How many of you knowingly speak with a regional dialect. I know Dan McCabe once said said that after spending time with relatives he can barely understand himself. I used to talk like a yooper, eh. Not any more, though. I learned from another poster recently that Kent speaks with a mild Texas inflection.
We mostly only ever SEE what we all are saying, we rarely hear each other. I'm curious.
Don
During my time in Michigan the locals tried to convince me I had a Southern accent, which I most definitely do not. However, send me to Louisiana or Texas for a few days and I will start to sound like a native.
We have had many telemarketing companies open offices in this area because they think we sound "American", whatever that is.
Had an economics professor from Massachusetts who put "r" on words that didn't need one and left it out of words that did. Listening to him was almost as difficult as the other economics instructor who was a native of Pakistan.
The Northeast talks too fast. The Southeast talks too slow. The West coast mumbles. The huge pockets of immigration in places like Minnesota reminds one that the dialect may be a reflection of ethnicity rather than regionalization.
Marther pawked her caw in Hawvuhd Yawd.
I've found out on my travels that not everyone must know how to say Texas.
At least that is why I think that when they ask where I am from, they keep asking me to say Texas over and over again.
B-)
I tend to use Mid-Atlantic English, but that is mostly an elitist affectation developed from watching Firing Line as an adolescent 😉
Taxes -Groucho
I have an Uncle from Taxes -Chicolini
No, Taxes, Dollars, Taxes -Groucho
Thatsa RIGHT, Dollars, Taxes -Chicolini
> How many of you knowingly speak with a regional dialect.
Here's a site with a map to hep y'all figger out this talkin' business:
I'm sure I'm guilty of an Okie "dye-leck"...but I can't hear it.
Now, when we visit Money Penny's family up in the Northern Midwest, I get some comments on phrases like:
"y'all" (rhymes with wall)
"fixin' to"
"I reckon so"
... and "shee-ut" is a two syllable word.
There are some words I was brought up with, but seemed to have gone by the way:
"sodie-pop"
"rench"
The one accent that gets me is probably the Irish. Ever once in a while I see somebody on the tube from Ireland and have a hard time believing we both speak "English".
...an elitist affectation...
And, of course, we have come to expect nothing less (more) from you.
Seriously, was Firing Line the height of our civility?
Why do we not act as politely to each other anymore?
I don't want to blame you, Fleming, but yet...
Don
Central Midland, but only a few miles to West Midland and Inland South. Near the triple point.
Anybody that has spoken with me knows I have a distinct accent. Its sorta like southern but not really. My accent is old Sanpete, Utah.
I used to be quite concerned that it would cause me problems and maybe it has. But it does have the advantage that everyone that has spoken with me remembers me, I'm not just another voice you heard on TV.
I basically learned to speak from my parents before the TV was where we all picked up the language. Also most folks in the area when I was growing up had the dialect although I probably have it worse than most.
Anyway, you might make the mistake that I'm slow and not all that sharp when you first speak with me.
> Central Midland, but only a few miles to West Midland and Inland South. Near the triple point.
Here's a link to the dialect chart with the key elements of each:
> I'm sure I'm guilty of an Okie "dye-leck"...but I can't hear it.
The test is whether you pronounce "pin" and "pen" the same way and "well" and "whale". If you speak Inland Southern English, pin=pen.
Everybody else in America has an accent but me.
It all comes down to how you pronounce "Hallmark Greeting Cards".
Learned that from a speech therapist.
The links Kent has provided are downright scary or scarry or skeerie or whatever that word's supposed to sound like.
One of the phenomena listed is that we tend to hear others speak the same way we speak even when they are not. You must focus in order to notice many of the subtle twists on the same word or words we always think of as rhyming.
Dale is pronounced Dell.
My summary of the Southern accents is one syllable words are spoken with two (Here=hee-er) and two syllable words are spoken with one (oil=ull, tire=tar).
I have a wicked slight New England accent.
Most Nutmegers
Have no accent.
Way back in Fifth Grade
I remember well way back in Fifth Grade when the teacher, Mrs. Nettles (Old Bullnettles), went over synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. The first two were easy. The homonyms thing was quite enlightening. We were challenged to list as many as we could think of. She then went through all of our lists and destroyed our little egos. She seemed to derive some sick kind of joy at claiming we were wrong about many of the words we listed. Damn Okie!
our/hour
our/are
all/awl
cot/caught
Don/Dawn
fined/find
Mary/merry/marry
you/yew/ewe
buy/bye
air/heir
wen/when
eye/aye
which/witch
lock/loch
sum/some
slay/sleigh
right/rite/write
slow/sloe
