Yinzer is a 20th-century term playing on the

Pittsburghese Western Pennsylvania English, known more narrowly as Pittsburgh English or popularly as Pittsburghese, is a dialect of American English native primarily to the western half of Pennsylvania, centered on the city of Pittsburgh, but potentially ap ...

second-person plural

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

" yinz." The word is used among people who identify themselves with the city of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and its traditions.

History

"Yinzer" (or "Yunzer") was historically used to identify the typical blue-collar people from the Pittsburgh region who often spoke with a heavy Pittsburghese accent. The term stems from the word ''yinz'' (or ''yunz''), a second-person

plural The plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the ...

pronoun In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun ( abbreviated ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the parts of speech, but some modern theorists would not ...

brought to the area by early Scottish-Irish immigrants. Johnstone, Barbara (2013).
Speaking Pittsburghese: The Story of a Dialect
'. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 228. . Over time, ''yinzer'' has been used by many Pittsburgh residents to self-identify, even if they don't speak with a thick accent. The concept and use of the word gained popularity in the 21st century as the area's population loss slowed, and the city became a hub for revitalization. As the city gained note as a desirable place to live,"America's Most Livable Cities"
''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' (April 29, 2010). more outsiders have moved or returned to the

Pittsburgh metropolitan area Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, ...

. The term has taken on a connotation to identify someone who, for better or worse, is either a lifelong Pittsburgher, or says a phrase or commits an act that could be identified as something a stereotypical Pittsburgher might do.

References

{{Yinz American regional nicknames Culture of Pittsburgh Demographic history of the United States Working-class culture in Pennsylvania Yinz