Yewj

Accents are unavoidable. We all have them. I know I put "d" in the middle of "little." I suspect it marks me as coming from some group, and people outside that group think I sound funny.

Today I was reminded of an accent/pronunciation that jars me each time I hear it.

If you're from New York (and New Jersey, maybe?) "Huge" is pronounced "Yewj"

It's always startling to me because, for the most part, I don't notice any other accent in most of these folks; it's not like they have heavy Bronx accents, for example. It's also startling because I don't hear them drop any other "H" on any other word.

Why on "huge"?" I'll never know.

Henry Higgins could probably tell me. If he were real.

"In Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire, yewj hurricanes hardly ever happen." (The New York Eliza would have said.)

Listen to Donald Trump sometime. Well, OK, not on purpose. But if you happen to hear him, pay attention if he tries to describe his buildings or his ego. You'll hear what I mean.