Summah

~ MaryG
Boiled lobsters for sale at Woodman’s in Essex, MA
The tip jar at Woodman’s—a family-run business since 1914
The “Italian garden” at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA (my Italian is on the far right 😉)
The property is now owned and managed by a nonprofit organization: The Trustees of Reservations
The Great House (with a wedding reception underway on the lawn)
The “rose garden” at the Crane Estate is now mostly filled with more sustainable plantings.
The Crane Estate’s salt marsh is part of the largest continuous salt marsh system north of Long Island, spanning nearly 25,000 acres across Essex County.
Everyone around here knows that the one big drawback to this part of our beautiful state is Greenhead fly season. Those little buggers love the salt marshes and their bites really hurt! I was not being bothered by the flies, but they were really going after my poor husband. Maybe they prefer 100% Italian-Americans. (I’m only 50%.) My Irish was protecting me ☘️ 😊

“Summah” is Boston for “summer.” The truth is I’ve never had much of a Boston accent and my husband has mostly lost his, but I do like to hear it when I’m away from home. There are different versions of it, based largely on socioeconomic class. In my opinion, the upper class “Kennedy” version is fading away. You rarely hear it. (Listen to JFK say “summer” at minute 6:00 of this speech.)

The middle class/blue collar version of the accent is way more common. Former Boston Mayor Mahty Walsh had a good one.

We’ve got four distinct seasons here in Massachusetts and there’s just no doubt about it…

Summah’s the best.

18 thoughts on “Summah”

  2. When I was living in South Carolina, I had a coworker friend who was from Boston himself. Me, him, and another friend, who is also from Michigan, all piled on my car to go see the Tigers play Braves in Atlanta.

    My Boston friend, as far as I could tell, had a “Midwest accent” that is to say that it didn’t show any regional, dialectical preferences. However, after the game and a few beers, he got on the phone with his dad, and I heard the Boston accent in all its glory…

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      1. I have not made it to anywhere yet. One of the summers I’m thinking of just biting the bullet and going, regardless of what kind of seats I get.

        There’s a part of me that wants to wait and make at the last of the 30 stadiums that I visit. But after going to Wrigley, this past spring, I don’t think I can put it off much longer.

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      3. Just make sure you get here! The Green Monstah awaits!! I think they have “Educator Appreciation” nights…discounts and freebies for teachers at those games.

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  5. I think regional accents are pretty interesting. Thanks for the YouTube clips. I liked the variations of the Boston accents. Funny, I never thought you could lose your accent while still living there. That was a surprise. I’m not sure Southern Californians have an accent. Maybe it’s slang more than anything else. Believe me, the Valley Girl “dialect” hurt my ears back in the 80s. Most locals were not a fan of the stereotype, but then again, we were not from the valley, just guilty by proximity. It was so cartoonish, but sadly for some, quite accurate…

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    1. That’s a good point (losing your accent without moving away). I think when my husband stopped hanging out constantly with the guys from home (and went to college and grad school), it kinda just went away. The Boston accent can get educated out of you!

      Have you seen that skit “The Californians” on SNL? Maybe that’s the valley accent too—I don’t even understand what’s meant by “the valley.” But I do think there’s a SoCal lilt. You talk a bit slower and tend to go up at the end of sentences? 😉

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      1. Technically, the valley is an area called San Fernando Valley. To me growing up, it was just inland away from the beach. When the movie Valley Girl came out, all we heard was that valley girl accent. That accent leaked out into the mainstream and I had a few friends adopt it wholeheartedly. Ugh!

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      3. Oh, I’m going to look for the SNL skit. I imagine it’s pretty hilarious!

        Does your husband’s Boston accent return when he hangs out with his friends? I see that happen with other accents.

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