park the car in Harvard Yard

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Contents

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Boston) IPA: /ˈpaːk ðə ˈkaː.ɹ‿ɪn ˈhaːvəd ˈjaːd/
  • (GenAm) IPA: /ˈpɑɹk ðə ˈkɑɹ ɪn ˈhɑɹvɚd ˈjɑɹd/

Phrase[edit]

park the car in Harvard Yard

  1. (idiomatic) A sentence used to illustrate that the Boston accent is non-rhotic; typically pronounced "pahk the cah in Hahvad Yahd".
    • 1998, Walt Wolfram, Natalie Schilling-Estes, American English: Dialects and Variation [1]
      ... for “Park the car in Harvard Yard.” Interestingly, one of the most stereotypically r—less ... pahk the cah 'park the car' as you shape your answer.
    • 2000, Allan A. Metcalf, How We Talk: American Regional English Today [2]
      The "New England broad a"   Park the car in Harvard Yard. That saying is a well-known test for New England pronunciation. If you say "Pahk the car in Hahvahd Yahd," ...
    • 2003, Kim Grant, Boston: With Cape Cod & New England Getaways. [3]
      The Boston dialect is famous for broad-vowel English; Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd (translation: Park the car in Harvard Yard) is the common illustration of the peculiar 'r.'