Bostonese

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The distinctive accent and speech patterns of Boston, Massachusetts, notably dropping the r sound after vowels
2. A regional English dialect associated with Boston, marked by the omission of final and pre-consonantal r sounds
3. The local way of speaking in Boston, characterized by its nonrhotic pronunciation and idiosyncratic vocabulary

Etymology: Bostonese is simply Boston with the suffix "-ese," the same ending found in words like "Japanese" and "Maltese," used to name a language or dialect of a place. The pattern is old and productive in English, so the word is a plain formation rather than a coinage with a dramatic backstory. The suffix "-ese" came into English through French from Latin "-ensis," meaning "belonging to" or "of a place," so the ending itself carries the idea of origin. Attaching it to Boston yields a label for the distinctive speech of the city and its surrounding area, the way "Brooklynese" or "Valleyspeak" work for other places. The meaning is therefore literal: the way of speaking associated with people from Boston. Its humour lies mainly in the stereotypes it attracts, such as the dropped r in words like "car" and "park," rather than in any twist in its own history.