Language

English is by far the most widely spoken tongue in each of New England’s states, with pockets of other languages also heard in towns known for large immigrant populations. (New Bedford [1], for example, where Portuguese is widely spoken, and Chinatown [2] in Boston [3], where numerous Chinese dialects can be overheard on any given corner.)

Even within English, however, local idioms prevail in New England—particularly in Boston, where slang can be undecipherable to outsiders. Key terms to know include: “bang a U” (to make a U-turn while driving); “frappe” (known outside New England as a milkshake); and “wicked pissa” (meaning “very cool”).