A
New York accent, or New York dialect, is one of the more recognizable American accents. It refers to the greater New York metropolitan area (including the 5 boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, the lower
Hudson Valley & surrounding parts of Connecticut & New Jersey). Upstate New Yorkers have their own accents which are entirely different from the stereotypical "New York" accent.
Individuals with a trained ear can differentiate between the accents of each of the boroughs (or the surrounding areas), though all are very similar. Generally,
Manhattanites do not have a common accent, as many do not originate from the New York metropolitan area.
A slightly lesser percentage of Generation Y-ers speak with a full-blown New York accent, compared with those of prior generations. The accent of Generation Y-ers tends to be less severe than those of their elders, sometimes practically undetectable, with the exception of certain words.
Notable differences between Standard American English & New York dialect include:
1. Nonstandard pronunciation:
♦ "AW" sound is prolonged (talk/tawwk)
♦ Hard "G" sound (Long Island/
Lawnguyland)
♦ Dropping final consonants (want/wan)
♦ Dropping "R" sounds (morning/
mawning)
♦ Adding "R" sounds (idea/
idear, soda/
soder)
♦ Dropping "G" endings (calling/callin)
♦ Substituting "D", "T" for "TH" (those/
doze, three/tree)
2. Nonstandard resonance, resulting in a heavy sound.
3. Generally fast rate of speech.
4. Hypernasality.