Contrary to how it sounds in several Hollywood movies which shall remain nameless, the Maine accent is very different from a Boston accent. Anyone who attempts to do a Maine accent with a Boston accent will immediately be pegged as "from away", as in, not from here, not born in Maine. Here is a quick introduction to speaking like a local, some vocabulary to memorize, and interpretations of Maine phrases.

The Maine accent is difficult to describe. It is slower, with a relaxed lower jaw. The vowels e and a are drawn out. Mainers (as a person from Maine is called) sometimes replace the "r" in words with "-aah", as in chowdah, but unlike in Boston, one-syllable words are drawn out into two syllables. "Here" comes out as heeyuh and "there" is theyuh. The "o" is pronounced "aw" as in good mawnin' (good morning).

It's always hard to describe sound with words. To hear an example, visit Maine humorist Tim Sample's website at http://timsample.com/humorstore.html, scroll down to Tapes and CDs, and click on "Listen to a little sample."

Maine accents are best articulated via our unique vocabulary. Here are a few words to get you started:

Apiece – an undetermined distance.

Ayuh – yes, uh-huh, you bet (and dozens of other uses). Pronounced like "A yup" but as one word, without the p, from the throat.

The County – Refers to Aroostook County, the northern part of the state.

Dooryard – yard or outside steps.

Downeast – The southeastern part of the state including Hancock and Washington Counties. Its meaning is derived from sailing downwind from Boston, which is generally to the northeast.

Wicked – a superlative adjective, the closest meaning is very, as in wicked smart (wicked smaht),wicked awesome, wicked bad. Not just a Maine term, but common throughout New England.

Maine Phrases

A phrase you might hear often is You can't get there from here, which means there is no direct route to where you want to go. This might explain why everyone in Maine has a Delorme Gazetteer (road atlas) in their car, and you will often see "Gazetteer page XX" in directions.

Perhaps our best phrases come from fisheries:

Number than a pounded hake – not all there.

Deafer than a haddock – can't hear, because apparently all other fish have good hearing.

Dungeon thick – heavy fog.

Puffed up like a toad sculpin – a bit overweight.

Matinicus bouquet – a tangle of buoys and traps.

Feather white – white caps on the water.

Place Names

The names of Maine places have several origins. There are French names, but they are usually pronounced phonetically. For example, the town of Calais is "Caliss", not "Calay". There are also towns named after countries, like Sweden, Mexico, Peru, and China. And everywhere are Native American (Abenaki) names. Penobscot means waters of descending ledge or rocky river. Kenduskeag means eel-catching place. Weskeag is the land of wonders. Passagassawakeag is the place of sights or ghosts.

If you practice these, you may avoid being called a flatlander or summer complaint (aka tourist).

Click here for previous Things You Should Know Before Coming to Maine Tips
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