“Puarty”

[Scrabjan1]

When Jerry says the word party I hear it like pwarty. Does anyone hear it that way. Beaver was so nerdy in Silent Treatment “and you sleep real well Dad.” He was also really nerdy in the Uncle Billy one.

Ward was oblivious to the way Beaver was acting. He must have seen how annoying he was.

[stevea]

I didn't notice that. Three pronunciations I heard:

1. Beaver says "roly coaster" or something like that. In Beaver's Fear.

2. Mrs. Mondello says something like "lahfe" when talking to Ward, Have you ever heard anything like that in your whole lahfe?

3. Ward talking to Beaver, who was in his room: (something like) You must be lonely up here all bee yourself.

Sorry, these are off the subject.

[Scrabjan1]

And of course Gus and Annette and yesher for yes sir.

[Cx]

I noticed those examples as well, as well as other times both of them, but especially Wally, spoke in a somewhat stilted manner. Some examples:

- Enunciating the "wh" sound in words like "what" or "where"

- Pronouncing the word "ticket" more like teck-ut

- "Goofy" sounded more like Gee-YOO-Fay

- "Kid" as Key-yud

- "Mom" as Mawm ( sounds kinda' Pittsburgh-ish ) and "Dad" as Dee-Yad

The first example with the "wh" sound is actually proper. In the past, someone pronouncing "what" as "wut" was considered ill-bred and low class. It's just that by now, enunciating that sound comes across as somewhat fussy and stilted.

[Haskell]

I noticed Beaver says Mexeeco, which is actually a bit more accurate than the traditional American pronunciation (except he pronounces the X the same).

[Scrabjan1]

Mrs. Rayburn really emphasized the “wh” when she said what. In Mother’s Day Composition she asked Beaver about his composition she says “Well did you write it or “WHat?” She always spoke the King’s English she was probably from Boston like Ernest T.

[stevea]

Well, we know Mrs. Wiley was from there. (How do you do, Miz Wiley.) Maybe Romena/Ramona was, too.

[MichaelMartinD]

Some of those are definitely Southern California pronunciations.

Beaver also pronounced Cincinnati as "Cincinnatah." Jerry Mathers was born in Iowa, so I don't know if that influenced his speech.

[someguy23475]

Mathers was very young when he moved from Iowa, so I doubt it (unless he picked it up from his parents). Most people develop their accents by around 12 or 13. After that, it’s more difficult to lose.

I sometimes pronounce the “wh” stronger, but it’s rare. Tony Dow grew up in the late 40s and 50s, where that was falling out of favor. I can’t think of many people younger than him who pronounce it that strongly.

[MichaelMartinD]

The thing is, everybody in the LITB cast was from the Midwest or the West Coast. Hugh was from Kansas (as was also Madge Blake, interestingly enough). Jerry was from Iowa and moved to California early on. Barbara, Tony, Ken, Rusty, and Frank Bank were all Californian. On the rare occasion that you hear someone with an East Coast accent, it's often a dubious or shady character - one that comes to mind is the guy running the bicycle raffle, who had a strong New York accent.

The accents are part of what give the show that Midwest-West feel, as if Mayfield were located in some intersection between Ohio and California.

[Haskell]

Originally Posted by someguy23475

Mathers was very young when he moved from Iowa, so I doubt it (unless he picked it up from his parents). Most people develop their accents by around 12 or 13. After that, it’s more difficult to lose.

I sometimes pronounce the “wh” stronger, but it’s rare. Tony Dow grew up in the late 40s and 50s, where that was falling out of favor. I can’t think of many people younger than him who pronounce it that strongly.

I was watching the New Leave it to Beaver on YouTube and realized Tony still pronounced a strong “wh” sound even then.

Ken Osmond has some sorta accent- he says “warsh” instead of “wash” for example. Someone said his parents are from Oklahoma- maybe that’s why.

[stevea]

That "warsh" thing is done in Indiana, too. And lots of others - realitor for realtor, ruff for roof, jewlery for jewelry, supposably for supposedly (well, the spell checker likes supposably, and that actually is a word, supposedly with a slightly different meaning). The Philadelphia area has some, too--lenth/strenth for length/strength, appriciate for appreciate, iggles for eagles.

[Torgo]

This reminds me of when I was a kid back in the 70's, my family moved from the Seattle area down to Vancouver WA, and there were certain words I would pronounce differently, I never realized I did this until kids at my new grade school started pointing it out. So I would tell them it was my Seattle accent.

[Scrabjan1]

Right Ken does pronounce ‘wash’ very differently from Beaver and Wally. Cincinnatah is really funny.

[MichaelMartinD]

I forgot - there were two regular LITB cast members who were not from the Midwest or California. Sue Randall was from Philadelphia, and Richard Deacon was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Syracuse, NY.