January 9, 200619 yr Growing up in New York we always said "Parkway" instead of "Freeway" or "Highway"
January 9, 200619 yr The concept of "highway" defined by limited access is new to me. To me, almost any state route is a highway in that it's a step above a county road. Limited access defines an expressway. Maybe part of the difference in interpretation is that I started driving in 1955, before there were interstates, at least in the midwest. The only limited-access roads I knew then were toll roads, or "turnpikes." I use "highway" as specifically limited-access roads as well - probably in part because the difference between a county road and a state highway, at least where I grew up, is basically non-existent. If you were set down on River Road in Hinckley, the only way you could tell it was State Route 94 would be with a road sign...so if someone said, "take the highway," it always meant "take 71" or "take 77" or such...and if the Cincinnati traffic report says "the highway is backed up to Ridge," I assume they mean 71, not Montgomery Road...I know it's a misuse of the term, but that's my colloquial...
January 9, 200619 yr 65% General American English 15% Yankee 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern
January 9, 200619 yr Another thought I had was highways. I guess technically state routes are highways, but I never grew up with that and will die never calling anything that isn't limited access a highway. I can't do it. Route, Highway, freeway, interstate, Turnpike, Toll Road, Expressway, parkway. I barely say route (rout), unless I'm using it as a synonym for path, and never "root" In conversation, I'll say interstate (insert number), occasionally add US before the number when discussing federal routes, but rarely add state designation in front of those numbered routes. (So if I were to verbalize my route from Central Ohio to Baton Rouge I'd say I took 36, 42, interstate 70, interstate 65, etc, etc) When writing, I always use I, US, or state postal code designation before the highway number. Seven years of conversing with "roadgeeks" via usenet has altered my transportation lexicon immensely. :speech:
January 9, 200619 yr Growing up in New York we always said "Parkway" instead of "Freeway" or "Highway" That's interesting. I don't call anything a parkway unless it's actually named "_____ Parkway," and those are often a certain type of highway where trucks are not allowed and so forth. I didn't realize that "parkway" was used as a generic term.
January 14, 200619 yr Well, I'm a little late in the game: 70% General American English 10% Dixie 10% Yankee 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern This makes a good deal of sense for someone born and raised in Cincinnati. P.S> A lot of my family a couple of generations back use breakfast, dinner, supper. I've always used breakfast, lunch, dinner.
January 14, 200619 yr yay, i'm fit for national news media: 60% General American English 15% Yankee 10% Dixie 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Midwestern
January 16, 200619 yr 65% General American English 20% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern
January 17, 200619 yr 60 General 20 Midwestern 20 upper midwest I grew up in central Ohio & Cincinnati seems really southern to me. It's tennis shoes pop (doesn't anybody use soda pop ?) The rout I choose is root 66 (go figure) The ones that get me, tho, are Clevelanders with their "kwaffee" & Cincinnatians with "youse" (plural of you - a form of y'all I guess).
January 17, 200619 yr Cincinnatians with "youse" (plural of you - a form of y'all I guess). That's kind of an eastern PA/New Jersey/New York word... I wasn't aware of Cincinnatians saying that.
January 17, 200619 yr I grew up in central Ohio & Cincinnati seems really southern to me. Uh, I live in Central Ohio and I can tell you with no-holds-barred that Central Ohio is "just as southern" (if not more, since it's more rural) than the Cincinnati area. The ones that get me, tho, are Clevelanders with their "kwaffee" & Cincinnatians with "youse" (plural of you - a form of y'all I guess). I've never heard that from either city. I've heard "Kyaffee" from Clevelanders and "ya'll" from Cincinnati but "youse" is more Pennsylvanian in nature. So perhaps, Steubenville. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 18, 200816 yr 55% General American English 20% Dixie 15% Yankee 5% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern
July 18, 200816 yr 60% General American English 15% Dixie 10% Yankee 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern I wonder how this would have turned out when I was a kid, before I shed a lot of the localisms from where I grew up in northeastern/north-central Indiana near the Ohio line. It's faded now, but among the one and two generations prior to mine (with some carryover to the kids) there were a lot of localisms that came from Pennsylvania, the ancestral home of many of the families. Some examples: Y'uns (You-uns), warsh (wash), rench (rinse), war (wire). You carried your groceries home in a poke, neither a bag nor a sack. Your automobile was your machine. Some of it was rooted in the German dialect used by the mostly Swiss families that moved into the area from Pennsylvania. My grandmother's parents rarely spoke English at home, and she called an umbrella a bumbershoot. There were other terms that I'd remember if I spent some time thinking about it. My dad didn't speak Pennsylvania Dutch, but he understood it pretty well. I blame the universal exposure to network television programming that originates in the coastal metro areas for erasing many of the old regional dialects. When I was a kid, much radio programming was of local origin and reflected local dialects.
