈoʊ(w)ə]; thus, for example, in hoarse ([ˈhoʊ(w)əs] "hoe-us"), wore ([ˈwoʊ(w)ə] "whoa-uh"), more ([ˈmoʊ(w)ə] "mow-uh"), or shore ([ˈʃoʊ(w)ə] "show-uh").
• Single-syllable words ending with R-colored vowels (such as /ɪr/, /ɛr/, and /ɔr/) sometimes become two syllables. The vowel loses its R-coloration. This includes /ɪr/ as in here [ˈhɪ.(j)ɜ], /ɛər/ as in there [ˈðeɪ.(j)ɜ], and (as mentioned above) /ɔər/ as in more [ˈmoʊ.(w)ɜ].
• Many speakers also produce a dipping tone when pronouncing the extended word, lowering their tone on the first syllable and rising it during the second. The phrase "You can't get there from here," coined in an episode of the mid-1900s humor stories collection Bert & I, is a quintessential example of the principle of syllable extension.

Lexicon

Traditional Maine speakers use some local vocabulary, including, but not limited to, the following terms:

• apiece — an undetermined distance (as in "He lives down the road apiece")
• ayuh /ˈeɪjə/~/ˈɛjə/ — yes; okay; sure; that's right
• bug — lobster
• cunning/cunnin' — cute (as in "She's a cunnin' one, she is")
• dite — a tiny amount (as in "Just a dite")
• Down East — loosely refers to the coastal regions of Hancock and Washington counties; because that boats traveled downwind from Boston to Maine (as in "I'm headin' Down East this weekend")
• flatlander — visitor from elsewhere, often from Massachusetts due to its flat topography
• four-wheeler — all-terrain vehicle
• numb — dumb; stupid (as in "Numb son you got there")
• pisser (pissah) — something that is highly regarded; an intensifier (as in "She's a pissah, all right")
• pot — lobster trap
• prayer handle — knee
• quahog — thick-shelled clam
• scrid — a tiny piece; a little bit
• steamers — clams
• stove in/stove up — nautical term meaning bashed in (as in "Stoved all ta hell")
• wail on — to hit (something) hard
• wicked — very; to a high degree (as in "Wicked good there, bub")

In popular culture

• Bestselling author and Maine native Stephen King is known for his use of the Maine dialect in his writings and film adaptations.
• Television series Murder, She Wrote was based in a fictional town in Maine called Cabot Cove whose residents often spoke using Maine dialect.
• Maine humorist Marshall Dodge (1935-1982) based much of his humor from the Maine dialect, beginning first with his involvement with the series Bert & I.
• Well-known author, musician, and former television broadcaster Tim Sample is known nationwide for his use of Maine vernacular.
• The "Down East" collection of humor stories Bert & I created during the 1950s and 1960s extensively featured (and based its humor upon) the Maine dialect.

References

Bibliography

Notes