What American accent do you have?

[Ian]

This is for you guys and girls in the US.

http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_a ... o_you_have

It told me I have an accent from "The Inland North" which is right since I'm from Wisconsin.

[dolphinius_rex]

I'm "North Central"

North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.

Yeah, people are ALWAYS confusing me for being Canadian.... I mean, just because I was born and live in Canada or something

[Bhairav]

Hehe, inland North for me as well.

Funny, I woulda thought I sound like him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apu



I kid, I kid. I'm quadrilingual, and my English is quite neutral-accented.

[[buck]]

North Central here to... and what a surprise, I'm Canadian too!

[Spazmogen]

North Central here too. But I am Canadian.

I got a kick out of this:

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.


I find it odd how Dolph is in BC, I'm 1/2 way across Canada and we have the same 'accent'. So, from BC across the mountians & praries to Ontario we sound the same until you hit Quebec (french area, eh!). But in the USA the accent changes from state to state. I remember being surprised by it the 1st time I drove I-75 from Michigan to Florida. Kentucky & Georgia were eye opening...'yall.

[socheat]

Woo! The midland:

"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.

[CowboySlim]

Inland north.
Born and lived first 10 years in Minneapolis; next 12 in Chicago.

Gotta' test my daughter, SoCal her whole life.

[MediumRare]

Well, I ended up in the West.

Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent.

So there may be a bit of difference among Canadians (who have a majority participation in this poll on American accents). I grew up in Saskatchewan, so I guess West is OK.

G

[dolphinius_rex]

Only BC and Ontario have Canadian "accents" (some would argue that we're the only ones WITHOUT accents... although I would not be one of them). Alberta has a slightly different accent, and the more you head into the interior the more the accent changes. Ontario however is basically the same as BC. But Quebec and the maritimes have VERY different accents.

[jase]

Hmmm. I put my details in for a larf, and it says I'm from the North East/Philadelphia. So North-East England is similar to North-East USA. Nice.

Funnily enough though pretty much all the words they mention all sound different in my accent. Never really thought about US accent differences, must pay more attention in future

[TheWizard]

Verrrrrrrrrrry interesting indeed. The quiz pegged me correctly as being from the Northeast, but I've been told by people from all over the world who have heard my podcast that I have a non-descript accent, therefore I was expecting this quiz to classify me as Midland. Perhaps the quiz knows more about me than I think...as eerie as that sounds!

As for jase, I'm not totally surprised that you were classified as being from the Northeastern USA. Truthfully, Bostonians speak a lot like Brits, as least in my opinion. They leave out the "r" sound in a lot of words. On the other hand, some people think folks from the Southern USA speak closest to true English, as heard in the Mother Land (that would be England ).

[LoneWolf]

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The 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".

I always thought this meant I had "no accent". For 99% of the questions I pronounce each word differently.

Of course, being from Michigan, it does peg me to the right location. And I would call soft drinks "pop" except for some reason, the eastern expression "soda" sounds better.

[socheat]

That's very strange. You on the northern part of Michigan, LoneWolf? I grew up my entire life in Michigan (SE corner), and that site said I had "Midland" accent or "no accent". Strange though that in the description of "Midland" it doesn't mention Michigan at all, just southern Ohio. The spooky thing is, I just moved to central Ohio... I think that site is keeping tabs on me

Oh, and I say "pop" too.

[CowboySlim]

I always said pop until I left the MidWest.

Of course, being from Michigan, it does peg me to the right location. And I would call soft drinks "pop" except for some reason, the eastern expression "soda" sounds better.

Now I always say soda, but we do that on the West Coast, also.

But wait, there's more!
Does anybody back there in the MidWest/Inland, etc., use the term picklelilly for pickle relish?

[Ian]

Does anybody back there in the MidWest/Inland, etc., use the term picklelilly for pickle relish?

I can't say I've ever heard someone call pickly relish that.

How about the word bubbler?

[Spazmogen]

Its called POP over here too.
Soda is a carbonated water used in mixed alcoholic drinks. Its not pop, eh.

Tea is not iced. It's leaves in a bag immersed in hot water...

vinegar (malt or white) is put on your fries. Not mayo. Ketchup is permissible at times.

