▁city ▁of ▁Pitts burgh ▁only , ▁this ▁is ▁a ▁mis con ception , ▁since ▁the ▁dialect ▁res ides ▁throughout ▁the ▁greater ▁part ▁of ▁western ▁Pennsylvania ▁and ▁surrounding ▁areas . ▁Central ▁Pennsylvania , ▁currently ▁an ▁intersection ▁of ▁several ▁dialect ▁regions , ▁was ▁identified ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 9 ▁by ▁Hans ▁Kur ath ▁as ▁a ▁sub - region ▁between ▁western ▁and ▁eastern ▁Pennsylvania , ▁though ▁some ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁more ▁recently ▁identified ▁it ▁within ▁the ▁western ▁Pennsylvania ▁dialect ▁region . ▁Since ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁Kur ath ' s ▁study , ▁one ▁of ▁western ▁Pennsylvania ' s ▁defining ▁features , ▁the ▁cot – caught ▁mer ger , ▁has ▁expanded ▁into ▁central ▁Pennsylvania , ▁moving ▁east ward ▁until ▁being ▁blocked ▁at ▁Harris burg . ▁Perhaps ▁the ▁only ▁feature ▁whose ▁distribution ▁is ▁restricted ▁almost ▁exclus ively ▁to ▁the ▁immediate ▁vic inity ▁of ▁Pitts burgh ▁is ▁ ▁mon oph th ong ization , ▁in ▁which ▁words ▁such ▁as ▁house , ▁down , ▁found , ▁or ▁sau erk ra ut ▁are ▁sometimes ▁pron ounced ▁with ▁an ▁" ah " ▁sound ▁instead ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁standard ▁pron unci ation ▁of ▁" ow ", ▁rendering ▁eye ▁spell ings ▁such ▁as ▁ha hs , ▁d ahn , ▁f ah nd , ▁and ▁s ahr k ra ht . ▁ ▁Spe akers ▁of ▁Pitts burgh ▁English ▁are ▁sometimes ▁called ▁" Y in z ers ", ▁in ▁reference ▁to ▁their ▁use ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 nd - person ▁pl ural ▁pron oun ▁" y in z ." ▁The ▁word ▁" y in zer