One Laugh at Least and the Community Film Project present their first short film together, all about the unofficial language of Northeastern Pennsylvania!
When I moved from nicholson to phoenix i was on the phone with my roommate and said "I'm at the store grabbin a couple-two-tree things need anythin" and someone two alleys over yelled "someones from NEPA, Heyna or no?"
Trucksville Pa, up in the mountains out side of Wilkes Barre, PA. Been living in the South now 44 yrs still talk that way. Both Grand parents Polish catholic Anthracite coal miners 3 generations.
It's different up-and-down the line. Down-the-line in wilkesbury it's a lot of Polish. Lezern county is the only county in the United States that is majority of folks being Polish decent
Great job on this film! Heynabonics has been a huge success story for Community Film Project (CFP). For those of you who don't know, Heynabonics was made as part of CFP SHORTS, a short film series that plays each summer at Endless Mountains Theatre (EMT) in Scranton (near K-Mart).
Maybe it's because I'm sleep deprived, but the idea of anything being located near a K-Mart, even in 2007, struck me as being almost as hilarious as the video, lol.
I grew up in the area 50+ years ago. It is only recently that I learned that pank as in "pank the snow together to make a snow ball" is not used by everyone else in the world.
Love this! I've heard many people especially from previous generations use this word - Heyna and it will always be a part of the history of our area. It's all about verbal economy. Yous guys are great! Thank you, it was really funny!!!
I grew up in the Heights of W-B, in the 60's.. Many of the older people spoke this way. This is a classic video. I get back to "da Valley" very infrequently now, but I haven't heard any Heynabonics in a while. It might be fading out, or perhaps I'm not listening well. My wife makes fun of me - I still say "myan" instead of mine! LOL. Good ole Wyoming Valley / NE PA.
Old people from the 60's? In '78 my family moved to Mocanacqua when I was a young kid. I saw someone "downtown" who asked, "Long time no see, henna"? I had no clue what language she was speaking, but was pretty sure it wasn't English. lol
It took eleven years for me to find this. Creative and fun. I grew up on the south western boarder of the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania. We had "youse" and "geet". We also had "sayna" instead of "heyna".
I'm from Old Forge...and this was FANtastic. I plan on using this to educate my friends from "up da line" AND "down da line." I do have to disagree with heyna not being an answer. You can answer the question Heyna? with a confirmation "heyna?" Both have question marks, but the second it just to agree with the original question. :)
Youse are da best!! Makes me smile very much and long for home.. " 'Tree' could be a ting dat grows in da woods, OR da number of wisemen dat went ta see da Baby Jesus." CLASSIC!
LOL I live in the Lehigh Valley and I've never heard heyna before! People here usually just say "aint it?" or "huh?"at the end of their sentences. Heyna's a good one :)
hahaha I'm from Dunmore & this is dead on! My entire family & friends talk like this..for someone to say they never heard anyone talk like this...they need to get out more!!! I love the party about T"H"roop..great video Heyna or no? bahahaha!
One conspicuously absent word here is onaconna. This roughly translates to "because of" as in: "I hadda go ta da Coney Island to get a hoddog onaconna the ones I got at the Ackamee were worse dan da ones I got up dee Eynon"! Note well the use of "dee" in front of Eynon, possibly the only allowed exception to the mandatory use of "da". Great video, hayna?!!
I have family Naticoke, Old Forge, and I could never understand "Heyna" (henna). This cleared things up completely! LOL! What a great inside joke! Thanks
I moved to Pittston TWP from Plattsburgh, NY a few years ago. I've lived in many states in my lifetime and have experienced many cultures and accents, but nothing makes me scratch my head more than when a NEPA native speaks to me. They're hard to understand at times.
You must be native to the area then, lol kidding. In all seriousness though, It is difficult to understand them sometimes, especially when slangs are used.
lmao., I grew up in the mid-valley and i lost my nepa accent, but this is DEAD ON!!! hilarious. i tink tree tings that are vital to a good meal ketchup, salt and pepper.
This is Daniel, Evan's friend from (now FORMERLY) O'Reilly. (Chris & Shivaun know who I am.) I absolutely loved this. Now I'm showing it to everyone I talk to online, so they can get a feeling of what it's like to be here XP
this was absolutely brilliant. i loved every bit of it. hats off to whoever masterminded this piece of comedic art. of course, only nepa'ers like me will get it but thats besides the point. great job.
so true.. moved from the coal region 30 years ago and learned real fast to drop the YUSE lol. I remember my little league baseball coach saying Trow it to Turd base.. and the dat dare for that there. when I was in basic training in TX I had several people there ask me if I was from the Coal Region of PA.. they knew right away and I actually do not,or did not, have a very thick coal region accent. lived in Mt Carmel but grew up in Eylsburg but went to school in Coal twp and both parents born and raised in Atlas and Shamokin respectively so I guess I picked it up anyway. watching this brings back great memories.
