Do you speak Wisconese?

[Viking12]

Having lived here for 2 years now, I'm starting to catch on. It helped that I originate from MN, but this helps more...

http://www.homestead.com/cameronwis/WisDictionary.html

[wtmusic]

1. No hey. nt

[RevCheesehead]

2. Dat was too funny, eh?

Cripes, I laught myself silly. :)

[Skittles]

3. do you mean WisCAHNsin ?

:D

P.S. Yeah I know a bit; I lived in that great state twice during my GI childhood: Columbus and Madison - have brothers born in both towns. I've always loved Wisconsin and count my time in Madison as my favorite. :thumbsup:

[MsUSA]

38. That's how my favorite sports radio announcer says it.

Matt LePay of Badger sports, I do love how he says it. I wonder if he's from around here. :shrug:

[JoshWatermanMN]

4. I am from WI originally

And I can vouch for "Pert-Neert" (one university degree later, I occassionally lapse into it again--yikes), and "Davenport" (where the hell did that come from. Some of the other items like Yah-hey are more on the eastern side of the state, near Milwaukee (same with "bubbler" for water fountain -- as a kid growing up in the SW corner of the state, we always said water fountain).

[Lexingtonian]

5. in Ontario

you always hear the couch referred to as the 'Chesterfield'. So, Davenport was probably where most of the factory-made ones in Wisconsin came from in the mid-late 1800s....

Most of the items on the list are clearly immigrant English coinages. They seem largely to be taken from colloquial German.

[B3Nut]

11. My grandma in Michigan

often refers to the sofa as the Davenport, and I often do the same (I'm Battle Creek spawn). I've been in WI for a smidge over 3 years now, here for the long haul. I love this place... :)

Todd in Beerbratistan

[newyawker99]

30. Hi JoshWatermanMN!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[sybylla]

6. Wow, I gotta get out more.

I did not know "stop-n-go" lights and "upside-right" were Wisconese. Though I have wondered why on earth we say them.

I always shorten stop-n-go to just stop lights.

And I can't believe you've only been here two years, Viking12. Are you here for the long haul? I'll take a Dem Viking fan over a puke cheddarhead anyday. :patriot:

[Viking12]

8. Well, 2 years and 2 months to be precise...

We moved here for a job with the intention that we'd only be here a year or two. As things have turned out, the job is better than I'd expected and the area where we live is awesome, so we've discussed settling here permanently. Since my neighbors haven't yet stoned the Viking fan, it might just work out :):eyes:

I recall asking directions at a convenience store when we first arrived. The clerk told me to take a left at the "stop-n-go lights." I thought, "that's crazy talk.":crazy: Then I discovered that is the common label for stop lights here. Don't ask me how long it took to figure out what a bubbler was. :think:

[NewHampshireDem]

7. I'm from CT and I've always called it a bubbler ...

Hmmm ....

BTW, what do you call a grinder up there in Skahnsin? :)

[shoelace414]

9. sub or sub sandwich

[eowyn_of_rohan]

27. I've read there were 2 areas in the country that used "Bubbler"

Wisconsin, and some parts of the Northeast. Wonder how this happened?

[NewHampshireDem]

39. In the Northeast it runs in a narrow band from Eastern CT to Boston 'burbs

:shrug: No idea ... of course, in Boston it's a "bublah" :)

[Greybnk48]

10. He's missing a few "oldies but goodies"

"gooms"= means "gums", i.e., the tissue around your teeth (if you have em).

"hairs"=usage: "my hairs are wild. I need to have them trimmed and permed."

As a long ago transplant to WI ('62 from Philly to a town pop. 104, age 12, thanks DAD) these were the first words I noticed. It actually took a while to figure out what gooms were. Tennies and the bubbler were easier (as opposed to sneakers and drinking fountains). Since we moved to a very small farming community, no one knew what a "Hoagie" was because they didn't know what a "Sub" was either--at least for three more years when an awesome pizza joint opened 15 miles away. Of course my education was lacking too, since I had no idea what a "cowpie" was (duh) OR a "heffer" (heifer, fer da Christ!).

I'm not in the little town anymore, and have moved away twice for short periods, but will never leave again.

[shoelace414]

12. Try to have someone from out of state pronounce Oconomowoc

[Viking12]

13. Or Berlin

[Goblinmonger]

16. I called 411 to get a number there

(I'm from Oshkosh) and said I needed the number for the Ber'-lun pool. The woman on the phone corrected me and said, "Don't you mean Ber-lin'" My response was, "Not if you're from there."

[ewagner]

14. Or Chequamegon

as in Chequamegon Bay./

Lac Court O'Rielles

[RevCheesehead]

18. Don't forget Butte de Morts.

as kids, we'd snicker and say "it says butt."

