Yinzer

Yinzer is a 20th-century term playing on the Pittsburghese second-person plural vernacular "yinz." The word is used among people who identify themselves with the city of Pittsburgh and its traditions.

History
Main article: Western Pennsylvania English

"Yinzer" (or "Yunzer") was historically used to identify the typical blue-collar people from the Pittsburgh region who often spoke with a heavy Pittsburghese accent. The term stems from the word yinz (or yunz), a second-person plural pronoun brought to the area by early Scottish-Irish immigrants.[1] Over time, yinzer has been used by many Pittsburgh residents to self-identify, even if they don't speak with a thick accent.

The concept and use of the word gained popularity in the 21st century as the area's population loss slowed, and the city became a hub for revitalization. As the city gained note as a desirable place to live,[2][3] more outsiders have moved or returned to the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The term has taken on a connotation to identify someone who, for better or worse, is either a lifelong Pittsburgher, or says a phrase or commits an act that could be identified as something a stereotypical Pittsburgher might do.

References
  1. Johnstone, Barbara (2013). Speaking Pittsburghese: The Story of a Dialect. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 228. ISBN 9780199945689.
  2. "America's Most Livable Cities". Forbes (April 29, 2010).
  3. Percha, Julie (February 22, 2011). "Move over, Honolulu: Pittsburgh's No. 1 in U.S." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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