You Have to Know How to Speak Chicagoan If You Want to Visit Chicago

Chicago is a city that has a tough time with the English language. How can it not when the city itself is legendary for having mayors who can only just barely speak the language. The first Mayor Daley was one of the most powerful men in the country in his day. There was a time when many considered Mayor Daley the second-most powerful man in the country lining up just behind the President. Despite his power he was a man who could mangle a phrase or word easier than anyone else.

“Our police are here to promote disorder,” was one of his most-famous quotes. That one came about during the political convention during the turbulent sixties when a bunch of hippies showed up to protest and camped out in Grant Park right downtown. In a gross miss-reading of the times and society Daley sent the cops into the crowd with batons flailing.

His son isn’t much better. While Richie Daley hasn’t sent the cops into crowds of kids to bash in their heads he has learned how to completely mispronounce words. One of the best is the word “viaduct.” These are the things that you drive down to go under a railroad bridge or another highway. There have been times these viaducts have flooded during heavy rains. It is always entertaining when this happens and a major road is forced to close. When that happens inevitably the mayor will end up on television talking about the “viya-dock” that got flooded. I have no idea what a “viya-dock” is but evidently it is something close to a viaduct.

Chicago accents are hard to listen to for a lot of people. I can understand that. When I am surrounded by other dyed-in-the-wool Chicagoans my own accent starts to slip out. I find myself pronouncing the harshest “Rs” for example. Or the letters “T” and “H” become more like the letter “D.” You may recall the Saturday Night Live bit with the so-called “Superfans.” While this was a joke it wasn’t really that much of a stretch. We really are generally a bunch of sausage-eating, beer-swilling guys with mustaches who talk that way.