| What American accent do you have? Your Result: 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. | |
| The West | |
| The South | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| The Inland North | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The Northeast | |
| What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes | |
I do find it interesting...these results. I took a quiz on what accent I have. I thought it would be obvious that my accent was most closely associated with the South. According to the results, I'm wrong. Now, there's some debate about this. For one, when I speak to everyone around here, they undeniably say I have a Southern accent. Yet the description for the Midland results is somewhat fitting as well: I am from a city near Atlanta, my grandmother is from southern Ohio, and my parents grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Maybe that's why my results are so wacked. (Yes, I did just use that word.)
See, in my HEAD I know what the words from the quiz are SUPPOSED to sound like. I can still remember my mom drilling it into me over and over again when I was little, " 'IIIIIIII'm goING to the store,' Shannon. Not 'Ahhhhh'm goin' to the store.' " I'm also sure that the fact I am an English teacher has something to do with it.
After talking with some Southern friends here, I think I've reached a conclusion. I have TWO accents. One for speaking to my students and one for speaking to my friends. When I'm in front of the class my "our" is pronounced like "hour" and my "for" is pronounced like "four." But with friends? "Our" becomes "are" and "for" becomes "fer."
Sounds like:
To students: "Hour friends are goING four tea."
To friends: "Are friends are goin' fer tea."
Isn't language fun?
(Many thanks to Mandy's sis-in-law Amanda for pointing out this quiz to me!)
22 worthy responses:
I totally get what you're saying. It's so easy to do.
How does a computer quiz rate your accent, though? Dialect, fer shur, but accent...hmmm....
So...just to recap, how would you have pronounced such things as "conifer" or "gymnosperm" or "angiosperm"? Is it the same around friends and students? (Not that it matters much, since I'm teaching those things now.)
:o)
where is this quiz???
I agree with Allie, there's no link for us to participate. Is this b/c you're into the English stuff now??
On my screen it is in a very light print under the quiz...just run your mouse over it and you might see it.
I got Midland too, and I have a way bigger Southern accent than you do!
Hmmmm, Allie. That would make me lean more towards our upbringing...right?
girl- from what i remember your accent is southern all the way...
and by the way, i LOVE your use of the word "whack", g-money! good stuff! :)
and yeah, i totally get what you mean too. by day i am Ms.Katie-professional Pre-K teacher, but by night, I be Ghetto Girl, all up in it! haha!
okay, this is the last comment i will make, i promise!
I remember trying to get that Southern drawl out of Shannon...Allie never talked (LOL) so I didn't have to work on her as hard. Then when she did start talking she heard me telling Shannon so much I guess she decided to join the club. You should hear some of the old video tapes of Shannon......."Why, whatever do you mean, Mr. Butler...(Scarlet from GWTW)" LOL you get the idea!
I was determined to teach her that my, pie, eye, and sigh ALL rhymed with a looooooong "i" sound instead of a short "i" sound!! I guess I got her all confused into some Midwest lingo...by the way Mimi and Papa were from northwestern Ohio (FYI)
I'll let you know what I end up with later.
:>)
I scored as a Midlander, too, and my friend Willa told my dishearted self this:
"Well, Mandy, I'd have to agree with you. The thing is, by the very nature of the way this quiz is set up, it doesn't measure "drawl". In other words, it tests our lexicon, what words we use, and our pronounciation in the sense that one says "tomayto" another "tomahto". You are a well enunciated, educated southerner. Which means your lexison and pronounciation are not that exaggerated. What gives you the edge is what I like to refer to as "the twang factor". There is just no way to measure that. It involves voice inflection, syllable emphasis, speech speed, and so on. Anyway, do not fear, dear sis. Your status as a bona fide drawling Vols fan is safe, as far as I'm concerned."
I think it is a pretty intersting explanation of the "whacked" up resulted us Southern girls keep getting.
Uh-huh. Like I said...dialect, not accent. Thanks for the explanantion, Prof. Willa!
Well, I took the test. It came out nothing like yours...so much for the pounding of the "i" sound at home. I was approx. 85% Philidelphia, Inland North, and The South(LOL and how I fight not to sound like that!), then came approx. 60% The Northeast, 40% The West, 20% Boston, and last 15% North Central...so our family is Midlander but with totally different %
Hmmm...my accent was scored as definitely Southern. I can totally see why Mandy scored "Midland" though. Now while my accent seems to have changed after college, I still have a drawl/accent that is distinctly from "jaw-ga"...and it's funny because I don't think Mandy and I sound alike at all.
Your dad came out with The South on top...however, still Midlander
Living in South Florida has given me the language of "Muts".........people are here from everywhere but HERE! Mostly transplants. Guess I still have the language of Mimi and Papa which you would think should be "Inland North". I came out Inland North with Midland very close behind. It'll be interesting to see what Mimi scores........although I DON'T say "dunkey"!
I won't take the quiz and post my results on your blog unless you answer my previous question.
So there.
Humph.
Well, I came in with "The Inland North" and I think that everyone who knows me would disagree with that! I think you're right, Shan. I speak differently with my first graders (since I DO teach phonics) than I do with my friends. Outside of school, I am most definitely a "suthun" girl. I do think my time as an adoption caseworker in Austin somewhat forced me into more proper English so I could avoid questions about where I was from!
As long as Yawl don't say---Lite (long I), nite and brite...You will be doing fine. On a similar subject, I think this is a funny comment: In the AJC Vent Sunday someone commented on the fact that they have voted for English to be the primary language in Cherokee County. The Vent said that now people in Cherokee County could be sure everyone was making comments like the citizens of Cherokee do--you ain't never done that in yor life and he cain't do nothing nohow. In addition, it's a good thing the "original" Native Americans of Cherokee didn't make all of us use their native language...right before we ran them all off to Oklahoma. LOL TQM (I only speak the Queen's English.)
CharChar,
I'm assuming that the people in the AJC made the comment about "running them off to Oklahoma" and not you?
You will not be shocked to learn that I rank as a southern accent! However, Midland was second.
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