Yinzer or Yunzer?

The term “Pittsburghese” is often used to describe the accent of natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or, more generally, the Southwestern portion of the state with Pittsburgh as its focal point.

Pittsburgh natives are often referred to as “Yinzers” due to their use of the term Yinz, which more or less has the same meaning as the familiar Y’all one hears below the Mason-Dixon Line.

However, if you get further down the Monongahela River, the natives pronounce this as “Yunz,” which, like Yinz, is a derivation of the original Scotch-Irish term You Ones.

What’s my interest in this you ask?  Well I grew up in a small town in the Mon Valley about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.  I was, and still am, a Yunzer rather than a Yinzer!