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What Kind of American Accent Do You Have?
The Economic Policy Journal ^ | 11-24-2011 | By Xavier Kun

Posted on 11/25/2011 4:19:03 PM PST by blam

What Kind of American Accent Do You Have?

November 24, 2011
Xavier Kun

To most Americans, an accent is something that only other people have, those other people usually being in New York, Boston, and the South. And of those other people, half of the ones you meet will swear they "don't have an accent."

Well, strictly speaking, the only way to not have an accent is to not speak. If you're from anywhere in the USA you have an accent (which may or may not be the accent of the place you're from). Go through this short quiz and you'll find out just which accent that is.

1. What is your age? Under 18 Years Old 18 to 24 Years Old 25 to 30 Years Old 31 to 40 Years Old 41 to 50 Years Old 51 to 60 Years Old Over 60 Years Old 2. What is your gender? Male Female

3. We're going to start with two ordinary words, "cot" and "caught." Do you think those words sound the same or different? Same Different Same, no wait I mean different, well, I don't know...

4. What about "don" and "dawn"? Same Different Same...ish. Maybe a little different.

5. OK, what about "stock" and "stalk"? Same Different Almost, but not quite, the same

6. Now then how do "collar" and "caller" sound? Same Different Almost, but not quite, the same

7. Do you think the word "on" rhymes with "dawn" or with "don"? dawn don Well, I don't think don and dawn sound any different in the first place so on would obviously rhyme with both

8. Moving on, what do you think about "Mary," "merry," and "marry"? All 3 sound different Mary and merry sound the same but marry is different from them All 3 sound the same

9. Our next word is "horrible." How does that first vowel sound? It's just like in the word "whore." It's the same "o" sound as in "hot." Neither one

10. Now for "pen" and "pin." Don't worry about what others say is correct, just tell us how they come out in an ordinary conversation. Same Different Close. Pen sounds almost, but not quite, like pin.

11. What about "feel" and "fill"? Same Different Well, I think they're different even though they sound very, very similar almost to the point of being the same

12. When you say "about," does the "ou" sound like the "ou" in "loud"? No Yes

13. Last question. When you say "bag" does it rhyme with "vague"? Yes No


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: accent; accents; language; linguistics; region; slang
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

Agreed. This test was highly inaccurate in IMHO. Yes, I am originally from N.Y., but when I return to that area, they can definitely hear that I spent most of my time elsewhere. Likewise, I can hear that NY accent clearly a mile away. So, basically, according to this test, if you correctly differential sounds between different words, you are a Yankee. If you can’t hear the difference between words like “stalk” and “stock” that makes you inland North....nope, I aint buyin’ it.


141 posted on 11/25/2011 6:10:49 PM PST by 3Fingas (Sons and Daughters of Freedom, Committee of Correspondence)
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To: blam
Wow, they pegged me. I grew up in Michigan, and I got:

Inland North
You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

142 posted on 11/25/2011 6:10:55 PM PST by A_perfect_lady (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: Krankor

Not much of fan of Tom Brokaw’s accent, but like the voices of reporters Keith Morrison and Bill Curtis. They could read menus and make it sound interesting.

Okay, now an excuse to post Bill Hader of SNL as Keith Morrison:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/45818/saturday-night-live-dateline


143 posted on 11/25/2011 6:11:48 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: blam

It nailed us...is it possible that they can read your ISP address and predict you that way? I hate to be so cynical...but I can’t help it.


144 posted on 11/25/2011 6:16:34 PM PST by gorush (History repeats itself because human nature is static)
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To: RegulatorCountry
I grew up hearing it as "rurnt." So, one syllable. I do enunciate it with two syllables for the unlearned from elsewhere.

My dad says it that way. He also pronounces the car make "Buick" as "Byurk" (one syllable).

145 posted on 11/25/2011 6:18:51 PM PST by Sans-Culotte ( Pray for Obama- Psalm 109:8)
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To: Cyber Liberty; potlatch

I’m from W. Pa. I got “West” on the test. Nobody I ever met in the rest of Pa ever thought I sounded like them. Hubby from CT got “inland north”. We’ve lived in upstate NY for forty years, and people think we sound funny. The kids have a funny Syracuse accent, where job is jab and feel is fill. Everyone thinks they have no accent.


