Dialects Of Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts,
please go to its official website
at www.mass.gov
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 display the various 'save' options, PC users should right-click on the desired sample below; Mac users should press the Control key while clicking. A high-speed connection to the Internet may allow you to play the file simply by clicking it once or twice.| Sound Sample | Basic Information | Text Files |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts One | Caucasian female, 70's, Sandwich, MA | Massachusetts One |
| Massachusetts Two | Caucasian female, 50's, Andover, MA | Massachusetts Two |
| Massachusetts Three | Caucasian male, born in Somerville, MA in 1958, retired Marine, police officer | Massachusetts Three |
| Massachusetts Four | female, born Portugal 1965. Moved to East Cambridge at age 1 | Massachusetts Four |
| Massachusetts Five | African-American, male, firefighter, born 1959, and raised Cambridge | Massachusetts Five |
| Massachusetts Six | Caucasian male, born 1935, South Boston | Massachusetts Six |
| Massachusetts Seven | Caucasian female, born (1984) and raised in Boston, MA (in the neighborhood of Dorchester) | Massachusetts Seven |
| Massachusetts Eight | Caucasian male, born (1940) and raised in Boston, MA in the neighborhood of Dorchester, right next to the "Southie" border. | Massachusetts Eight |
| Massachusetts Nine | Caucasian female, born 1970s and raised in South Boston. She is a speech therapist. | Massachusetts Nine |