> New York becomes port of entry for most immigrants
> who stay a generation in New York, New Yorkese becomes standard
> American with retroflex r's; East and South European immigration
> changes retroflex r's in New York to present "toity twee"
> pronounciation.
>
> Torsten
It did not work this way. While NYC was the largest port of entry,
there were other such ports. My paternal grandmother did come thru New
York, but went straight on to Benson Minnesota. My paternal
grandfather came via New Brunswick and then via the Canadian Pacific
to Chicago (both just after the turn of the century). I have
German-Czech forbears who came thru Galveston Texas.
Those who stayed in New York picked up the NY accent, but most
traveled on almost immediately.
The greatest period of American immigration was the 1880s down past
WWI, when major changes were made to the immigration laws: they came
by the millions, in the greatest migration in human history. Most went
from the ship right to the railroad and thence west.
The New York accent has had little influence on American speech. It
has offered bits of humor of course. It's actually closer to 'turdy
turd and turd'. The accent this last represents is actually dead, so
I've been told.