I have always assumed that my Midwest roots have had a profound effect on me, that being my formative years and all. But according to this quiz I took (completely scientific I'm sure) the Midwest has been largely battered out of me, or my speech anyway.
I guess I've been Californicated, or something, somewhere along the way. Oh well, that's no big shock. I'm too impressionable with dialects. One time in college I traveled with a friend back to his home state of Texas and spent about a week there. Within a few days I was saying y'all and speaking with a twang. My friend through I was making fun of his fellow Texans (he did not speak with a twang, the legacy of being a military brat I think). I wasn't I was merely an accent susceptible dufus.
So, without further ado, here are the results of my linguistic quiz stolen from Dave Morris.
Your Linguistic Profile: |
75% General American English |
10% Upper Midwestern |
10% Yankee |
5% Dixie |
0% Midwestern |
Language
Accents
7 comments:
I found your site this morning and really enjoy it! I'm new to this blog thing, but meeting all kinds of friends. Sounds like linguistically, we're very similar. Plus I'm a southern California guy.
I'll be back daily - keep up the good writing, G.
PS - good luck with that "can't seem to close my eyes and drift into low levels of consciousness" thing.
I love accents. I lived in the midwest for 7 yrs and never picked it up. But when I would come back to the midwest from visiting ny, they would say "you sound like a new yorker!"
I turned out 65% General American, 30% Dixie, and 5% Yankee of all things. Not bad for a Cuban-American born and raised in Key West, Florida, who's been living in Texas for the past 15 years.
I prefer to think I don't have an accent, it's all the other people out there who talk funny. Although, Beauty, I'm with you. Some accents just make me melt -- Australian for example, or a light Southern accent.
Y'all come back now, ya hea?
I didn't like that test. I'm a Texan and I say "y'all" and "fixin," but they didn't have a Texan classification there.
One thing I notice, is that the older I get, the more country music I listen to, and the more twangy I get.
'Course I did move to the psuedo country.... throw a rock and you'll probly hit a cow in my town. But I haven't been here long enough to not feel like a city slicker. :)
So, Ari, when are you going to start posting audio clips on your blog? We'll all just tune in to hear what y'all are fixin' to do over your weekend.
I wouldn't recommend throwing rocks at cows though. Farmers and ranchers are a bit persnickety about their livestock. And they tend to have guns (the ranchers, not the cattle).
Post a Comment