July 18, 200816 yr 65% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 10% Yankee 5% Midwestern 0% Dixie Little surprised I got upper midwestern the second most, that's the Fargo accent isn't it? Other than that no surprise, even the slightest southern accent in someones dialect is extremely noticeable to me. My step mom lives in Zanesville and I have little exposure to any actual southern accent in person so I was pretty shocked when I went down there the first time. It really felt (and looked) like an entirely different state.
July 18, 200816 yr me: 65% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Yankee
July 18, 200816 yr How did I miss this. My scores: 50% General American English 20% Yankee 15% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern Some words like "sneaker/tennis shoes" or "pop/soda" I use both, based on where I am. I rarely say "pajamas" but use "PJ's"
July 18, 200816 yr Your Linguistic Profile: 70% General American English 10% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern No surprises here. What is the midwestern accent? Is that Kansas and the like? I don't know if this was brought up earlier in the thread but if you look on linguists map Pittsburgh has it's own dialect.
July 18, 200816 yr Everything but Midwestern. Apparently my entire childhood in NE Ohio was just a dream (or nightmare!). Who are the "linguists" who came up with this thing? The fact is, I say "route" both ways, and have only occasionally said "cruller." And I left the question about the "easy class" blank because none applied. There's not exactly much room for nuance. As a side note: years ago I heard of a professor at Columbia who could tell where a New York City native grew up--not just which borough or neighborhood--but to the exact block based on his/her accent. I don't know if he's still around. 45% General American English 25% Yankee 10% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 18, 200816 yr As a side note: years ago I heard of a professor at Columbia who could tell where a New York City native grew up--not just which borough or neighborhood--but to the exact block based on his/her accent. I don't know if he's still around. 45% General American English 25% Yankee 10% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern I think that could be said for any "ethnic" neighborhood in many cities. When I visit my relatives on the west side I can tell the difference in the PR's that are from Rincon, Aquadilla or Mayaquez from those, in San Juan/Carolina/Bayamon, my unlce's wife who's family is from Ponce, my Aunts husband who is Panamanian or the Mexican's in the area. In NYC, I can definitely tell the difference in "local" idioms when speaking with those from PR, DR, Colombia, Cuba and especially Spaniards (those bitches think we don't speak propertly). I have a Venezuelan woman on my staff and when she speaks in Spanish she say thing my assistant and I translate differently.
July 18, 200816 yr 65% General American English 15% Dixie 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Midwestern 0% Yankee
July 18, 200816 yr As a side note: years ago I heard of a professor at Columbia who could tell where a New York City native grew up--not just which borough or neighborhood--but to the exact block based on his/her accent. I don't know if he's still around. 45% General American English 25% Yankee 10% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern I think that could be said for any "ethnic" neighborhood in many cities. When I visit my relatives on the west side I can tell the difference in the PR's that are from Rincon, Aquadilla or Mayaquez from those, in San Juan/Carolina/Bayamon, my unlce's wife who's family is from Ponce, my Aunts husband who is Panamanian or the Mexican's in the area. In NYC, I can definitely tell the difference in "local" idioms when speaking with those from PR, DR, Colombia, Cuba and especially Spaniards (those bitches think we don't speak propertly). I have a Venezuelan woman on my staff and when she speaks in Spanish she say thing my assistant and I translate differently. I have an acquaintance who's Italian, was was married to (I think) a Puerto Rican, who speaks Spanish (and obviously Italian) fairly fluently; and she claims that of all the Latino groups in NY, Mexicans speak Spanish most authentically and beautifully. True or False? (Them's fightin' words!!) http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 18, 200816 yr I have an acquaintance who's Italian, was was married to (I think) a Puerto Rican, who speaks Spanish (and obviously Italian) fairly fluently; and she claims that of all the Latino groups in NY, Mexicans speak Spanish most authentically and beautifully. True or False? (Them's fightin' words!!) We'll I don't know an MessyKans so I can't speak from personal experience. To me, it just sounds like they are singing when they speak. Where as I speak so fast sometimes the words sound like one ginormous word. LOL
July 18, 200816 yr 55% General American English 30% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern
July 18, 200816 yr I have an acquaintance who's Italian, was was married to (I think) a Puerto Rican, who speaks Spanish (and obviously Italian) fairly fluently; and she claims that of all the Latino groups in NY, Mexicans speak Spanish most authentically and beautifully. True or False? (Them's fightin' words!!) We'll I don't know an MessyKans so I can't speak from personal experience. To me, it just sounds like they are singing when they speak. Where as I speak so fast sometimes the words sound like one ginormous word. LOL "MessyKans"--That's awful! (you're probably on the border patrol on weekends) Maybe it's the apparent "musical" quality she was alluding to. http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 18, 200816 yr I have an acquaintance who's Italian, was was married to (I think) a Puerto Rican, who speaks Spanish (and obviously Italian) fairly fluently; and she claims that of all the Latino groups in NY, Mexicans speak Spanish most authentically and beautifully. True or False? (Them's fightin' words!!) We'll I don't know an MessyKans so I can't speak from personal experience. To me, it just sounds like they are singing when they speak. Where as I speak so fast sometimes the words sound like one ginormous word. LOL "MessyKans"--That's awful! (you're probably on the border patrol on weekends) Maybe it's the apparent "musical" quality she was alluding to. Hush. LOL. There is a huge difference. I'm sure those of Italian, German, Chinese or Irish decent that speak both languages and/or live in an neighborhood dominated by one language would say the same. Oh, and no I not on border patrol, but I don't think they should be strenghthend. If my uncle could move here from Panama and master english, become a citizen and become super successful, then others should. I could go on, but that would take us waaaaaaaaaaaaaay of topic. I don't want you know who to get mad at me.
