WSAR

A Swansea/Fall River station covering that area of Bristol County in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Bristol County, MA and Bristol County, RI are the only two adjacent counties with the same name located in different states. Although both counties share the same name, and also have the distinction of being the only two counties in the United States with a Portuguese-American majority, both have separate governments.

However, both counties share the same Bristol County Accent, which is "paaaahpu-LA" with WSAR listeners and even talk show hosts.

Located at 1480 ("faahteen-ate-TAY") on the AM Dial or over the Internet. The web site can easily be obtained by searching for WSAR through your favored search engine.

The Bristol County accent, especially as spoken in the Fall River-Somerset-Swansea-Warren area, is known for it's very "haash" pronunciation of certain words containing the letters "r" and/or "o" and an emphasis on pronouncing the final syllable in a word.

Known for combining the most peculiar aspects of the Boston Accent (especially the dropped r's and "British" pronunciation of words such as ask ("aahsk"), bath ("baath"), and can't ("caahnt") and New York Accent, i.e. the pronunciation of orange and coral very strong 'aah' on the first syllable and coffee (first syllable, cawww-) and hot dog ("haaaat dawwwwg").

Just as many southerners (esp Texans) will say IN-surance, SEE-ment, and RE-ceipt, many Bristol County residents will say "guvva-MENT" (government), "aahran-GEZ" (oranges), "kaww-FAY" (coffee), and "baath-ROAM" (bathroom).

"I gahhda go to da baath-ROAM. I just drank too much kaww-FAY and aahrang CHOES!" ("Choes =" juice)

This distinctive accent is best "hudd," outside of a "caww-FAY shaaahp" in "Foe Rivuh" or "Swaaahnzay," ovuh the airwaves of WSAR.

Although the WSAR signal reaches Fall River's arch-rival on the South Coast, New Bedford, the accent in the latter city is very different than that heard 7-10 miles to the west. To hear the "Brooklyn meets Bar Harbor" accent unique to Fall River, you either have to go to Fall River and hang out at a "Dunk-YAYS" or listen to WSAR. Either way, "yaaah" in "faah" a "trait!" (treat)

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Bristol County Accent

The 'pre-daaah-mi-NENT' accent in Bristol County Massachusetts, especially stroo-ung in Fall River, Swansea, and, to a lesser degree, in Taunton, Norton, and Attleboro.

A bastard child of Tom Menino's Boston accent and Fran Drescher's Queens (New York City) accent.

To those from other parts of Massachusetts, the Bristol County accent is often mistaken for a Providence Rhode Island accent, with which it is somewhat similar, or even a New York/New Jersey accent.

New Yorkers have been said to mistake Bristol County speakers as being native Long Islanders who have spent most of their adult lives in white, inner-city Boston or 'pahts' of Maine.

My name's Joe Raaaahbinson. I was baaahn and raised in Foe Rivuh (Fall River) but have lived in Daaahchista (Dorchester Boston) fa ovuh faaaahty yeeiz.

Pay-pul from Foe Rivuh spake da Bristol Coun-tay ee-ax-ent (Bristol County Accent), ya no. Dem pay-pul ovuh in Noo Beffid New Bedford sound preddy diff-RENT, ee-nd kinduh ri-taah-did, if yuh aaaahsk may!

Some pay-pul in Daaahchista think I'm a Noo Yaaaahka just be-cooz I say caww-fay. Is that fried, ahhh what?!

Now, Dunk-yays has da best caww-fay, by faaaah. I caaahn't unda-stee-nd them pay-pul who aaaahda caww-fay from Staaah-buckz. Dat second sylla-bowl in Staaaah-buckz is appro-pree-yett, pun intendid.

Faaaaah daaaahliz faah a smoo-ell, paah-din may, shaaaaht, caww-fay. Dat's friggin ri-taaaah-did.

Fa faaaaah daaaahliz, I can put just enough gee-yess in my caaaah to drive from
Daaahchista down to my sistiz in Braaaaahk-tin. Tank gaaaaahd she duz-int live in Naaaahtin aah Addle-bwo aah, even waaaaahs, Swaaaahnzay. Den, the gee-yess wood coo-wust much maaaah!

Laaaahst yeeeuh, my ol' lay-dee and I went down to Flaaaaahrider for some aaah and aaah. It was very haaaaaht down they-uh, so when we went to break-fust, I aaaahsked fa a glee-ass of aaaaahrange joes. Dey make the best aaaaahrangez in Flaaaaahrider; dem Cal-ee-faaahn-yenz should stick to wine aah sumptum!

My ol' lay-dee, a Foe Rivuh gull tru ee-nd tru, aaaahsked fa a cup of tay ee-nd tha wait-RESS looked at huh like she was speaking Choy-nase aw sumptum. So my ol' lay-dee says to huh again, "cup of tay, plays." She finally gaaaht whut she aaaahdid!

Now, I gaaahta open anutha cee-an of Milliz and smoke anutha Pall Moo-al. Heee-ave yawself a nice day!

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