Dialects Of New York
The archive provides:
In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).
The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages, Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage), and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings), may be accessed from the menu bar to your right.
To access IDEA's sound files and documents, you will need an mp3 player, and Acrobat Reader, available free from Acrobat Reader.
If you are interested in specific information about the State of New York,
please go to its official website
at www.state.ny.us
For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here
please go to
Other Dialect Services
Dialect Samples
To properly play a sound sample, you may first need to save it to your own computer. To do so, right-click on the desired sample and save it. A high-speed connection to the internet may allow you to play the file simply by clicking it.| Sound Sample | Basic Information | Text Files |
|---|---|---|
| New York One | Caucasian female, 39, administrative assistant, Mt. Vernon, NY | New York One |
| New York Two | Caucasian female, 37, nurse, Eastern Long Island, NY | New York Two |
| New York Three | Puerto Rican male, 49, file clerk, The Bronx | New York Three |
| New York Four | White male, Brooklyn/Bronx, 20, student | New York Four |
| New York Five | White male, Queens, born 1947, Jewish, attorney | New York Five |
| New York Six | White female, Queens, born 1947, Jewish, dental hygienist | New York Six |
| New York Seven | White male, Bronx, Jewish, born 1940 | New York Seven Transcription |
| New York Eight | White female, Bronx, Jewish, born 1943 | New York Eight |
| New York Nine | Male, New York and Chicago, Jewish | New York Nine Transcription |
| New York Ten | THIS FILE IS MISSING - TO BE REPLACED SOON | New York Ten |
| New York Eleven | Male, born 1954, Italian-American, Brooklyn and Queens | New York Eleven |
| New York Twelve | Female, born 1969 Long Island, raised Smithtown, NY | New York Twelve |
| New York Thirteen | male, actor, Jewish,born 1975, Manhattan, | New York Thirteen Transcription |
| New York Fourteen | male, attorney, 50, Long Island | New York Fourteen |