Laughed my 'duppa' off and shared with all my friends down south-some want to learn other local pronunciations- like That's gonna hide a Southern accent! LOL! Has anyone else heard of this Very limited regional quirk of calling peppers 'mangos'? Where the heck did That come from?? Last, but not least, don't forget 'up the line' or 'down the line' (Laurel)! Been out & about in the world, but still, seriously, 'there's no place like home'!
JohnCandyesque, heartwarming, and PS, Jerry and Son (West Nanticoke), and the Park Market (Nanticoke-Proper) make the region's best "Kielbossi". It is now time to "down-Da-Boilo" then act like a tourist in Polish Markets while purchasing 50 'rings of smoked' (kielbasa), with my cousin, just to hear the locals in each-and-every butcher shop stop conversing in English, then switch to (either) Polish or Slovak. We're 'gossip-mining', you-see, did I mention that we are fluent in both languages?? It's precious to see the looks on everyone's face as we translate some of that gossip into (spoken) English, bid them farewell, then inform them that we're heading over to "Stookies" for da barbecue sammies. Eh, and maybe da Tilbury for da 'swingset show'. Pray I don't get "da ooze" again!!
OMG! I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this for the first time. This is dead on. Don't forget about when giving directions on the west side, everything is on "the ave" ie: you go to the ave and make a right. lol.
Heynabonics had a one week theatrical run; it played 30 times prior to Evan Almighty during June 2007 at EMT. CFP is an organization that was founded in NEPA in 2004 to facilitate the production and promotion of regional motion picture projects.
Great video guys :) Made me laugh even though I rarely hear anyone speak fluent Heynabonics these days. Though, being from the area, you can always 100% understand it :)
Oh sweet Jesus, I LOVED that parody. They're going up the Eynon Ta get a cup a coffee And maybe eat a sangwich The Heyna Family! Sore troat! Close da light!
Born in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I talked like this for a long time. when I arrived in the south, no one could understand a thing I said. I caught myself saying another NEPA thing today: "I need you to run in your brother's hoodie." Heh. my daughter knew what I meant ;)
I am from the hill section and the die in-the-wool screen tonian and I'd like to offer.... "Me and jobesy went dahn 2da paahhhrk. He sez" oh noon turdy, it's lunch heyna? Go arder tree hahddahgs 1 wit mustard, 1 wit not, u can have dis1, dudder1, or dahbodavum"
Sounds like you knew my grandparents! They were from Wilkes Barre. I was born in Nanticoke and have been trying to explain to my sons the beauty of "heyna". They just kind of stare at me. That's what makes it so funny!
I had family in Plymouth & Kingston & Larksville & shavertown, I heard plenty of that kind of talk growing up, especially around my Polish grandparents. I don't get around that part of the state much anymore & haven't in a long time, I wonder do they still talk like that there or is that something that died off
Do you want to go to Bimm-ing-ton? Heyna, or no? Having grown up in NEPA, ALL my relatives pronounced Binghamton, N.Y. that way. I enjoyed the video, this IS who we are. Sometimes you just have to step back and have a laugh.
Omg! I was born in scanton, and this way of speaking is rigjt on da money. Even if u have been gons a long time . 2 min of sittin around talkin, and it all coes back,and yer tlkin like a pro great vid! Tanks fer puttim it out dere? Does anyone know where I can find the (Were goin up da eynon, ta get cup coffee an maybe eat a samwitch,the Heyny faily. IT WAS SUNG TO THE ADAMS FA,ULY SONG
"You'll frighten them! They'll think they're in a place they can't afford!" has to be one the best lines ever
That is my favorite line also. I think it has to do with the way the actor really hams it up when he says that line.
When i get homesick I watch this and makes me laugh every time.
When I moved from nicholson to phoenix i was on the phone with my roommate and said "I'm at the store grabbin a couple-two-tree things need anythin" and someone two alleys over yelled "someones from NEPA, Heyna or no?"
I'm from Pottsville nepa but Never heard of this from da skook
There is a blend of German, polish, and Irish influence in most of the nepa dialect.
Trucksville Pa, up in the mountains out side of Wilkes Barre, PA. Been living in the South now 44 yrs still talk that way. Both Grand parents Polish catholic Anthracite coal miners 3 generations.
