Local Talk

“Improprieties in pronunciation” among the people of New England in 1808, collected by Caleb Bingham and published in The Child’s Companion:

afraid:          afeard
apron:           apun
audacious:       outdacious
bonfire:         burnfire
brittle:         brickle
cards:           cairds
caught:          cotch
coin:            quine
cucumber:        cowcumber
dictionary:      dixonary
drain:           dreen
earth:           airth
fanciful:        fancical
five pence:      fippence
gown:            gound
grasshopper:     hoppergrass
jaundice:        janders
musician:        musicianer
poplar:          popple
quart:           quairt
quotient:        coshun
sassafras:       saxafax
turtle:          turcle
tutor:           tutorer
umbrella:        amberrillar
Vermont:         Vermount
walnut:          warnut
watermelon:      watermillion

“It is not to be supposed that they are all in common use in every part of New England. Some of them are local. In general, however, they are used more or less in all the New England States.”