July 18, 200816 yr ^ why yes, of course, let's thank the largest media conglomerate in the world for all the wonderfully life-affirming, uplifting, inspiring...well, I too could go on and on...but I just can't. too far off-topic! :drunk: http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 18, 200816 yr ^ why yes, of course, let's thank the largest media conglomerate in the world for all the wonderfully life-affirming, uplifting, inspiring...well, I too could go on and on...but I just can't. too far off-topic! :drunk: oppps........
July 18, 200816 yr ^ why yes, of course, let's thank the largest media conglomerate in the world for all the wonderfully life-affirming, uplifting, inspiring...well, I too could go on and on...but I just can't. too far off-topic! :drunk: oppps........ now that was funny! http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
July 18, 200816 yr ^ why yes, of course, let's thank the largest media conglomerate in the world for all the wonderfully life-affirming, uplifting, inspiring...well, I too could go on and on...but I just can't. too far off-topic! :drunk: oppps........ now that was funny! I've accidently done that a couple times. hhee he he he
July 18, 200816 yr 55% General American English 30% Yankee 10% Dixie 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern Since I was born in Northern Delaware, I also pronounce water like "wooder". It's a Delaware/Philly/Jersey thing and I get teased a lot for it in central PA lol. I say "pajahhmas" and "cahmra" (camera), not "cammera" like a cam in an engine.. I also get teased for that by my girlfriend. By moving from New Jersey to central PA, it's hard not to laugh when you hear people say warsh. I work at a car dealership and it's bad when the general manager asks me to "warsh" his Land Rover lol. Also, it's NewERK, New Jersey (more like the one syllable nuwrk) and NewARK, Delaware. I have a mixture of northern Delaware and New Jersey dialects.
July 18, 200816 yr Hmmmm Here is my profile: 65% General American 20% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Upper Midwest 0% Midwest Sure don't know where that Yankee stuff comes from! I think of myself as a total Midwesterner, transplanted to the West Coast. Did one of these tests some time ago, with maybe 100 or more questions and came out with a similar profile, which just proves that either: 1. I'm crazy 2. I think I'm something I'm not 3. I'm pretending to be a Midwesterner, when in reality I'm an alien or 4. I'm from Lower Slobovia and learned English from watching TV. Of course it could also be from moving around as a kid, having parents whose first language wasn't English, etc. Who knows?
July 18, 200816 yr 70% General American English 15% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Yankee
July 19, 200816 yr 70% General American English 15% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Yankee Wait wait I know that accent 3421 Scioto -Darby Rd. Hilliard, OH ?
July 19, 200816 yr My moms current boyfriend is from new york and says "though" at the end of a lot of sentences and says "you know" at the end of sentences. Is that a 'Yankee' thing?
July 19, 200816 yr yay, i'm fit for national news media: 60% General American English 15% Yankee 10% Dixie 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Midwestern me: 60% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 10% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern And that, my friends, is the difference between Ferndale and Birmingham.