It's different up-and-down the line. Down-the-line in wilkesbury it's a lot of Polish. Lezern county is the only county in the United States that is majority of folks being Polish decent
Perfect😂❤
Thumbs up if you're from PA and talk like this :)
Ha! I'm from Scranton and I really appreciated this!
A friend of ours actually wrote "youse guys" in a christmas card she sent to us.
Great job on this film! Heynabonics has been a huge success story for Community Film Project (CFP).
For those of you who don't know, Heynabonics was made as part of CFP SHORTS, a short film series that plays each summer at Endless Mountains Theatre (EMT) in Scranton (near K-Mart).
Maybe it's because I'm sleep deprived, but the idea of anything being located near a K-Mart, even in 2007, struck me as being almost as hilarious as the video, lol.
Brilliant brilliant video. Left NEPA a long time ago. I'm glad dat youse guys still tock like dat.
"You don't need the isn't it, IT'S BUILT RIGHT INTO THE HEYNA!!!" ha...hilarious 3:41
I grew up in the area 50+ years ago. It is only recently that I learned that pank as in "pank the snow together to make a snow ball" is not used by everyone else in the world.
We need a new front end on our car, Too many potholes, Haynaa!!
Love this! I've heard many people especially from previous generations use this word - Heyna and it will always be a part of the history of our area. It's all about verbal economy. Yous guys are great! Thank you, it was really funny!!!
I grew up in the Heights of W-B, in the 60's.. Many of the older people spoke this way. This is a classic video. I get back to "da Valley" very infrequently now, but I haven't heard any Heynabonics in a while. It might be fading out, or perhaps I'm not listening well. My wife makes fun of me - I still say "myan" instead of mine! LOL. Good ole Wyoming Valley / NE PA.
Old people from the 60's? In '78 my family moved to Mocanacqua when I was a young kid. I saw someone "downtown" who asked, "Long time no see, henna"? I had no clue what language she was speaking, but was pretty sure it wasn't English. lol
I left "The Valley," 30 years ago. It's hard to believe I use to sound like that. Heyna or no?
Oh. Ya.
I don’t think I ever spoke like this, though I know tons of people who do and it makes me grind my teeth when I hear it. 🤣🤣
As a NEPA-n myself, I can confirm...
Yeah...yeah pretty accurate...
Though there's no escaping "Da Valley."
I left at 3 and never looked back
I love it. Makes me want to go up the lake to Hansons Park and get a couopla, two tree hoddogs.
I like how they play the chicken dance at the beginning :)
Best filum I seen in a long time.
This is still the best video ever made,
It took eleven years for me to find this. Creative and fun. I grew up on the south western boarder of the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania. We had "youse" and "geet". We also had "sayna" instead of "heyna".
That must be because you were far enough south that you were merging in with the PA Dutch "say now?" or as my relatives said, just "say?"
This is truly a great homage to the dialect I grew up with...it's great to hear it spoke by experts, heyna?
This video is soo absolutly spot on with how we talk its hilarious
Bravo to whoever did this. Bravo.
from a graduate of Da U (class of 97) - THANK YOU FOR THIS. i am in tears from laughing so hard. the memories!!!! :)
I'm from Old Forge...and this was FANtastic. I plan on using this to educate my friends from "up da line" AND "down da line." I do have to disagree with heyna not being an answer. You can answer the question Heyna? with a confirmation "heyna?" Both have question marks, but the second it just to agree with the original question. :)
Moving near Nanitcoke after living in the south all of my adult life. Thank you. I needed this primer.
Youse are da best!!
Makes me smile very much and long for home..
" 'Tree' could be a ting dat grows in da woods, OR da number of wisemen dat went ta see da Baby Jesus."
CLASSIC!
Love this video. It captures the essence of NEPA.
Spent 24 years in Jermyn and truly love the folks, but everyone in Virginia for the last 37 years will take a glance at me as if I have an IEP.
This never gets old!!!!!
LOL I live in the Lehigh Valley and I've never heard heyna before! People here usually just say "aint it?" or "huh?"at the end of their sentences. Heyna's a good one :)
"Yas are here ta learn Heynabonics", haha, amazing!
hahaha I'm from Dunmore & this is dead on! My entire family & friends talk like this..for someone to say they never heard anyone talk like this...they need to get out more!!! I love the party about T"H"roop..great video Heyna or no? bahahaha!
My whole extended family os from Scranton I can attest they all still speak like this especially the "mayan"
Thanks I moved here 20 yrs back and people still make fun of my NY slang. But you tune it around in a good way. Love it.
