What's a "Yinz"?

Yesterday, I was out with my daughter and came across a new doll that talks Pittsburghese. And yes, they really do talk different here. Really different. When I first moved here from the South, I couldn't understand half of what they were saying. Someone said "yinz" and I thought they said "hens", which made no sense with what they were saying. I felt like a fish out of water trying to figure out what they were talking about. It's like learning a foreign language! Of course, they thought I spoke funny too :)
It's not only the words that are different, there is an accent that goes with it. I was never able to figure out the origin of this accent. And some people have it bad while others hardly have it at all. Now, I really enjoy poking fun at my husband who sometimes, depending on who he has been around, will sound pretty close to that "Yinzer" doll. I told him that if we ever get to move back South, he will have to lose that accent or risk scaring people :)


http://www.yappinyinzers.com/

http://www.pittsburghese.com/


"I have traveled more than any one else, and I have noticed that even the angels speak English with an accent."
-Mark Twain

"Ah ain't the one with the accent, y'all are!"
-unknown