Comments on: Oddly enough, people here used to think I was from the midwest

By: little light

little light — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:19:03 +0000

I’m not surprised it stuck me in Midland, considering that my accent is a mashup of Michigander, Pacific Northwesterner, rural drawl, and Theater, plus a childhood watching too many Brits on PBS.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:25:16 +0000

Depends on how strong the New England accent was in the part of Rhode Island you grew up in, it may well have rubbed off on you. The quiz diagnoses Inland Northern based on the vowel mergers of standard American (Mary-merry-marry but not cot-caught), rather than by the vowel shift.

Go here and listen to the word (if it works…). If it’s closer to “cot” than to “cat” for you, you’re probably from the Inland North. If it’s closer to “cat,” you’re probably not.

By: Wednesday Miscellany « Abstract Nonsense

Wednesday Miscellany « Abstract Nonsense — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:23:59 +0000

[...] 0:00 PM (directions). The accent quiz is generating a second wave of buzz (see for example Feministe, Pandagon, Majikthise, a [...]

By: mikey

mikey — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:04:25 +0000

Oddly, I got Philadelphia.

By: Bolo

Bolo — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:42:55 +0000

Inland North…

Well, I lived in Michigan until I was 5, Rhode Island until 18, and then upstate New York until 23.

I guess my extended stay in RI didn’t rub off on me that much.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 02:02:35 +0000

I also got inland north and I grew up in central NY, so it definately pegged me right. The biggest thing it got wrong was saying that I probably call soda “pop”. People from the Syracuse/CNY area tend to call it soda, pop is more western NY (Buffalo area). My husband is from Corning and says “pop”.
I actually have no idea how bag and vague wouldn’t rhyme, it’s the only way I’ve ever heard them pronounced.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:26:58 +0000

Alon, you seriously hear people in NYC merge cot and caught all the time? I can’t say I’ve ever heard a native New Yorker do that.

I hardly hear anyone distinguish the two. I don’t specifically know whether the people I interact with are native New Yorkers, though. But I know for a fact that the Valenti sisters grew up in Long Island City and speak like Californians (but they went to magnet schools).

By: KnifeGhost

KnifeGhost — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 22:12:17 +0000

Arianna: I’m from out West (Grew up in BC and Alberta, now live in Victoria) and spent a year in Montreal. There’s no earthly reason why I should know the Ottawa Valley accent, but I’ve heard it described a few times, and being a language nerd, I remembered it. At first I thought you were a Maritimer, but I compared the Maritime and Boston accents, and it didn’t jive. Then Ottawa Valley came to me. Apparently you people (I love how condescending and othering “you people” sounds) pronounce “pants” in a particularly funny way. According to my brother.

By: ES

ES — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:49:33 +0000

From Boston, pegged me exactly. I think it got it based on the O’s rather than the r’s (or ah’s).

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:34:47 +0000

I have the deepest Southern accent you’ll ever hear, but it gave me midland.

Like this?

“I’s the deepest su’thurn aksent y’all evah herd”.

or more southern belle?

“I’ve thuh deeep’st su’thurn acksent y’all ‘ave evar herd”