Speaking Brooklyn

I have never been really good with speaking “Brooklyn” you know. And I blame it all on my mom. You see, although she was born in Brooklyn she was raised in Mahony City Pennsylvania until she was twelve. So mom never really had a good “Brooklyn” accent, no it was as non-distinctive as possible. North, East, South, or West, no, there wasn’t any way you could figure out where my mom was from. I guess she kind of sounded like a telephone operator, or at least that’s what people used to tell her all the time.

And that brings this discussion to me now. Born in Brooklyn and still here, all with the slightest “Brooklyn” accent possible.

I remember when I was younger and used to date girls from
other states or countries. They were always perplexed by my
lack of a “Brooklyn” accent.

“Hey, I thought you would sound like Vinny Barbarino from
“Welcome Back Kotter” but instead you sound like…well,
I really can’t tell what you sound like”.

Yeah, real exciting dates you know.
No wonder I stayed single for ten years after my first wife.

But I was always a good listener, and I was able to take in as much “Brooklyn” as possible from many of my friends and relatives who knew how to speak it properly.

These are some of my “Brooklyn” translations.
In regular English and then in “Brooklyn”

Bird is “Boid”

Thought is “Taught”

East Forth is “East Fort”

Mother is “Modda”

Me and you is "Mean you"

Let’s go to her house is "Let’s goda huh house"

With you is "Witcha "

Glasses is "Glassiz"

Something is "Sumpthin"

Pretty mind numbing shit? huh?
Makes you want to go back to
college or something.

Oh don't worry it won't rub off.

But maybe, just maybe the next
time you get a wrong number at
home. Tell the person they got
the wrong "numba" and please
don't "bahda" me again cause
I'm from Brooklyn.

Ron Lopez