American Accent Quiz (#2)

[ski diva]

A looooong time ago I posted an American accents quiz. Here's a different one that's way better and spookily accurate (at least for me).

Give it a try; it's fun.

 

[Robyn]

As expected, I am "The Midland". I've moved around so much that everything blends together. Now, give me one of these for the Spanish language and it will be really confusing. I learned in Chile but have lived in the southwest for so long that those accents are merging.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I remember this one (at least the earlier version, will do latest one later)! Mine came in as east, but that's because my parents were from Boston - so even though I grew up in the Midwest, I had a tinge of Boston (which actually put me in speech therapy in 1st grade because I didn't say my "r" properly!!).

Robyn, DS worked hard on his Spanish last summer, and he was just amazed by the differences in dialect between Argentina and Chile.

Okay, I gotta go, Sugarloaf today. Everyone have a good day - especially Robyn!! Make today a "You" Day!!

 

[ski now work later]

What a great quiz. This is what it said about me and it's 100% correct:

Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.

I grew up in NYC and in North Jersey. :-) I don't have a strong accent at all, but if you listen carefully, it's detectable. 27 years of living in New England (including 9 in Boston) hasn't changed the way I speak~

 

[num]

I got Midland again. They seem to skip over my area when listing the areas that speak with the Midland accent "Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri", but throw in that it's generic and you can sound like that living anywhere.

Sidenote- I find the SNL style Chicago acccent (da bears) is actually limited to a scant few neighborhoods. Back in the day, I'd never heard anyone speak with it and thought that the idea of that being the Chicago accent was perhaps outdated, but then I met some people from that area and had the aha moment of realizing that there are some who speak like that.

 

[SueNJ]

What a great quiz. This is what it said about me and it's 100% correct:

Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.

I grew up in NYC and in North Jersey. :-) I don't have a strong accent at all, but if you listen carefully, it's detectable. 27 years of living in New England (including 9 in Boston) hasn't changed the way I speak~

I got the same results--except for a 6-year period in the 90s when I lived in Orange County, NY, I'm a Jersey girl since birth. I don't think I have an accent, but I suspect people from other parts of the country may beg to differ. On the other hand, I think they all have accents.

 

[Jenny]

Spot on - Inland North. Great Lakes/Chicago, etc.

 

[altagirl]

I got the same results--except for a 6-year period in the 90s when I lived in Orange County, NY, I'm a Jersey girl since birth. I don't think I have an accent, but I suspect people from other parts of the country may beg to differ. On the other hand, I think they all have accents.

That's how it works! ;)

I got Midland "You have no accent" again. Which makes sense - I grew up in Michigan (with summers in Chicago), went to HS outside Philly, college in Virginia, then NC, Texas, GA, Germany, Alabama, and Utah - and my husband and many of my friends are from Boston. I'm the type that almost uncontrollably picks up other people's accents (I try not to) and drops them as soon as I'm done talking to them. I've even had people in Germany think I was totally fluent, when my German is really limited to ordering food, getting directions, and shopping. But apparently my accent was right on what little German I do know. The weird thing is I'm not good at "doing" accents. If I just try to speak with a Texas or Southern accent or something it comes out all wrong until I'm listening to it. Like I can mimic accents, but can't remember them.

 

[Lori_K]

Seems I can't escape my first 34 years in N. Illinois. I am "Inland North".

Funny, because when I started this job here in NM, I was talking to one of the other guys, and he says "Are you from the Midwest?" Yep. He recognized my "accent", as he grew up in Iowa.

 

[ride_ski]

Dead on- Boston for me. I grew up 6 miles south of Boston. I lived in CA for 18 months in my early 20's. Everytime I'd come back to MA for a visit, upon my return, everyone would be asking me to say words - "pahk the cahr in Harvard Yahd..."

 

[Kimmyt]

They got it right on. Philadelphia, and I've lived in or around here for my entire life.

K.

 

[Greeley]

No suprise - I was Midland.

 

[Sheena]

I thought I would be midland, but I am "Inland North"

Grew up in Northeast Ohio, spend some time in Northern Indiana, then DC for 7 years and now Utah. One thing that is accurate is that I would call carbonated beverages "pop" until I was ridiculed and shamed into calling it "soda". For a long time, "soda" sounded so uppity to me.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I thought I would be midland, but I am "Inland North"

Grew up in Northeast Ohio, spend some time in Northern Indiana, then DC for 7 years and now Utah. One thing that is accurate is that I would call carbonated beverages "pop" until I was ridiculed and shamed into calling it "soda". For a long time, "soda" sounded so uppity to me.

Haha - ever been south? ALL carbonated beverages are referred to, at least in some regions, as "Coke." Period. Could be ginger ale - it's Coke. That cracked me up.

Accents are great. DH is so harrrrrrd corrrrrre inland north that he is easily distinguished at his place of work by this, with people often commenting on his interesting accent.

Anyone who can't tell Maine from Boston hasn't been here. Huge difference. And no, none of them say their r's, unless at the end of a word that ends in a vowel. Think "umbreller."

 

[snowbunny1976]

"Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard."

Correct!

 

[num]

For a long time, "soda" sounded so uppity to me.

It really does! It's called pop :p

 

[EShef]

That's a great quiz.

I tried it and I have "no accent". (Although I'm sure that someone from England would disagree!!)

The only thing is they got my location wrong... I'm Canadian! I wonder if there is a similar quiz for Canadians. Has anyone found one?

This quiz reminded of when I worked in North Carolina for a year. When I first got there a few of the other teachers commented on either how well I spoke english (as opposed to french?? perhaps ) and/or how impressed they were that I didn't have an accent! I guess they think we all say "aboot" instead of "about". Although, I'm pretty sure most of us do say "eh" a fair bit!

 

[EShef]

It really does! It's called pop :p

We call it a "soft drink".... is that wierd???

 

[ski.like.a.girl]

Inland North? Hmmm

I was born in Hawaii. Went to middle school, high school, and college in Hawaii. I did live in California, Missouri, and ok a few brief years on the east coast. I now live in Oregon and everyone thinks I'm from Cali. Maybe it was my years as a theater major in college! Possibly I over thought my answers a little. Too many speech and dialect classes.

 

[pinto]

Haha - ever been south? ALL carbonated beverages are referred to, at least in some regions, as "Coke." Period. Could be ginger ale - it's Coke. ...

Exactly ... "What do you want to drink?" "A coke." "Okay, we have Sprite, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc..."