The History of Yinz andathesOutlook fornPittsburghese ... · The second-person plural pronoun yinz has been a semiotic resource in Pittsburgh ever since colonial-era Scotch-Irish

The History of Yinz and the Outlook for Pittsburghese

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SpeakingPittsburghese:TheStoryofaDialectBarbaraJohnstone

Printpublicationdate:2013PrintISBN-13:9780199945689PublishedtoOxfordScholarshipOnline:January2014DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199945689.001.0001

TheHistoryofYinzandtheOutlookforPittsburghese

BarbaraJohnstone

DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199945689.003.0009

AbstractandKeywords

Thischaptertracesthesemiotichistoryofyinz,startingfromwhenitwasanunremarkedfeatureofvernacularPittsburghspeechandendingin2012,whenyinzwasalsoakeyfeatureofPittsburghese,talkedabout,performed,andotherwisedeployedmorethanalmostanyotherPittsburgheseword.Usingthemodelofmeaningandmeaningchangeelaboratedearlierinthebook,thechapterexploreshowyinzbecameenregisteredwithcorrectness,classandlocalness,payingparticularattentiontotheroleoftalkandmaterialartifactsinthisprocess.Thissetofsocialmeaningshasbeentakenupintoanewsemioticorder,suchthatyinzcannowindexyouthfulurbanhipness.IntheprocessoflayingoutthemultipleordersofmeaninginwhichyinznowmakesdifferentkindsofsensetodifferentpeopleinPittsburgh,thechapterrecapitulatessomeofthebook’smajorthemes.

Keywords:yinz,enregisterment,history,semiotics


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Thesecond-personpluralpronounyinzhasbeenasemioticresourceinPittsburgheversincecolonial-eraScotch-Irishimmigrantsbroughtittothearea.Itsusethenisstilloneofitsusesnow:inaddresstotwoormorepeople.Inthecourseofthetwentiethcenturyandthebeginningofthetwenty-first,however,yinzhasacquirednewwaysofmeaning,suchthatitisnowoneofthemostoftencitedexamplesofPittsburghese,andoneofthemostvisibleiconsoflocalnessinPittsburgh.YinzappearsonbumperstickersandT-shirtsthatsaythingslike“YinzareinSteelerCountry.”Itisusedasagraffititag(figure9.1).

Figure9.1 YinzasaGraffitiTag(PhotographbyBarbaraJohnstone)

Yinzhasbecomeaproductivemorpheme.Thatistosaythatyinzisnowanelementofmeaningthatcanbeusedinnewways,asitisinwordslikeYinzer,Yinzburgh,oryinzplay.YinzshowsupwhenpeoplewanttoclaimtheyarePittsburghersandwhenPittsburghersaddresstheworldasPittsburghers.Itcanshowthatsomeoneisaninsider.Somespectatorsatthe2012SaintPatrick’sDayparadeindowntownPittsburghworeT-shirtsthatsaid“Yinz,I’mIrish”or“Irish,yinz?”Thesesloganspointtothewearer’sbeingaPittsburgher—knowingtheinsidertermtousewithfellowPittsburghers—aswellasbeing“Irish”—anethnicdesignationthatisaccurateformanyPittsburghersandplayfullyadoptedbymanyotherseveryApril17.ThetextonaT-shirtthatwasforsaleforatimeattheAndyWarholMuseummadetheinsider/outsiderdistinctiontransparent:“wesayyinz/yousayyouall.”

YinzcanalsobeusedbyoutsiderstoaddressPittsburghers,asonasignataprotestduringtheG-20summitmeetingthatwasheldinPittsburghin2008.Thesignread“Yinz’liveinapolicestate.”Thespelling“yinz’,”withafinalapostrophe,suggeststhatthesignwriterwasnotfromPittsburgh,wherethewordisneverspelledthatway.Alternately,yinzcanleaveitambiguouswhethertheaddresserisaPittsburgherornot.Forexample,anewspaperreportonasetofpodcastsaboutPittsburghspeechwasentitled“YinzcanlearnaboutPittsburgheseonline—Podcastsprovideoriginsofthecity’smostcolorfulwords”(Fleming2008a).WhetherornottheheadlinewriterwasaPittsburgher,


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the(p.229) useofyinzintheheadlinesuggeststhatthepodcastswillbeofinteresttoPittsburghers.

Inthepagesthatfollow,Itracethesemiotichistoryofyinz,startingfromwhenitwasanunremarkedfeatureofvernacularPittsburghspeech,withnosocialresonance,andendingin2012,whenyinzcouldstillbeheardinPittsburghers’unselfconsciousvernacularspeechbutwasalsoakeyfeatureofPittsburghese,talkedabout,performed,andotherwisedeployedmorethananyotherPittsburgheseword.Exploringthemorestrictlylinguistichistoryoftheword,Ishowhowtracesofitsderivationhavebeenerasedaspeoplehavereanalyzeditsinternalstructureandchangeditsspelling.Thishasmeantthattherangeofgrammaticalrolesthiswordcanplayhasbroadened.UsingthemodelofmeaningandmeaningchangeIelaboratedearlierinthebook,Iexplorehowyinzbecameenregisteredwithcorrectness,class,andlocalness,payingparticularattentiontotheroleoftalkandmaterialartifactsinthisprocess.Ithendescribehowthissetofsocialmeaningshasbeentakenupintoanewsemioticorder,suchthatyinzcannowindexyouthfulurbanhipness.IntheprocessoflayingoutthemultipleordersofmeaninginwhichyinznowmakesdifferentkindsofsensetodifferentpeopleinPittsburgh,Irecapitulatesomeofthebook’smajorthemes.

