Discussion: 2nd person plural

Actually, in Pittsburgh, it's "yinz"

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_English)

I used to think I didn't have any Pennsylvania-isms in my speech but then someone pointed out that I was guilty of this:

need, want, or like + past participle
Examples: "The car needs washed"; "The cat wants petted"; "Babies like cuddled".
Further explanation: More common constructions are "The car needs washing" or "The car needs to be washed"; and "The cat wants petting" or "The cat wants to be petted."

Oh, yes, you're right about "yinz," and my SIL would have corrected me. I guess "youse" is more Brooklyn, too, than PA.

I think I used to have more PA-isms but have lived in NY too long. (G and I grew up near Valley Forge.) Where did you pick up yours?

I grew up in the Lehigh Valley, my dad from Philadelphia and my mom from Lancaster. "The car needs washed" still sounds perfectly correct to me!

I absolutely have that Pennsylvania-ism... and others. And possibly some sort of Lancaster accent. People from other states can sometimes tell where I live just by speech alone.

I remember "the car needs washed," and probably used to use some variation of it. I doubt you could tell we're from Pennsylvania now, though.