[Sabriel]

40. Or Fond du Lac

My personal fave test is:

Lac Court des Orielles

[Goblinmonger]

15. "on accident"

That one always kills me and my wife. We are transplanted from ND/MN (Grand Forks area) and we can't stop the kids from saying this.

Also, my first month here I was told to take a left and go over the viaduct. I had no clue; I envisioned some Roman water transportation system.

[Pharlo]

17. I'm from WI,

I was in my 20's before I realized that the term 'bubbler' was regional. The first time someone asked me where the 'water fountain' was, I told them there weren't any in this town. As a matter of fact, personally, I don't know of any in this area. As for the ensuing conversation........

I knew about that one, but I didn't realize 'gooms' and 'davenport' were regional too.

Geez......

[ewagner]

20. An old Insurance salesman

from the Hurley/Ironwood area used to tell me he was so successful because he sold "boat" policies. I knew commissions on boat policies were crap so I asked his how he did it....he carefully explained that "bot" policies meant selling the Automobile policy AND the Homeowners policy...ya know..."bot policies". :rofl:

[Callalily]

19. Do I speak Wisconese?

Yahey, ya betcha. And I just love goin up nort, but the skeeters seem to be worse up dare. And hey, I don't play no sheepshead, but I ain't no leaker edder doe.

Sorry to say but I gots no Packers tickets to Sundays game at dat dare frozen tundra place, how's bout youse?

Whew - that's hard. Seriously, I do know people who talk like that in their every day to day speak. But most of them are from up nort and many of them are Yoopers too. So yahey, you understand hey.

[htuttle]

21. I can't shake Milwaukee-ese

...even doe it's been over a decade since I lived down by da Wolski's, hey.

Well, I gotta get on the bus wit da babushka's and go to work. Anahder day, anahder buck-two-eighty, hey. Wat da fock.

[Callalily]

22. Cripes, dat dares funny hey!

Da bus huh! Glad to hear dat youse wadn't born in a barn, geeze, youse gots class!

[htuttle]

23. Fockin' eh, we're all sophisticates in da Big City, hey!

Ya, you'd see me down by da lake lookin' at dose museums when dee art fair's on, even.

[Callalily]

24. Ya youse big city slickers!

Ya, us from da sticks likes museums too hey. Rembrandt at MAM soon? I just gots ta go and take a peak see for myself, n-so?

[ewagner]

25. LOL

Sounds like conversations I used to hear in the "coffee room" at the place I used to work.

[Callalily]

26. Youse gots dat right!

Actually ewagner, I have never spoken Wisconese, although I do use bubbler instead of fountain. My mum spoke the "Queens English", so we were all brought up proper like hey!

[Politically_Wrong]

28. What yinz guys talkin 'bout?!

Sorry ta' interupt yinz guyses chit chat but I wanna let ya know, Goldie, that our Stillers will be without Big Ben so your guyses Pack has a chance...well...I gotta go get some hoagies, perogies, a pop, and a burger with some fries on it (common Pittsburgh food) for da' game See yinz later!

P.S. Here We Go Still-ers! Here We Go!

[Callalily]

29. Oh hey dere Jor!

Tanks for da heads-up. Wid out yur star QB us Packers jus may have a fair ta middlin chance. Hey dere, yous is makin me hungry, so I’m havin brats ‘n cheese curds, and ya the squeaky kind, dats da best! May even have a couple two beers. Go Packers!
:rofl:

[Greybnk48]

31. does da bus go down highway hunnert hey?

[Serial Mom]

32. SE WI has the "german" inflection, other parts of WI, MN & ND

tend to have the Scandinavian inflection to our colloquial terms.

And then Canadians have another inflection and use terms we even don't - eh?

[RevCheesehead]

33. And some of us der got both...

and can turn it on or off at will, eh? :)

[jane_pippin]

34. So. Youse havin' trouble pickin' it up, aina?

Stop down by the bar dere sometime for a Old Fashioned and you'll pick it right up in no time. Oh ya.

[ewagner]

35. Dat rum's pretty good too eh?

[jane_pippin]

36. Oh ya. That'll fock ya right up. Won't know which end of

the cow you're tippin' after a couple three of dem.

[Jackpine Radical]

42. Nah. Jus set me up a Leinies an a Abergut.

What kinda schnapps ya got in here?

[MsUSA]

37. That's a great site.....will be sending it to all fellow Wisconsinites!!

:)

[Jackpine Radical]

41. I don't get it. What's so funny about

Standard English?

[Dinger]

43. Dis, Dat, Deeze, Doze, Der (Prounounced "dare"),

yah hey, turdy point buck, . . .

How's dat?