Manylanguageshavedistinctpronounsthatmean‘you’inthesingularand‘you’intheplural(morethanone‘you’,inotherwords):Frenchhas(p.230) tu(singular)andvous(plural),Germanhasdu(singular)andihr(forfamiliars)orSie(themoreformaloption)forplural,andsoon.WhenEnglish-speakersusepronounstopointtothemselvesortopeopletheyarenottalkingto,we,too,usedifferentformstodistinguishbetweensingularandplural.Inthefirstperson,weusethesingularIandthepluralwe;inthethirdpersonweusehe,she,it(singular)andthey(plural)However,duetoasetofhistoricalaccidents,standardEnglishhasonlyoneform,you,forreferringtothepersonorpeoplebeingaddressed.YoudoesdoubledutyinstandardEnglishasboththesingularandthepluralform.ThisleavesagapintheEnglishinventoryofpronouns,and,atleastinmorecasualspeech,English-speakersoftentrytofillthisgap.

TheformthatbecameyinzwasfirstbroughttoAmericabyScotch-Irishimmigrants(Montgomery2002;2006).Aswesawinchapter3,theseweremainlythedescendantsofProtestantpeoplefromScotlandandnorthernEnglandwhohadbeensettledinnorthernIrelandbeginningin1610.Duringthenineteenthcentury,whenmanyIrishspeakersswitchedtospeakingEnglish,theyfoundthegapintheEnglishpronounsystemproblematic,becausetheIrishlanguagehasbothasingularsecondpersonpronoun,tu,andapluralone,sibh.Inresponse,thesespeakerscoinedavarietyofEnglish-basedsecond-personpluralforms,includingyouall,yous,youns,yiz,andyouones.SubsequentIrishspeakersofEnglish,aswellastheScotch-IrishwholivedalongsidetheminnorthernIreland,inheritedtheseformsandbroughtthemalongwhentheyemigrated.Beginningintheearlyeighteenthcentury,aswehaveseen,hundredsofthousandsofpeoplefromnorthernIrelandmigratedtoAmerica,andasecondwaveofemigration,mainlyfromIreland’smoresoutherncounties,followedthepotatoblightthatcausedwidespreadfamineinthe1840sand1850s.Y’all,acontractedformofyouall,isnowusedacrossthe


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southernUnitedStates.OtherformsareusedinotherplaceswhereIrishorScotch-Irishpeoplesettled.Thewordnowspelled“yinz”inPittsburghisacontractedformofyouones.Youones(oftenspelled“you’uns”)isusednotonlyinthePitttsburghareabutalsoelsewhereintheAppalachianMountains,whereitoftenactuallysoundsmorelike[yuǝnz](“you’unz”).

Aformofyou’unshasthusbeenusedinthePittsburghareasincetheearlyeighteenthcentury,andthewordcontinuestobeusedelsewhereinAppalachia.However,mostPittsburghersthinkthatyinzisuniquetothePittsburgharea.Theyarenotawarethatthewordtheythinkofas“yinz”isrelatedtoyou’uns.Yinzhasbecomedisconnectedfromitslinguistichistorythroughthreerelatedprocesses.Foronething,thepronunciationoftheformhaschanged,from[yuǝnz](“you’unz”)to[jʊnz](“yunz”)to(forsomespeakers)[jɪnz](“yinz”).Thischangeisstillinprogress,andpeopleargueabouthowthewordshouldsound.Nowadays,however,theargumentismainlybetween[jʊnz]and[jɪnz],asissuggestedinthisexcerptfromane-mail:

(p.231) MywifeandIlivedinPittsburghfrom1974–1977,andoursonhaslivedthereforthelasteightyears.Irememberthewordtobe“yunz,”butheclaimsthatit’smoreproperly“yinz.”Hecitesanotherword,“yinzer,”indefenseofthis.Myargumentisthatthewordwaslikely“you-uns,”contractedtobecome“yunz.”(DevlinGualteri,e-mailtoauthor,Jan.21,2011)

Thewriternotes(correctly)thatthewordstartedoutas“you-uns”andremembersitbeingpronouncedinawaythatsoundedclosertothat,whilehissonthinksthe“proper”pronunciationis“yinz.”Anothere-mailcorrespondent(PetePetersontoauthor,Jan.6,2011)complainedtomeabout“themisuseof‘yinz’[ratherthan‘yunz’]bythosewhowanttotalktheworking-classlingo.”

Gualteri’sson’sperspectivereflectsaseconddevelopmentinthelinguistichistoryofyinz,namelythatpeoplenowtendtounderstandyinzasasingleunitofmeaningratherthantwo.JasonE.,theseventeen-year-oldintervieweefromwhomweheardinchapter4,saidthathe“didn’tget”yinz,because“it’snotacontraction”—inotherwords,notashortenedformof“anywords”:“Idon’treallyevenget[yɪnz],”saidJason,“‘causeitdoesn’tmakeanysense,it’snotacontraction,becauseit’snotanywords,‘yinz’isnota‘you’—.”Toputitinmoretechnicalterms,peoplelikeJasonE.havereanalyzedthemorphology,orinternalstructure,ofyinz,imaginingitasmonomorphemic(asingle,indivisibleunitofmeaning)ratherthanbimorphemic(twounitsofmeaning).

