American accents: what's yours?

[Not Right in the Head]

Inspired by possibly the most informative thread that I've ever read on SoLow, I'm curious as to how the various 'Mercan members here speak. Luckily, there's an online poll that will handle most of the dirty work:

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/

I drink "pop," not "soda." I put groceries in a "bag," not a "sack." My parents' sisters are "onts," not "ants," etc.

For the record, I grew up within two miles of Kurt Warner, Zach Johnson, Elijah Wood, & Ashton Kutcher, just to give you a feel for what I sound like--especially Chris, I mean, Ashton.

EDIT: Disregard the Kurt Warner clip. It looks like his years in the NFL have given him a distinct Missourian/Southern Illinois twang.

 

[drunken goldfish]

This is another fun one:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

 

[Worm]

70% General American English

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

What American accent do you have?

Your Result: The West

Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.

(Accurate in my case, but I've been told southern Californians talk through their nose and I certainly do, but I'm not quite sure that counts as an accent.)

 

[Busy Clippers]

The Internet Test Quiz got indexed, too.

PS: I don't have an accent

 

[Amy]

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% General American English

25% Yankee

20% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern





hahaha, I know I'm English but I thought it would be amusing....

A contraption that you push round a supermarket is neither a buggy or a cart or a carriage, it's a trolley

 

[Gigi]

Your Linguistic Profile:

80% General American English

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

0% Upper Midwestern

Seems pretty accurate to me, although after spending time down south with my extended family I catch myself saying "y'all" far too often.
I guess I speak very "properly"-I once had a group of people ask me if I was "from where the Queen lives." Of course, since they didn't know that the Queen lives in England, this is probably just due to their ignorance. My mom just makes fun of me for talking like a 90 year old woman.

 

[Not Right in the Head]

This is another fun one:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

That's a good one, especially the question on "pen" vs. "pin"--the (in)famous Chicago accent. It's too bad that the poll results don't provide BBCode for pasting here. But here's a summary:

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 Internet Test Quiz got indexed, too.

Huh?

 

[Busy Clippers]

Huh?

Sorry, I meant Internet Quiz thread, I'm fumblefingers because I'm on deadline (and yet I'm also here). All of the old Off Topic threads are getting indexed so we can't use them anymore. I feel like the last Heath Hen... perhaps it's time for me to get indexed, too??

 

[Alcoholic Afternoons]

70% General American English

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

What American accent do you have?

Your Result: The West

Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.

(Accurate in my case, but I've been told southern Californians talk through their nose and I certainly do, but I'm not quite sure that counts as an accent.)

I had the same % breakdown but didn't see any sort of commentary like that.

 

[Worm]

I had the same % breakdown but didn't see any sort of commentary like that.

I took two different quizzes and mashed them into one post.

 

[bogdana]

60% General American English

20% Dixie

15% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

basically, i sound like 'normal' americans on television. but i drink soda, even though where i grew up ppl called it 'coke'. and i think the only reason i say 'soda' is because i hate coke, i like pepsi.
wheres my missing 5%?

 

[PapaJack]

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/

Sounds like me to a tee. Cool quiz.

 

[Not Right in the Head]

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

Yankee and Dixie?

 

[PapaJack]

I'm was an English major who was born and raised in New York and grew up watching the 'Dukes of Hazzard'
If that don't explain the % breakdown, nothing will.

 

[morrisseychic]

50% General American English

30% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

 

[WinkWink]

But General American English is midwest english...midwestern accent is considered the standard and the one news broadcasters use. so it's weird my score was low on midwestern but 70% General American English...my answers are almost exactly how they talk in the midwest.

oh i know it's all for fun, but i'm just saying that's all....

 

[The Cat's Mother]

So, a Yorkshirewoman has to wonder...

Not all the questions were really Briton-friendly, e.g. not allowing for "shopping trolley" or "trainers" ( and what on earth is a "cruller?"), but here's what I might be in terms of a US accent:

40% General American English

30% Yankee

15% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern


*

You comin' down t'chippeh, y'all?

 

[Not Right in the Head]

So, a Yorkshirewoman has to wonder...

Not all the questions were really Briton-friendly, e.g. not allowing for "shopping trolley" or "trainers" ( and what on earth is a "cruller?"), but here's what I might be in terms of a US accent:

I'd love to see a pan-English test, including questions for things like West Indies English, Indian English, South African English, etc.

A cruller is a kind of twisty doughnut. I didn't hear it until I met my girlfriend from Chicago. It's a Dutch word, and I never would have expected it to be a barometer of accents.

It's funny how you & Amy scored in the Dixie category. But then again, the South was populated by English nobility for the first 200 years.

 

[The Cat's Mother]

A cruller is a kind of twisty doughnut....

...It's a Dutch word, and I never would have expected it to be a barometer of accents.

Krull-er. Like "duller", I suppose.

It's funny how you & Amy scored in the Dixie category. But then again, the South was populated by English nobility for the first 200 years.

I'm from posh stock on on my mum's side, if that explains anything. Amy's a Wessie, so she has only five teeth and plays the banjo.

 

[tanner_sis]

50% General American English

20% Dixie

15% Yankee

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

"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.

actually I do have an accent.. mix of country hick/manc/ and now getting into a kentucky accent since im more south than i grew up..im easily influenced