What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

[saavedra77]

A quiz lifted from greyaenigma:

http://www.blogthings.com/amenglishdialecttest/

The test purports to tell you which regional styles of American English influence the way you speak. Apparently, I'm a mixture of ...

45% General U.S. English
40% Yankee/New England
10% Dixie/Southeast
5% Upper Midwestern
0% Midwestern

Well, sorta: I'm from the Middle Atlantic states, but grew up trying to sound more like the people on TV--"general American English" (in other words, I made a conscious effort not to pronounce "water" as "wooder", "creek" as "crick", "radiator" as if the 1st syllable were "rat"). But then about a dozen winters in New England led me to pick up lots of Yankeetalk (e.g., using "wicked" to mean "intense"). And, no doubt, my upbringing was just Hee Haw enough for some Dixie to have worked its way into my vocabulary. But the "Upper Midwest"? I've driven through it once (& seen Fargo & heard Garrison Keillor more times than were really necessary), but somehow I have to think that ought to read "Pacific Northwest" ...? I've already lived here for half as long as I lived in New England.

Comments

[greyaenigma.livejournal.com]

Wooder? Wooder???

I saw Hee Haw lots when I were a kid, didn't make me to funny, no how.

And "ratiator" is "radiator"? Hmm.

[delerium69.livejournal.com]

I ended up with something like 50% Yankee, and I was surprised it wasn't higher. I think I figured out which answer matched which part of the world, but maybe I'm more "normal" than I think? I guess living in the Mid-Atlantic for a while contributed a bit.

[schmallturm.livejournal.com]

I am more southern than y'all.



I messed around with it some and apparently icing, catty corner, and ca-ra-mel are my southernisms.

BTW, to me your accent always sounded like an upper-class new york accent.

[uniquecrash5.livejournal.com]

I am entertained by the (quite valid) observation that "General American English" = "like the people on TV".