Finally,thespellingofthewordhaschangedinwaysthatreflectthesedevelopmentsandatthesametimehelppushthemforward.Becauseyinzisnonstandard,itdoesnothaveanofficial,dictionary-approvedspelling,andpeoplehavebeenfreetowriteitvariousways.ThespellingofyinzisaneasilysparkedtopicofdiscussioninPittsburgh.Variantsinclude<yunz,><yins,><you’uns,>and<youns>or<younz.>Peopletendtosupposethatthereisacorrectspelling,buttheyarenotsurewhatitis,andtheyexplainthevariabilityintheword’sorthography(whichcaneasilybeobserved)withreferencetovariabilityinitspronunciation;theyimagine,inotherwords,thatpeoplemustspellthe


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worddifferentlybecausetheypronounceitdifferently.

Themostfrequentspellingisnow<yinz.>AGooglesearchconductedinApril2011(figure9.2),uncoveredfarmoreusesof<yinz>togetherwiththewordPittsburghthanof<yunz,><younz,>or<you’uns.>Whileearlierspellings,suchas<you’uns>preservedtracesofthehistoryoftheword(treatingitasacontractionandspellingyouthestandardway),readingfromrighttoleftonthechartinfigure9.3showshowthespellingshavebecomemoreandmorephonetic:moreandmorebasedonhowthewordsounds,notwhereitcomesfrom.<Younz>preservesatraceofthefactthatpartofthewordwasonceyou,butspellstherestthewayitsounds:<unz.><Yunz>and<yinz>havelostthistraceofhistoryandareevenmorephonetic.

Figure9.2 SpellingsofyinzontheWorldWideWeb:GoogleSearchApril12,2011.

(p.232) Howhasyinzcometomeansomanythings?Forone,personalpronounsoccurfrequentlyintalkingandwriting,andtheybothreflectandreinforcedistinctionsamongcategoriesofpeoplethatcaneasilysparkcontroversy.Englishpersonalpronounshaveahistoryofbecomingcontroversialbecauseofsocialmeaningswithwhichtheybecomeenregistered.Oneexampleisthenowunfashionable“generic”useofhe(asin“Eachofthestudentsopenedhisbook”).Inothercontexts,heindexesbiologicalmalenessorculturalmasculinity,andoncethedistinctionbetweengenericheandsomeotheroption(heorshe,s/he,they)wasenregisteredwithgenderitcametosoundasifitsuggestedthatthetypicalordefaultpersonwasmale.ThedistinctionbetweenIandwecancarrysocialmeaning,too,aswhenindividualsusewetorefertothemselves—the“royalwe”thatcausedafurorwhenusedbynotroyalPrimeMinisterMargaretThatcherafterthebirthofherson’sfirstchild(“Weareagrandmother”).

Morespecifically,though,thesemiotichistoryofyinztracksthesemiotichistoryofPittsburgheseingeneral.Inorderforyinztobeassociatedwithonewayoftalkingasopposedtosomeotherwayoftalking,Pittsburghersfirsthadtobecomeawarethatnoteverybodyusesyinz.Aswesawinchapter4,untilaroundthemiddleofthetwentiethcentury,Pittsburghersrarelynoticedthattheyusedaformthatwasdifferentthananyoneelse’s.WeheardfromDottieX.,borninthelate1920s,whosaidthatasachild,she“neverevenheard”yinz,despitethefactthatsheandeveryonearoundheruseditineverydayspeech.


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Tomodelhowyinz,togetherwithotherfeaturesofPittsburghese,movedfrombeinganunremarked,unremarkablefeatureofPittsburghspeechtobeingameaningfulchoicethatcouldexpresssocialmeaning,Iintroducedtheideaofenregisterment(Agha2003;2007a):thelinkingofalinguisticfeature(aword,sound,orbitofgrammar)withasocialmeaning(apersona,situation,oridentity).Thesocialmeaningsoflinguisticfeaturesareenregisteredaccordingto(p.233) “ideologicalschemas”—inotherwords,localideasaboutlanguageandsocietyandhowthetwoarerelated.

Forexample,averywidespreadideologicalschemaisthatthereare“better”and“worse”waysoftalking.Americanchildrenlearnfromcaregiversandteachersthatsomewordsare“bad,”thatinsomesituations(ifnotall)youneedtospeak“properly,”andthatsomewaysofsayingthings“soundbetter”thanothers.InPittsburgh,peoplewhonoticedthattheysometimesheardyinzandsometimesyouasthepluralpronounmappedthisdifferenceontotheideathatsomewaysoftalkingarebetterthanothers:youstartedtobeheardasbetter,yinzasworse.

Yinzhasalsobeenenregisteredwithsocialclass.Itisthoughtofasafeatureofworking-classspeech.Thishashappenedpartlythroughpeople’slived,everydayexperience.Thepeopleinthenextneighborhood,whoallworkedinthesteelmill,mighthavesoundeddifferentfrompeopleinyourneighborhood.Thismighthavecausedyoutoenregisterthewaythepeopleintheotherneighborhoodtalkedwiththefactthattheywereworkingclass.MaterialartifactsliketheYappin’Yinzersalsohelpenregisteryinzwithsocialclass.ChippedHamSamsaysyinzoftenandlookslikeastereotypicalworking-classPittsburgher.

Yinzhasalsobeenenregisteredwithcorrectness,however,sothatevenpeoplewithworking-classrootsthattheyareproudofwilldenythattheyuseit.JenandDonna,themotheranddaughterweheardfrominchapter5,talkedaboutyinz.Thedaughterclaimsthattheneighborssayyinz“constantly.”Hermotherrespondswith,“Wedon’tusethat!…YourdadandIdon’tusethattoooften.”