One conspicuously absent word here is onaconna. This roughly translates to "because of" as in:
"I hadda go ta da Coney Island to get a hoddog onaconna the ones I got at the Ackamee were worse dan da ones I got up dee Eynon"! Note well the use of "dee" in front of Eynon, possibly the only allowed exception to the mandatory use of "da".
Great video, hayna?!!
I have family Naticoke, Old Forge, and I could never understand "Heyna" (henna). This cleared things up completely! LOL! What a great inside joke!
Thanks
My parents also pronounced it henna
I moved to Pittston TWP from Plattsburgh, NY a few years ago. I've lived in many states in my lifetime and have experienced many cultures and accents, but nothing makes me scratch my head more than when a NEPA native speaks to me. They're hard to understand at times.
You must be native to the area then, lol kidding. In all seriousness though, It is difficult to understand them sometimes, especially when slangs are used.
haha love this video, very true. I'm suprised he didn't include the pronunciation of "Scran'in"
It's funny how accurate this is. My mom was almost crying with laughter.
Finally, something worthwhile and educational on YousTube, heyna?!
Wow, that's was amazing. ^_^ Definitely something you can only appreciate if you've lived here.
lmao., I grew up in the mid-valley and i lost my nepa accent, but this is DEAD ON!!!
hilarious. i tink tree tings that are vital to a good meal ketchup, salt and pepper.
From Frackville and Shenandoah (Chendo) all the way up to at least Dunmore, this is the language. I love it. Makes me hungry for Halushki.
This is Daniel, Evan's friend from (now FORMERLY) O'Reilly. (Chris & Shivaun know who I am.)
I absolutely loved this. Now I'm showing it to everyone I talk to online, so they can get a feeling of what it's like to be here XP
no matter how many times i see this i still crack up
This is hilarious!
Please make a sequel.
this was absolutely brilliant. i loved every bit of it. hats off to whoever masterminded this piece of comedic art.
of course, only nepa'ers like me will get it but thats besides the point. great job.
Amazing. It's like I never left home.
Awesome!!! Loved it!
HAHA
I also live in Scranton, and man o man, this video is right on. Thanks for making this!
Everyone in our family enjoyed this video and, being NEPA natives, we all got a great laugh.
Was born in Scranton. To this day my kids make fun of the way I say stuff. We live in Nebraska now where there is no accent whatsoever!
But there is a Scrant'n in Nebraska, so ya shud feel right at home, heyna?
This is GREAT!!!!!!!!!! Thanks
so true.. moved from the coal region 30 years ago and learned real fast to drop the YUSE lol. I remember my little league baseball coach saying Trow it to Turd base.. and the dat dare for that there. when I was in basic training in TX I had several people there ask me if I was from the Coal Region of PA.. they knew right away and I actually do not,or did not, have a very thick coal region accent. lived in Mt Carmel but grew up in Eylsburg but went to school in Coal twp and both parents born and raised in Atlas and Shamokin respectively so I guess I picked it up anyway.
watching this brings back great memories.
Laughed my 'duppa' off and shared with all my friends down south-some want to learn other local pronunciations- like That's gonna hide a Southern accent! LOL!
Has anyone else heard of this Very limited regional quirk of calling peppers 'mangos'? Where the heck did That come from??
Last, but not least, don't forget 'up the line' or 'down the line' (Laurel)!
Been out & about in the world, but still, seriously, 'there's no place like home'!
My mom grew up in Shamokin and her family always called peppers "mangos". Her brother became a chef and showed them what mangoes really are. lol
The best fun I hve had all morning! I'm ready to do a polka!
JohnCandyesque, heartwarming, and PS, Jerry and Son (West Nanticoke), and the Park Market (Nanticoke-Proper) make the region's best "Kielbossi". It is now time to "down-Da-Boilo" then act like a tourist in Polish Markets while purchasing 50 'rings of smoked' (kielbasa), with my cousin, just to hear the locals in each-and-every butcher shop stop conversing in English, then switch to (either) Polish or Slovak.
We're 'gossip-mining', you-see, did I mention that we are fluent in both languages?? It's precious to see the looks on everyone's face as we translate some of that gossip into (spoken) English, bid them farewell, then inform them that we're heading over to "Stookies" for da barbecue sammies. Eh, and maybe da Tilbury for da 'swingset show'. Pray I don't get "da ooze" again!!
It's scary how spot on this is but damn funny too!
OMG! I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this for the first time. This is dead on.
Don't forget about when giving directions on the west side, everything is on "the ave" ie: you go to the ave and make a right. lol.
