Montpelier Slang

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Part of the fun of exploring a new place is learning the local lingo. Montpelier, and by extension, Vermont, has its own dialect, which is sometimes puzzling to outsiders. With the influx of new residents from other states, the formerly distinct Vermont speech patterns, and even Montpelier slang, have been somewhat disrupted. Although similarities exist, Vermont speech is still different, sometimes noticeably, from the rest of New England.

Older, lifelong residents have more pronounced Vermont speech patterns. "A" and "e" sounds are broader, sounding something like the Canadian pronunciation. The "r" at the end of a word is frequently lost (technically called dropping the post-vocalic "r"). For example, you might hear words like "paper" and "dollar" spoken as "pay-pah," and "dah-lah." You may even hear an "r" sound added to the end of words like idea, which becomes "idear." And on occasion, you may hear an older guy pronounce an "i" sound like "oy," or "ow" sound like "ayow." "Nine" becomes "noyne," "guy" becomes "goy," "cow" might sound like "cayow."

In addition to the peculiarities of Vermont dialect, Montpelier lingo has its own. You too can talk like a local using this handy abridged dictionary of Montpelier slang. OK, maybe not exactly like a local, but at least you'll understand what they mean.