Inadditiontobeingsemioticallylinkedwithclassandwithincorrectness,yinzhasalsobeenlinkedwithplace,asperhapsthemosticonicfeatureofPittsburghese.LeavingaGiantEaglegrocerystoreinSeptember2007,Ipassedthreeemployeesonbreak.Oneofthemusedyinzinanunselfconsciousway,inaddressingtheothertwo.Ratherthanrespondingtowhatshehadactuallysaid,anotheroftheemployeesrespondedwith,“Yinz.Yes,that’sPittsburgh.”OtherPittsburghersagree.Abloggerwritingaboutthewordclaimsthat“anySteelersfanwilltellyouthat‘yinz’ispurePittsburghese.”1AyoungmanIinterviewedagreed,tellingme,“ProbablythenumberoneprimeexampleofPittsburgheseis‘yinz.’”AndanentryunderPittsburgheseonUrbanDictionary.com,asitewhereuserspostdefinitionsofnewandnonstandardwords,saysthis:“EmblematicofPittsburgheseis‘yinz’asthepluralof‘you’,with‘yunz’asavariant.”2

Yinzhasbecome“emblematicofPittsburghese”partlybecausemanyPittsburghersnowliveinplaceswherepeopleuseadifferentform,y’all,inthesamecontexts.Overthecourseofrepeatedinteractionswithsoutherners,thepatternthiscreates—apatternI


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referredtoinchapter3astextmetricality—comestohighlightthecontrast.Thefactthatdifferentpeopleusedifferentwordsinthesamecontexts,todothesamething—addressmultiplehearers—pointsupthe(p.234) possiblesemioticvalueofyinzbeyonditsmeaningasapronoun.SeveralpostsintheWTAEdiscussionforum(chapter5)alludetothis.“Alas,mykidsgrewupsaying‘ya’ll’andIstillcan’tgetusedtoit,”wrotesomeonewho“movedtothesoutheighteenyearsago.”Thediscussiontookplacein2002,whichmeansthatthisparticipantleftPittsburghin1984,exactlywhenthemassivecontractionofthesteelindustryforcedsomanyyoungPittsburghersout,andthefactthatthispersonhasgrownchildrensuggeststhatsheorhewaspartofthatcohort.Anotherparticipantsaidthathe“live[s]inGeorgia,thelandofya’ll,”andsuggeststhatothers“trylivingamongthe‘y’allers’forafewyears.You’llappreciatethe‘yunz’alittlemore.”

Yinzhasalsobeenfurtherreanalyzed.Inadditiontobeingusedasapersonalpronoun,itcannowbeusedasanadjective,prefix,orsuffix,tomodifyanoun.Intheseuses,yinzmeans“Pittsburghy,”somehowconnectedtoPittsburghortypicalofPittsburgh.Forexample,“YinzPlay”wasthenameofanexhibitatthePittsburghChildren’sMuseumin2010.Thiswasnotmeantasanimperative(“Yinz,play!”)butratherasachancetofindoutmoreaboutPittsburghbyplaying.Yinzservedasanadjectivemodifyingthenounplay.Theexhibitincludedanareacalled“PittsburgheseIllustratedWordPlay,”where,accordingtothePittsburghPost-Gazette,childrencould“placePittsburghesephrasesandfamousquotesinthemouthsofsuchimagesasTroyPolamalu[aPittsburghSteelersfootballstar]andMisterRogers[oncethehostofapopulartelevisionshowforchildren.]Forexample,AndyWarholmightasktogo‘dahntahn’,withMr.Rogersresponding‘Nuh,uh!’”(Chapman2010).(TheartistAndyWarholwasfromPittsburghandismuchcelebratedthere.)

TherewereotherPittsburghyactivitiesaswell.“Otherelementsoftheexhibit,”saidthePost-Gazette,“allowvisitorstocreatetheirownversionofaPrimantiBrothers’sandwich,pretendtopaddleakayak,anddomuchmore.”PrimantiBrothers’overstuffedsandwicheshavebecomeanemblemoflocalness;kayakingisarecentandoftenadvertisedpossibilityonthenowcleanerrivers.AlsoinvolvingyinzusedasanadjectiveistheYinzTeddyBear,aplushbear,forsaleonline,dressedasaPittsburghSteelersfootballfan.

“Yinzfloat”(figure9.3)isthelabelofapictureofthreepeopleinaboatjustbigenoughforthem,acooler,andsomefishinggear.ThephotoappearsinaFlickrstreambyanamateurphotographer,DavidKent,called“simplepleasure”(Kent2009).ThesceneistheMonongahelaRiver.Takenfromaboveastheboatpassedunderabridge,thepictureshowstheboaterslookingrelaxed,thetwoyoungwomeninbikinissunbathing,theolderman,shirtless,atthetilleroftheoutboardmotor,inhisotherhandabeveragecaninafoam“beerkoozie.”Oneofthewomensitsinafoldinglawnchair.YinzsuggeststhattheyarePittsburghers,engagedinatypicalPittsburghactivity.


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Figure9.3 “YinzFloat”(PhotographbyDavidKent,usedwithpermission)

Asaprefixorsuffix,yinzisusedtomodifynounsinwordslike“Yinzburgh”(anexhibitattheCarnegieScienceCenterconsistingofphotographsofunidentified(p.235)Pittsburghers,togetherwithactivitiesaimedatgettingvisitorstothinkabouttheirfamily’shistoryandthehistoryofindustry),aswellasYinzPittandYinzSports(websitesaboutPittsburgh).YinzBlogwasasectioninthePittsburghCityPaperconsistingofexcerptsfromblogsaboutthecity.Ablogonthewebsiteiheartpgh.comin2012wascalledQuestyinz.3Readerswereinvitedtosubmit“questionsaboutPittsburghorlifeinPittsburgh.”