Heynabonics had a one week theatrical run; it played 30 times prior to Evan Almighty during June 2007 at EMT.
CFP is an organization that was founded in NEPA in 2004 to facilitate the production and promotion of regional motion picture projects.
Great video guys :)
Made me laugh even though I rarely hear anyone speak fluent Heynabonics these days.
Though, being from the area, you can always 100% understand it :)
oh my GOD, this is amazing!
I'm from ...The Heights...The Polish Alps...Austin Heights. :) Graduated in '93.
This WINS. I'm so homesick for Moun'n-top now!
Oh sweet Jesus, I LOVED that parody.
They're going up the Eynon
Ta get a cup a coffee
And maybe eat a sangwich
The Heyna Family!
Sore troat!
Close da light!
Still lauging!!! Priceless!!!
Very informative and funny. Makes me want to visit.
love it henya,henya,henya i'm from wilkes-barre pennsylvania!!!
I'm from Central PA, and I love this so much, even though we don't speak that dialect here.
+OMIGHTY1 Me too! William-sport?
what i love most about this is people from the area who watch this and are still in denial about the fact that they actually talk like this.
Just watch this a couple, two , tree times!
Born in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I talked like this for a long time. when I arrived in the south, no one could understand a thing I said. I caught myself saying another NEPA thing today: "I need you to run in your brother's hoodie."
Heh. my daughter knew what I meant ;)
and its "henna."
What DOES that statement mean? I don't have a clue.
Urban VIII LOL! It means to move your brother's hooded sweatshirt from wherever it is to in here. 😊
Urban VIII and quickly ;)
I am from the hill section and the die in-the-wool screen tonian and I'd like to offer....
"Me and jobesy went dahn 2da paahhhrk. He sez" oh noon turdy, it's lunch heyna? Go arder tree hahddahgs 1 wit mustard, 1 wit not, u can have dis1, dudder1, or dahbodavum"
Sounds like you knew my grandparents! They were from Wilkes Barre. I was born in Nanticoke and have been trying to explain to my sons the beauty of "heyna". They just kind of stare at me. That's what makes it so funny!
Sounds like my childhood XD
OMG!!! He's dead on!!! I'm from Harrisburg and thats exactly how I say things...especially the did you eat part hahaha
This is awesome. So True!
Nice, teaching folks how to fit in up there in good ole Pennsyl-tuckey.
This funny piece was a great homage to the dialect I grew up...or which grew up wit me.
I had family in Plymouth & Kingston & Larksville & shavertown, I heard plenty of that kind of talk growing up, especially around my Polish grandparents. I don't get around that part of the state much anymore & haven't in a long time, I wonder do they still talk like that there or is that something that died off
I lived in Wilkes Barre for almost 20 years and I don't think I ever heard anyone say heyna..(However, I heard most of the others, haha).
Heyna is a scranton thing. Lived in clarks summit for 8 years without hearing it until I moved into scranton. Then it was everywhere.
Microdialects.
Ahhhh ok. That makes sense.
Me too! And hoagies, Middlesworth chips, Stegmeier and Angelo's Pizza on Hazle Street.
The original sketch did contain the line "or is that a homonyn?", which was cut from the film for time considerations.
I'm from that area and this is great! lol
I must have watched this video a million times & it still cracks me up!!!! 38 years old & I lived in NEPA all 38 of those years!!!
Pennsylvanian variety of Inland Northern American English.
Very similar to accents in cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland & Detroit.
Ahh, oh well, I still love it!!!
Do you want to go to Bimm-ing-ton? Heyna,
or no?
Having grown up in NEPA, ALL my relatives pronounced Binghamton, N.Y. that way.
I enjoyed the video, this IS who we are. Sometimes you just have to step back and have a laugh.
Good job, Greg!
Incredible!
Omg! I was born in scanton, and this way of speaking is rigjt on da money. Even if u have been gons a long time . 2 min of sittin around talkin, and it all coes back,and yer tlkin like a pro great vid! Tanks fer puttim it out dere? Does anyone know where I can find the (Were goin up da eynon, ta get cup coffee an maybe eat a samwitch,the Heyny faily. IT WAS SUNG TO THE ADAMS FA,ULY SONG
www.coalregion.com/bin.php
I'm from williamsport pa bout an hour away an we have a lot of this going on here.
Southeast Michigan and NEPA have a lot in common! :)
Haint that right
Love it!
this is so true, it's great.
You'se guy's, I love dis.
I laugh so hard day day nearly had to take me to the corpse house.