Do Americans in the northern states use vinegar?

How about Rye?

[jase]

Does anybody back there in the MidWest/Inland, etc., use the term picklelilly for pickle relish?

Picklelilly? That's a brand-name over here I'm sure. Horrible sweetish yellow gunge you put in sandwiches right?

And it's "pop" in the UK too. Any other word for it just seems, well, strange really. Soda?

And tea? In a bag?? Pfft. Loose leaves dear, in a pre-heated pot!

As for the comment about English English being "true" English, I don't speak "true" English any more than anyone else. Look up "Geordie" in Wikipedia, or "Vic Reeves" on YouTube to see how folk around these parts talk. You need subtitles to understand some of the old folk around here, the accent is so strong. Things like pronouncing "book" as the word "boo" with the 'k' on the end, and words like "barred" can sound just like "bad" if said quickly. And that's the softer version of the dialect.

[Ian]

vinegar (malt or white) is put on your fries. Not mayo. Ketchup is permissible at times.

Vinegar on your fries? Yuck. That's worse than mayo.

[TheWizard]

I'm with Ian. Vinegar is used in the Northern States in cooking (not on fries)...as well as in cleaning. Oh yes, it's a hell of a disinfectant. On the fries, ketchup (or catsup...does anybody call it catsup?) please. Pass the Heinz!

Speaking of food and Canada, I was reading Uncle John's Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader and several Canadian dishes are mentioned, including:

Poutine - French fries and a heap of cheese (or cheese curds) immersed in brown gravy

Trempette - Bread soaked in maple syrup and topped with heavy cream

Tire sur la neige - Heated maple syrup that congeals into taffy when served on top of fresh snow

Kraft Dinner sandwich - Macaroni and cheese on white bread, topped with ketchup

I guess Canadians do use ketchup, but perhaps more on mac and cheese and less on french fries. After reading the dishes above, is it any wonder that the book is called Uncle John's Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader?

[dodecahedron]

ITea is not iced. It's leaves in a bag immersed in hot water...

comenow, tea has nothing to do with the bag.

edit: jase beat me to it.

[MediumRare]

Poutine - French fries and a heap of cheese (or cheese curds) immersed in brown gravy

That's Canada's contribution to world cuisine. The Russians even named their president after it.

I tried it a few years ago in Ottawa- my sister made me do it. I didn't think it was that great though (another thing in common with the Russian guy).

G

[aviationwiz]

I'm also "The 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."

[LoneWolf]

That's very strange. You on the northern part of Michigan, LoneWolf? I grew up my entire life in Michigan (SE corner), and that site said I had "Midland" accent or "no accent". Strange though that in the description of "Midland" it doesn't mention Michigan at all, just southern Ohio. The spooky thing is, I just moved to central Ohio... I think that site is keeping tabs on me

Oh, and I say "pop" too.

Nope, I'm the Southwest Lower Peninsula.

I would be interested to know what the test results are for someone living in northern Wisconsin/West Upper Peninsula of Michigan, though. I think it'd be different from both Ian and myself.

[LoneWolf]

Its called POP over here too.
Soda is a carbonated water used in mixed alcoholic drinks. Its not pop, eh.

Tea is not iced. It's leaves in a bag immersed in hot water...

vinegar (malt or white) is put on your fries. Not mayo. Ketchup is permissible at times.

Do Americans in the northern states use vinegar?

How about Rye?

Well, since creme soda is one of my favorite beverages, I think I'll stick with soda. Although I do understand you from a scotch-and-soda perspective.

As for fries, vinegar? YECH.

I'm one of those wierd, not-based-on-locale people who likes ranch dressing or mustard with their fries, if the fries aren't already seasoned.

[CowboySlim]

vinegar (malt or white) is put on your fries. Not mayo. Ketchup is permissible at times.

Vinegar on your fries? Yuck. That's worse than mayo.

No-no. One doesn't put vinegar directly on their fries.
When one buys proper fish and chips, they put the chips in the basket and then put the fish on top of the chips.
One drizzles the malt vinegar on the chips, but some always trickles down onto the chips.

That is totally different.