Asnoted,aYinzerisastereotypicalPittsburgher.Yinzercanbeuseddisparaginglyorfondly,dependingonwhousesittolabelwhom,butitisincreasinglyusedinthelatterway,asaclaimtolocalness.In2003–2004,Iaskedallmy(p.236) intervieweeswhethertheywerefamiliarwiththetermYinzer.Olderpeopletendednottorecognizetheword,whileyoungerpeopledid.McCool’sPittsburghesedictionary,publishedin1982,doesnotincludeYinzer,andYinzerdoesnotappearinthecorpusofprintrepresentationsof


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PittsburghspeechIassembledbetween1997and2000.Overthecourseofthe2000s,thewordYinzerhasbecomemoreandmorevisible,anditsappearanceinthefinalvolumeoftheDictionaryofRegionalAmericanEnglish(JoanHoustonHall2012)hasgivenitanofficialsealofapproval,insomepeople’seyes.4

AJuly2012Googlesearchyieldedmorethan223,000hitsforYinzer.PhotostaggedYinzertendtobeofmalesportsfans,sometimesdrinking(ordrunk).Figure9.4showsYinzerusedinthenameofashopthatsellssportsteamT-shirts,additionalgearforfans,andotherPittsburghsouvenirs.Yinzerparty.comprovides“StreetStyleandNightlifePhotosofPortlandandPittsburgh.”Thesite’snameinvitesreaderstoimaginethatthebloggerisfromPittsburgh,notfromPortland.

Figure9.4 YinzerasPartofaShopName.(PhotographbyBarbaraJohnstone)

However,thetermisalsousedinmanycontextsthatdonotcallupsportsandparties,contextsinwhichitappearssimplytomean“Pittsburgh.”TheNewYinzerisaliterarymagazinefoundedintheearly2000sbyagroupofpeopleintheirtwenties.(Thenameisatake-offonTheNewYorker,aprominent(p.237) USliterarymagazine.)Thewebsitemakesanexplicitlinkbetweenthe“newYinzer”and“Pittsburgh’snewlyemergentidentity:”

Welcometothefall2011issueofPittsburgh’sliterarymagazine,TheNewYinzer.

Ourmissionistoquestion,develop,andembodyPittsburgh’snewlyemergentidentityvialiterarydiscourse.

Weprovideregionalwriterswithaworkingclassroomtocultivatewritingfromfreshideatofinishedproductonthepageandonstage.5

A2011PittsburghPost-GazettereviewofthenewalbumbyaPittsburghrapperwasheadlined,“MillerpoundsoutashowforPittsburgh’sYinzers.”Pittsburgh’sPennBreweryproducesanIndiaPaleAlecalled“CheekyYinzer.”Yinzerhasitselfbecomea


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productivemorphemeinwordsliketheblend“Yinzercation”(ablogaboutthePittsburghpublicschools).Yinzermakover.comwasthedomainnameofawebsiteaboutanonlinecontest,heldin2008,describedinaFacebookannouncementas“Pittsburgh’sBiggestFashionDisaster:WhatYinzShouldn’tWear.”

Figure9.5 VisuallyEnregisteringyinzwithPlace(PhotographsbyBarbaraJohnstone).

ThelinksbetweenyinzanditssocialmeaningshavebeenforgedinthekindsofactivitiesIdescribedinthesecondhalfofthisbook:inconversationandstorytelling,inthemedia,onartifactsthatareforsale,andinperformancesbothfleetingandcarefullydesigned.Thevisualartifactsinfigure9.5,forexample,inviteviewerstoenregisteryinzwithlocalidentityinvariousways.OntheT-shirtinfigure9.5,yinzissuperimposedonthePittsburghskylineandfurtherlinkedwiththecityviathecolorsblackandgoldandbyvirtueoftheT-shirt’stitle:Picksburgh.Onthemotorscooter,asouvenirstickerofthekindthatusuallyindicatesaplacename(likeOBXfortheOuterBanks)says“YINZ”whereaviewermightexpect“PGH.”TheSubwaySandwichdrinkdispenserthatthanks“yinz”forvisitingPittsburghwasintheairport,wherepeoplearrivingattheconcoursewhereitwaslocatedmightencounteryinzasoneoftheirfirstPittsburghexperiences.(p.238) Thesocialpracticesthroughwhichyinzhasbeenenregisteredasincorrect,asworkingclass,asPittsburghy,andasanemblemof“rustbeltchic”(Doig2012)havebeenshapedbythehistoryofthecityanditspeople,whichhasinturnbeenshapedbythephysicalgeographyofthearea.

Whatdoesyinzmeannow,intheseconddecadeofthetwenty-firstcentury?Yinzisasecond-personpluralpronoun.Yinzisanounprefixorsuffix,oranadjective.Yinzisanoun.Yinzsoundsincorrect.Yinzisaworking-classword.YinzisaPittsburghword.Yinziship.Inshort,peopleuseyinzinmanydifferentactivities,eachofwhichdrawsonandreinforcesadifferentoverlappingsetofideologicalschemas.Yinzisenregisteredinmultipleways.Itisaresource,indifferentways,fordifferentpublicsinPittsburgh.Itsmeaningsarebothlayeredintimeanddispersedinsocialspace,sothat,dependingonwhenandwhereapersonissociallylocated,somemeaningsareavailableandothersarenot.

