Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: New Yawk Accents, The Documentary
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 13, 2011
Modified Apr 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 13, 2011
Modified Apr 13, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There has been a lot of tawk about the death, or subjugation, of NY accents— from Brooklynites defiance, to Queens residents fretting, to Long Island's Lawn Guylandness. Now, documentarian Heather Quinlan is trying to bring all those disparate voices together into one sonorous film that explores the NY accent...but she needs some help finishing it. Here's the lovely trailer (some NSFW language):
Quinlan says that her film, If These Knishes Could Talk, is all about how the NY accent has changed as the city has changed: "what it is, how it's evolved and if it's disappearing as the city changes. I've been lucky enough to film low-level mobsters and highfaluttin' writers, actors and directors, including Pete Hamill, Amy Heckerling and James McBride." She trying to raise funds to complete the film, including doing editing and post-production work. She's already raised our attention to one unique, endangered, only-in-NY creature: the Stasian, an asian Guido from Staten Island.
Tagged
accents
documentary
identity
if these knishes can talk
new yawk
pronunciation
video
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .