by James Pasto

In his 1975 study of the North End, "The Italian-American child: His sociolinguistic acculturation," Fr. Lawrence Biondi stated that "The English spoken in the North End is English that is heard nowhere else in New England or Boston. North Enders have a strong tendency toward being uniquely apart — they are not quite Italian, but not quite American either" (p. 36).

Those of us who grew up in the neighborhood would not be surprised at this statement. We did have a way of speaking that was unique to the North End, though much of it was shared by Italian Americans in other parts of the country, especially in the cities. 

Read more

Fonte: Bostoniano