Olderusesofthewordcansometimesbeseenthroughnewerones:yinzcansoundworkingclasspartlybecauseitcansoundincorrect;itcansoundPittsburghypartlybecauseitcansoundworkingclass.Yinzissometimesawindowonthepast,itsnewermeaningslaminatedonitsolderones.Sometimes,though,forsomepeople,newersocial


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meaningshavereplacedolderones.Acollegestudentfromoutofstateusesyinzinabar,asawayofshowingthathefitsin,unawareofitsothersocialresonances;hisPittsburgherfriendcringes,hearinganembarrassingallusiontotheuneducatedPittsburghersofthepast.Acolleaguewhoreadsanonlineforumforvideogamersnoticedthatonecontributorcalledhimself“YinzerSlayer”andaskedwhetherthatmeant“Yinzerwhoslays”or“onewhoslaysYinzers.”YinzerSlayer’sreplywasscaffoldedonanoldermeaning:“slayerofYinzers—IhatethestupiditythatsomewillfullyignorantpeoplearoundPittsburghdisplayonaregularbasis.Somepeopletake‘Yinzer’asatermofendearment,Idon’t.”PeoplewhodotakeYinzerasatermofendearmentmight,ontheotherhand,payforanitemmadebyjewelerSharonMassey,whodesigns,produces,andsellssilverpendants,earrings,cufflinks,andotherwearableproductsintheshapesofPittsburghesewordsorwithPittsburghesewordsonthem.MasseymarketsherYinzerpendanttopeoplewhoare“proudtobeaYinzer”(Massey,n.d.).

Massey’sjewelrycanlinkPittsburghesewithavarietyofsocialmeanings,dependingonwhobuysitforwhomandwhowearsit.ThefactthatMassey’spendants,beltbuckles,andearringsareexperiencedonthebodiesofpeoplewhowearthemratherthanonthebodiesofstandardizeddollslikeChippedHamSam,orinthevisualcontextofthefrontsandbacksofT-shirts,opensupthepossibilitythatthewordstheyrepresentmaybetakenintonewordersofindexicality,givenmeaningaccordingtonewculturalschemata.UnlikethePittsburgheseonT-shirts,Pittsburgheseasjewelryneednotbevisuallylinkedwithimagesofthecity,localnamesandactivities,oraspectsofvisualdesign(likecolor)thatlookPittsburghy.UnlikethePittsburgheseutteredbythe(p.239) Yappin’Yinzerdolls,PittsburghesejewelryisnotdirectlylinkedwiththepersonaoftheYinzer.If,forexample,apendantthatsaysYinzerwerewornbyayouthfulhipster,itcouldlinkPittsburghesetoadifferentsortofsocialidentitythanthatoftheYappin’Yinzerdolls,stillperhapsevokingtheYinzeridentityinamoreironic,detachedway,orperhapsnot.Liketheoralperformanceswelookedatinchapter8,thejewelryservesasacentrifugalforce,pushingyinzintonewsemioticdomains.

FromRememberedLocaletoImaginedPersonaOneofthebiggestsurprisesformeasIhavepiecedtogetherthehistoryofPittsburghesehasbeenthehugeroleplayedbythebabyboomers,thegenerationofPittsburghersandex-PittsburgherswhowerebornafterWorldWarIIandwhobecameworking-agedinthe1980s.ThiscohortofPittsburghershasbeenthebridgegeneration,anchoredbothinPittsburghspeechandinPittsburghese.Intheirlifetimesandwiththeirparticipation,economicandsocialhistory,ideasaboutlanguage,andthehistoryofwesternPennsylvaniaspeechcametogetherwithcommunicationtechnologytoputPittsburgheseinplace.

Storiesaboutlanguagechangeareoftenstoriesaboutyoungpeople,andpartofthePittsburghesestorytracesthebabyboomers’youthinastill-industrialPittsburghwherehighunionwagesandthehighwaybuildingboomofthe1950sand1960smadeitpossiblefortheirparentstomovefromLawrencevilletothesuburbsorfromEastPittsburghtoForestHills.TheirparentshadgrownupsoundinglikePittsburghers,unawareofhow


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theysoundedandwhatitcouldmeantosoundonewayoranother,butthesePittsburghers,moreawareofotherwaysofspeakingbecausetheyweremoremobile,linkedPittsburghesewithclassandknewitcouldsounduneducatedandsloppy.Theytrynottosay“dahntahn”oryinz.Still,theyknowtheyhavePittsburghaccents,becausepeoplehavetoldthemso.TheygrewupreadingarticlesaboutPittsburgheseinthenewspapersandstilltodaygetrecognizedasPittsburghersbyhowtheytalk.Aswehaveseen,theygrewupthinkingofthemselvesasPittsburghers,too,notasimmigrantsorthechildrenofimmigrants.

HugenumbersofbabyboomerswereforcedawayfromPittsburghwhentheeconomycontractedinthe1980s.Manyofthemmovedtothe“sunbelt,”agroupofsouthernandsouthwesternstatesthatwereattractingindustryinpartbecauseoflowerlaborcosts.Coincidentally,personalcomputerswerejustbecomingwidelyavailable,firstinworkplaces,theninhomes.Bytheearly1990s,manyyoungeradultswerecomfortablewithe-mail,andbythemid-1990stheywereexploringtheWorldWideWeb.Stillyoungorinearlymiddleage,theex-Pittsburghersquicklycaughtontopersonalcomputingandusedittokeepintouchwithhomeandtalkabouthome.Aswehaveseen,thisinvolvedtalking(p.240) abouthowPittsburgherstalk.Theycontinuetodoso,perhapsevenmorenowthattheirchildrenaregrownandtheyhavemoretimefornostalgia.