July 19, 200816 yr fun but would be much cooler if more words were given to diversify. For example the word "roof". Lots of ways to say that one. I have a couple of middle Atlantic indicators myself. What about western US , Cajun, and and African American...all missing! anyway: 55% General American English 15% Dixie 15% Yankee 10% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern
July 19, 200816 yr Since I was born in Northern Delaware, I also pronounce water like "wooder". It's a Delaware/Philly/Jersey thing and I get teased a lot for it in central PA lol. I say "pajahhmas" and "cahmra" (camera), not "cammera" like a cam in an engine.. I also get teased for that by my girlfriend. By moving from New Jersey to central PA, it's hard not to laugh when you hear people say warsh. I work at a car dealership and it's bad when the general manager asks me to "warsh" his Land Rover lol. Also, it's NewERK, New Jersey (more like the one syllable nuwrk) and NewARK, Delaware. I have a mixture of northern Delaware and New Jersey dialects. I have a friend who grew up in the Sunbury/Shamokin/Mt. Carmel area, not far from Williamsport. After living in Hoosierland for more than thirty years he still pronounces "water" like "wooder" and the "rad" in "radiator" like the "rad" in "radical." I spent almost three years at Dover, Delaware, and encountered accents from various parts of the state. There's a considerable variation for such a small state; go a few miles south of Dover, and some people's speech sounds very much like what Tidewater Virginia. Lord, did people in Philadelphia make fun of my Hoosier accent! I had almost forgotten about that. I even got asked if I was from West Virginia. I didn't realize at the time that that was intended as an insult.
July 19, 200816 yr 70% General American English 10% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern
July 19, 200816 yr Interesting quiz: 80% General American English 5% Dixie 5% Midwestern 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Yankee I didn't like the options for that "Y'all question" because although I say 'you guys' like 90% of the time, I will occasionally say 'you all' or 'y'all' A couple of others: For the word probably, I say "pry" My Italian grandma says "sang-wich" (sandwich) My grandma from Indiana calls a green pepper a "mango"
July 19, 200816 yr Since I was born in Northern Delaware, I also pronounce water like "wooder". It's a Delaware/Philly/Jersey thing and I get teased a lot for it in central PA lol. I say "pajahhmas" and "cahmra" (camera), not "cammera" like a cam in an engine.. I also get teased for that by my girlfriend. By moving from New Jersey to central PA, it's hard not to laugh when you hear people say warsh. I work at a car dealership and it's bad when the general manager asks me to "warsh" his Land Rover lol. Also, it's NewERK, New Jersey (more like the one syllable nuwrk) and NewARK, Delaware. I have a mixture of northern Delaware and New Jersey dialects. I have a friend who grew up in the Sunbury/Shamokin/Mt. Carmel area, not far from Williamsport. After living in Hoosierland for more than thirty years he still pronounces "water" like "wooder" and the "rad" in "radiator" like the "rad" in "radical." I spent almost three years at Dover, Delaware, and encountered accents from various parts of the state. There's a considerable variation for such a small state; go a few miles south of Dover, and some people's speech sounds very much like what Tidewater Virginia. Lord, did people in Philadelphia make fun of my Hoosier accent! I had almost forgotten about that. I even got asked if I was from West Virginia. I didn't realize at the time that that was intended as an insult. Wow.. Sunbury area??? I didn't know people pronounced water like that down there lol. And yeah, a lot of Delaware sounds like Maryland and Virginia. I can't count on my hands the amount of times people catch me for saying wooder everyday lol.
July 19, 200816 yr Your Linguistic Profile: 80% General American English 10% Upper Midwestern 5% Yankee 0% Dixie 0% Midwestern I'm from Oregon, I speak like the people on tv..... EDIT: the phrase "can i have a co-cola" bothers me more than anything!
July 19, 200816 yr My Italian grandma says "sang-wich" (sandwich) My grand parents and mother pronounce it the same way, but then again, none of them can pronounce the word "yellow". LOL
July 20, 200816 yr Do you guys use the term Devilstrip for the treelawn? It's apparently very unique to the Akron area. Does anyone know how it originated for people to say "Right?" or "Yeah, right?" with an uplift at the end of the word as if they are questioning what you are saying, but they actually mean it like "Yeah, exactly!" For instance, if I say, "The Christmas Ale at Great Lakes sure packs a wallop!" They might reply, "Right?" I have a friend from NY who says this constantly. I think I first heard this in college from some girls who were from PA and found it bizarre because when people said "Yeah, right" where I was from, it was generally in a sarcastic tone and meant the complete opposite. Or else if you said, "Yeah, right!" to agree with someone, it didn't sound like a question. Also, has anyone else noticed that the accent of NE Ohio has been getting progressively more nasally? I notice more and more people pronouncing things like pencil "pincil" and thanks "thinks". I worked with a woman who lived around here all her life as far as I know and had the most extreme accent I've ever heard. When she said "back" it sounded like two long drawn out syllables, "bee-yack." I guess accents continuously evolve, but I wonder why it's going in this direction. Then again, maybe I'm hearing things and it's always been this way.
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