For many New Yorkers, StatenIsland is a world unto itself.And with that distinction comes plenty of strange“regional” differences — including accents.Enter the “New York accent check,” a challengeon TikTok that’s led users to discover one strange,incredibly specific pronunciation that seems toonly exist among Staten Islanders.Calamari, which usually describesa fried squid dish, seems like a simpleenough word to sound out.For most Americans, the word comes outas it’s spelled (“kal-uh-mar-ee”).But for Staten Islanders, the word isapparently pronounced as “galamah”.Several videos of the borough’s residentsshowing off their accents have begungoing viral on TikTok, including onefrom a user named Tonianne Arena.In the clip, several of her boyfriend’sresponses differ from other New Yorkers, but one— “galamah” — stands out above the rest.It’s a word that appears in severalother “accent checks,” regardlessof the speaker’s age and gender.TikTok users had plenty ofstrong feelings about the word.“Lmao guys..
People who say “galamad” are thoseof italian descent who live in places like statenisland, nj, & LI.
REAL ITALIANS SAY ‘CALAMARI'”.Others, however, praised thevideos, claiming that Staten Islanderspronounce calamari “the right way”.“EXACTLY A TRUE NEW YORK ACCENT”