ThechildrenofthisgenerationgrewupwithPittsburghese.Thoseinthediasporic“SteelerNation”mayhaveseenPittsburgheseorhearditdiscussed,mainlyonfootballSundays,butitisunlikelythattheyareinterestedenoughinittocarryonintheirparents’onlinefootsteps.ThosewhogrewupinPittsburghmaystillspeakwiththeirparents’unselfconsciousPittsburghaccents.Ontheotherhand,iftheirparentsmovedupsociallyandeconomically,theyprobablyspeakinamoreleveled,regional-soundingway,maintainingsomefeaturesofthewaytheirparentsspeak(theypronouncewordslikenotwiththeroundedlowbackvowel,wordslikeschoolwithavocalized/l/)butnotthefeaturesthathavecometosoundPittsburghy.ThesepeopleareprobablyabletotalkaboutPittsburghese,though,andtheymayuseitplayfullytoclaimalocalorinsideridentity.Thein-migrationtoPittsburghbycollegestudentsandyoungprofessionalsmeansthatthesePittsburghersarejoinedbypeoplewholearntotalkaboutPittburghese,evenusebitsofit,butwhorelativelyrarelyhearanyonespeakingwithaPittsburghaccent.Iftheydo,theymaynotevenrecognizeit.

ThepeoplewhoenregisteredasubsetofPittsburghwords,phrases,andsoundsasPittsburgheseinthelatterhalfofthetwentiethcenturytypicallyhadpersonalmemoriesofchildhoodsinPittsburgh,andthePittsburgheseofthetwentiethandearlytwenty-firstcenturyincludedmanyformsthatevokedactivitiesandartifactstheyassociatedwiththeiryouth.ListsofPittsburghesefromthoseyearsincludedlocalplacenamesandlocalproductsaswellasdistinctivewords,andthesetendedtobeembeddedinphrasesandsentencesthatevokedthepast.Thepeoplewhogeneratedtheselistsandarguedovertheircontentsknewmanypeoplewhoactuallyusedthesewordsandsounds,peoplewhoreallysoundedlikePittsburghers,andtheexperienceofbeingrecognizedbytheiraccentsmadethemsensitivetothesoundsoflocalspeech.Thus,listsofPittsburghese


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fromthe1980s,1990s,andearly2000stendedtorepresentavarietyoflocalpronunciations,iniconicwordslike“dahntahn,”“Stillers,”and“GiantIggle,”butalsoinlessiconiccontextslike“stillmill”(‘steelmill’)and“cahch”(‘couch’).

ThePittsburghesethathasbeencreatedbyandforthebabyboomersisshapedbytheideathatPittsburgheseislinkedtothePittsburghoftherememberedpast.ItisanaspectofPittsburgh’sculturalheritage,albeitrarelyacknowledgedassuchinmoreofficialkindsoftalkaboutthecity.IthasbecomeunloosedfromthekindofsocialevaluationthatcanmakeitshamefultohaveanactualPittsburghaccentorprovincialtousePittsburghwords.PittsburghPost-GazettecolumnistBrianO’Neill,writingin2004,gavevoicetothisideainane-mailtomeinwhichhesuggestedthathehadusedalocal-soundingterminoneofhiscolumnsbecause“‘rubberbands’hasnoauthorityover‘gumbands.’”Thisistosaythatthestandard,“correct”form(rubberbands)nolongertrumpsthelocal(p.241) form(gumbands).GiventhatmostpeopleintheUnitedStates,mostofthetime,userubberbandsinsteadofgumbands,theworldinwhichO’Neill’sclaimmakessenseisaworldinwhichthelocalisasgoodastheglobal.Pittsburghersnolongerliveinsuchaworld,butmanymissit.

AstherealmofdiscourseaboutPittsburghesebecomesfurtherandfurtherdisconnectedfromtherealmofpeoplewhospeakthewayPittsburghersspeak,therepertoireofPittsburgheseitemshasshrunkandstandardized.OlderPittsburgheseT-shirtdesigns,withtenormorewordsonthefrontandalongerlistontheback,arenowsoldnexttonewerdesigns,whichtendtoplaywithasinglePittsburgheseword:“I’msurroundedbyjagoffs,”“YNZ”,“Drinkup,yinzbitches,”“Stillers,”“Wegot[SuperBowl]ringsn’at.”Anapparentlyself-published2012bookcalledYinzerBible(Anon2012)includesa“PittsburgheseDictionary”thatisdifferentfromearlieronesinsometellingways.SomeoftheentriesappeartobecopiedfromtheliststhatcirculateviatheMcCooldictionary,T-shirtsandotherartifacts,andonline.Others,however,suggestthatthelistmakerwasnotveryfamiliarwiththewayPittsburgherstalk.Reddupisspelled“Red-up”andwronglydefinedas“togetready,”andhoagieismisspelled“hogie.”Mostoftheotherentriesareeyedialect:“picknick”forpicnic,“rilly”forreally,“grahj”forgarage,andsoon.Themonophthongal/aw/soundisspelled<aaw>,<ah>,<awh>,and<ha>,whichsuggeststhatthewriterofthelistmaynotbesurewhatitactuallysoundslike.Butthenewdictionaryincludesoneitemthatismissingfromearlierlists:“Yinzer,”definedas,“ThebelovedPittsburgherwhospeaksPittsburgheseandfollowstheculture.”

