WHEN DR. BOLI was asked by a church in Pittsburgh to translate the Decalogue into the vernacular, he was of course delighted to be of assistance. Dr. Boli has a deep paternal love for his adopted city, and it seemed a very good idea that the Yinzers, as the inhabitants are called from their characteristic use of the second-person plural pronoun “yinz,” should have the words of the Ten Commandments rendered in a language they can understand.
Note that Dr. Boli has used the numbering of the Commandments adopted by the Lutherans and the Papists. If the other sects do not approve of that numbering, they can get their own Ten Commandments.
1. I’m Gawad, right? So yinz don’t got no other gawad, and yinz don’t try ta make yerselves a gawad aat a clay er sumpn, neither.
2. Yinz don’t go sayin ‘Oh my Gawad’ n at, cause that’s jus ignernt.
3. Yinz gotta go ta church on Sunday, er at least Saherty night.
4. Don’t go bein ignernt to yer mum an dad.
5. Yinz don’t kill nobody.
6. Yinz don’t boink yer bud’s wife, kay?
7. Yinz don’t steal nuffn.
8. Yinz don’t lie ta nobody abaat nuffn, cause I can tell an I’ll smack you.
9. Yinz don’t whine abaat not havin yer bud’s haas.
10. Yinz don’t whine abaat not havin yer bud’s wife, er his guys, er his car, er anythin he gots.