146 posted on 11/25/2011 6:20:43 PM PST by ntnychik
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To: blam

On a somewhat related note, was observing my daughter’s classroom a couple of weeks back and the teacher said the word “talk” was “tawk”—that the “l” sound was silent. I thought she was wrong, but when I looked it up it on dictionary.com they said the pronunciation was indeed “tawk”. As well as walk as “wawk” and chalk as “chawk”, but I’ve always put the “l” sound in those words.


147 posted on 11/25/2011 6:21:27 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: beaversmom
We called it a soda or a coke.

In the mountains of NC, it's called a dope.

148 posted on 11/25/2011 6:22:34 PM PST by gitmo (Hatred of those who think differently is the left's unifying principle.-Ralph Peters NY Post)
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To: blam
Yup -- not a surfer, though:
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The West
 

Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.

The Midland
 
Boston
 
North Central
 
The Inland North
 
Philadelphia
 
The South
 
The Northeast
 
What American accent do you have?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

149 posted on 11/25/2011 6:23:07 PM PST by Fast Moving Angel (If he has nothing to hide, why is he spending so much $$$ hiding it?)
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To: blam

Here’s another one on pronunciation. Had two friends, one that grew up in Nebraska and one that grew up in Missouri. Both didn’t pronounce the “l” in words such as cold, Colfax, and shoulder i.e. shoulder would be showder, cold was code.


150 posted on 11/25/2011 6:25:30 PM PST by beaversmom
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Got me right - the West. Born and raised in California.


151 posted on 11/25/2011 6:25:41 PM PST by Kipp
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To: beaversmom

Do you pronounce the ‘L’ in ‘salmon’?


152 posted on 11/25/2011 6:25:41 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis

A North Carolina hillbilly here. It says I have a Midland accent. I grew up in the military, moving all over the place. But folks tell me I’ve got a Southern accent.


153 posted on 11/25/2011 6:26:29 PM PST by gitmo (Hatred of those who think differently is the left's unifying principle.-Ralph Peters NY Post)
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To: Revolting cat!

I believe I say that word as sammon.


154 posted on 11/25/2011 6:26:48 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: blam

Whenever I travel abroad and spend time with the restless natives there, I return speaking English with their damn accent!

I guess we’re often mimic the people we’re with. There is even a theory supporting such observation.


155 posted on 11/25/2011 6:28:25 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: blam

My result was Northeast, but I’m from New Orleans.


156 posted on 11/25/2011 6:29:40 PM PST by AlmaKing
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To: Sans-Culotte

Haven’t heard “Buick” pronounced in that way. What geographic region does your dad call home?


157 posted on 11/25/2011 6:29:56 PM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: beaversmom

As a youngster in the early 1970’s, my family lived in the suburbs of Boston for a few years.

I walked into a cafeteria-style restaurant in Boston, and I saw the word TONIC on the large movable-type menu hanging high on the wall. I had no idea what to make of “Tonic.”
It sounded like some sort of home-made medicine that Granny gave to Jethro on “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

Eventually, I found out that “Tonic” was soda.


158 posted on 11/25/2011 6:30:33 PM PST by july4thfreedomfoundation (The "Occupy Wall Street" losers should try occupying their local employment office. GET A JOB!)
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To: Revolting cat!
I'll do that with laughs--I don't think I have a laugh of my own. I pick up the laugh I'm with.

As far as accents, my English mom said that the Welsh accent is so strong that if you spent any time with them, you would end up with their accent. When I went to Wales as a little girl, I didn't start talking like my Aunt (by marriage)--mostly because I couldn't understand a darned word she was saying.

159 posted on 11/25/2011 6:31:57 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: july4thfreedomfoundation

Don’t care what it says, I speek Pittsburghease. And proud of it.


160 posted on 11/25/2011 6:32:52 PM PST by AGreatPer (Obama has NEVER given a speech where he did not lie!!!)
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