ParticularlyforpeoplewhodonotrememberthePittsburghofthe1950sand1960s,themeaningofPittsburgheseisshifting.Pittsburgheseisbeingenregisterednotwiththecity’sidentityingeneralbutmorespecificallywiththepersonaoftheYinzer.AsInotedinchapter7,theYinzerfigurerepresentsastyleofcommunicationaswellasalifestyle;Yinzersareforthright,loud,anddirectivebecausetheyarefreeoftheneedtocontroltheirspeechfortheneweconomy.Theyarealsofrustratedandpetulant.Theycallpeoplejagoffs,rantineffectivelyaboutthe“Stillers,”andyellattheirkids.WhenIaskolderpeopletoexplainwhatPittsburgheseis,theylistwordsandphrases;whenIaskyoungerpeople,theybreakintoperformancesoftheYinzer,oftenleaningforward,raisingtheir


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voices,soundingabitaggressive.SpeakingPittsburghese,forthem,isnotsomuchamatterofknowinglocalspeechformsthatevokethepastasamatterofputtingonaspeechstylethatevokesastereotypicalworking-classcharacter.

Ithasbeenarguedthateconomicandculturaldevelopmentshavediminishedtherelevanceofplaceinhumanlives.AccordingtoRobertN.Bellahandhiscolleagues(Bellahetal.1985),contemporaryAmericansinhabit“lifestyleenclaves”ratherthancommunitiescenteredaroundcommonexperienceofplace.Theinstabilityofmeaningingeneralandthethreattomeaningfulplacesinthe(p.242) modernworldisoftensaidtobetheresultofrapidchangeandmobility(Ogilvy1977).EdwardSaid(1978,18),forexample,speaksofthe“generalizedsenseofhomelessness”experiencedbythegloballymobile.AccordingtosociologistAnthonyGiddens(1991),thedynamismofmodernlifehastheeffectofseparatingplacefromspace,removingsocialrelationsfromlocalcontexts.Oncesociallifebecomes“disembedded”inthisway,“placebecomesphantasmagoric”(Giddens,1991,146),“muchlesssignificantthanitusedtobeasanexternalreferentforthelifespanoftheindividual”(147).Theworldisnolongerjustthephysicalworldinwhichapersonmovesthrough.

Butitisalsoclaimedthatlocal,place-basedcommunitystillhasaroletoplay,albeitachangingone.Giddenspointsouthowpeopleattemptto“re-embedthelifespanwithinalocalmilieu”(1991,147),suchasthroughattemptstocultivatecommunitypride.Culturalgeographerswhocontinuetofocusontraditionalculturesandtraditionalaspectsofculturerecognizethecontinuedpersistenceandimportanceoftraditionalsourcesofmeaningsuchaslocalness(Entrikin1991,41).Thatlocalnesscanstillbevaluedcanbeseeninactivitiesaimedatperpetuatingorevencreatingit.Localcontextsoflifemaystillbetiedtohumanidentityinmoreimmediateways,too.AsStuartHallpointsout(1991,33–36),globalizationisnot,afterall,anewphenomenon,and“thereturntothelocalisoftenaresponsetoglobalization…Itisarespectforlocalrootswhichisbroughttobearagainsttheanonymous,impersonalworldoftheglobalizedforceswhichwedonotunderstand.”Face-to-facecommunityisknowableinawaymoreabstractcommunitiesarenot:one“knowswhatthevoicesare.Oneknowswhatthefacesare”(35).Insum,itisincreasinglydifficulttopredictexactlyhowthelocalwillarticulatewithanindividual’slife.

InexploringoneofthewaysinwhichPittsburghersarticulateexperiencewithplace,IhopeIhavesaidsomethingnewaboutthemeaningofplaceinhumanlives.Duetoaparticularsetofgeographical,economic,linguistic,andideologicalcircumstances,peopleinPittsburghgrabbedontolanguageasawayofdefiningthemselves,andargumentsaboutwhatPittsburghmeanscontinuetobeframedasargumentsaboutPittsburghese.(AcontroversyoverwhetherthePost-GazetteshouldcontinuetoallowitswriterstousethewordjagofferuptedasIwaswritingthischapter.Onthesurfaceitwasaboutthemeaningofaword,buttheargumentactuallyhadasmuchtodowiththemeaningofthecity’shistory.)ThesetofcircumstancesthatproducedPittsburghesehascoincidednowhereelse.Therearesimilarstories,butnoneidentical.Thisisthesociolinguistichistoryofaparticularspotontheplanetataparticulartime.IntellingthestoryofPittsburghese,Ihopetohaveopenedupsomenewwaysofthinkingaboutwhatregional


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dialectsareandwhattheymeanatatimewhenmobilityappearstobeerasingdifference.

Notes:

(1).http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/02/yinz.html,accessedJuly17,2012.

(2).http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pittsburghese,accessedJuly4,2012.

(3).http://iheartpgh.com/quest-yinz/,accessedJuly3,2013.

(4).IfYinzerdidnotstartwithaletterthatisclosetotheendofthealphabet,itwouldnothaveappearedinDARE,whoseearliervolumeswereallpublishedbeforethewordcameontothescene.

(5).http://www.newyinzer.com/archive/fall2011/tocindex.html,accessedJuly3,2013.

Documents

The History of Yinz andathesOutlook fornPittsburghese ... · The second-person plural pronoun yinz has been a semiotic resource in Pittsburgh ever since colonial-era Scotch-Irish