What you doing?
Dear Michael:
I bailed on work early yesterday because I ended up working all the night before and by 4:30 I had completely run out of steam. It was really great weather out so we went outside to play.
You saw a squirrel sitting on a fence post down by the neighborhood playground and thought that was pretty cool. In fact, we then had to run after the squirrel, which the squirrel did not seem to like. After the squirrel fled to the other side of the little run-off creek, you yelled at the top of your lungs, "What You Doing Squirrel?"
The Squirrel decided that this was most likely a war cry and promptly ran up a tree.
What you doing is another of your current favorite phrases. Usually it is followed by Mommy, sometimes Daddy.
Which reminds me, on the way down to the playground I'd periodically ask you "Which way playground?" To which Mommy suggested "Why don't we talk in complete sentences?" Which of course, I agree with, I had just gotten carried away channeling you.
But later, it occurred to me that you are just channeling your 'Burgh heritage. I've always felt that Pittsburghese was really an exercise in leaving out as many words or parts of words as possible while still communicating effectively.
Prepositions and helping verbs are strictly optional in Pittsburgh. If letters can be sliced off words and still be understood, great. If two or more words can be squished together, even better.
Hence: "Et yet? No, jew?" (translation: Have you eaten yet? No, have you?) or, I suppose, "What you doing Mommy?"
You saw a squirrel sitting on a fence post down by the neighborhood playground and thought that was pretty cool. In fact, we then had to run after the squirrel, which the squirrel did not seem to like. After the squirrel fled to the other side of the little run-off creek, you yelled at the top of your lungs, "What You Doing Squirrel?"
The Squirrel decided that this was most likely a war cry and promptly ran up a tree.
What you doing is another of your current favorite phrases. Usually it is followed by Mommy, sometimes Daddy.
Which reminds me, on the way down to the playground I'd periodically ask you "Which way playground?" To which Mommy suggested "Why don't we talk in complete sentences?" Which of course, I agree with, I had just gotten carried away channeling you.
But later, it occurred to me that you are just channeling your 'Burgh heritage. I've always felt that Pittsburghese was really an exercise in leaving out as many words or parts of words as possible while still communicating effectively.
Prepositions and helping verbs are strictly optional in Pittsburgh. If letters can be sliced off words and still be understood, great. If two or more words can be squished together, even better.
Hence: "Et yet? No, jew?" (translation: Have you eaten yet? No, have you?) or, I suppose, "What you doing Mommy?"
1 Comments:
Yes, sometimes I find myself talking in "baby talk" -- and my baby doesn't even talk yet!
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