Website to guess your accent:

[MiddleFingerMom]

.
.
.
Mine pegged me as "Midland" which can mean anywhere from Pennsylvania to Midwest -- or
even basically indeterminable. I was raised in Michigan but most people have trouble figuring
out my accent (even those who are self-proclaimed as "good at that&quot .
.
.
.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl3/american-accent-quiz.html
.
.
.

[MicaelS]

1. Me too on "Midland" n/t

[CurtEastPoint]

2. I got Midland but they did say I could be Atlanta, which is correct.

Fun test. Thanks!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. The Inland North!

This is what it said about how I sound:

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

And funny thing...I was born in Wisconsin, and grew up in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago...

Who knew?

my dear MiddleFingerMom!

[Xipe Totec]

45. Me too! See #44

Which by cosmic coincidence, is the house number of the house I was raised in,... In Mexico....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

47. Very cool, my dear Xipe Totec!

[Xipe Totec]

48. I am a chameleon

I like to blend in.

I can sense and react to the accents of those around me.

It's instinctive.

I have no conscious control over it....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

49. Maybe you would have made an excellent spy...;)

[Xipe Totec]

51. What makes you think I'm not?....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

54. LOL! EEK!

[Charlemagne]

50. Oh

With that nasally "A" like a billy goat. You would fit right in in northwest Ohio. Question, does this sentence make sense to you:

Careful, the stove is hot yet.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

53. I'm not sure my "A"'s are all that nasal, lol!

Uh, yeah, the sentence makes sense...

Shouldn't it?

Yet means still, right?

[Charlemagne]

55. Yep, there ya go.

I have found this a lot in areas with large germanic populations that existed in relative isolation. In german the word for 'yet' and 'still' are the same thing = noch. So when they transferred their language over to english they continued to use one word for yet and still. There is no right or wrong way to use it so please dont take offense.

I grew up around scottish and english americans. We would never use yet at the end of a sentence to mean 'still.' It sounds like broken english to our ears. "Yet" for us is only used when describing something that will happen in the future (i.e. The stove isnt hot yet); indicating that something is working toward a state of being but has not reached that state at the present time...but it will in the near future. 'Still' is used to denote that the thing has existed in a state of being and is continuing to do so (i.e. The stove is still hot as I just turned it off. Or...We are still at the mall and will leave in 30 minutes).

However, my wife is from the very german catholic part of ohio. She uses yet all the time in place of still. Its really fun and I enjoy discussing linguistics with her. It is tied into who you are and your history.

Its a fun shibboleth to figure out the background of people and start up a conversation. I wasnt trying to be rude or anything. Just thought Id test out the theory.


Funny story really quick: My wife looked outside and saw it was snowing. She then went and did something for about 20 minutes (away from the window) and asked me "is it snowing yet?" I was really confused because she clearly saw that the snow had started falling. She was using yet as still.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

56. Ah, no worries...I"m not offended!

I was just trying now to think of anyone German in my immediate family, and I can't come up with anyone. The immediate ancestors are Swedish and Scottish/Irish.

Thanks for your cool explanation!

[murielm99]

57. That's mine, too.

But I have lived here all my life.

I took another quiz there: How Illinois are you? I only scored an 80%. As a native Illinoisan, I should have done better.

[Chan790]

67. I got this too...and in my case it's just flat wrong.

DC is the furthest inland I've ever lived and nearly the furthest south.

In order:
Farmington CT
Hartford CT
Washington DC
Baltimore MD
Columbia MD
Arlington VA
New Haven CT
Boston MA
Philadelphia PA
Hartford CT
Yonkers NY
Brooklyn NY
Annapolis MD
Washington DC
Wheaton MD

That's the last 32 years, never off the north-eastern and mid-Atlantic seaboards.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

71. Maybe your parents had that accent?

[Chan790]

76. Nah. Both townies from Southern New England.

Before me, the furthest any relative had gone in about 200 years was Vermont.

[trackfan]

70. Me too. I've lived my whole life in Los Angeles.

My parents were from Chicago.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

72. Then you almost certainly got it from listening to them...

My parents were from Chicago too.

[Odin2005]

81. You are probably too old to have the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, though.

That's the main distinctive feature of that dialect, nowadays.

[baldguy]

82. Of course carbonated soft drinks are called "pop".

[cliffordu]

4. Sez I'm from fookin' BOSTON.

Never been there.

The bastid.

[Maine-ah]

11. no shit, it pegged me as Boston too.

Maine and Boston don't even sound alike to me

[Angleae]

14. Same here

Except I've lived on the west coast for 41 of my 44 years

[ZombieHorde]

5. The Midland.

I spent my childhood in both New Jersey and Montana. My wife once told me I say one word with a Jersey accent, but I can't remember what that word was.

[Denninmi]

6. It was correct for me. Thanks for the link, MFM, it was fun

"Inland North"


What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North
You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
Result Breakdown:
100% The Inland North
80% The Midland
76% The Northeast
73% Philadelphia
65% The South
33% The West
19% Boston
15% North Central
Quiz URL: http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

[HopeHoops]

7. Not bad - it guessed "Phili" but I grew up in Merland.

[sarge43]

8. Northern Midland

Born and raised in Michigan - duh.

[frogmarch]

9. The Inland North

but...but...I've lived in western Nebraska almost my whole life!

[Glorfindel]

10. It didn't work for me. I'm a hillbilly, from the Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia, but

the test says I'm from Philadelphia.

[dixiegrrrrl]

79. Test said I am "midland" but I live in the South

and was born and raised on the West Coast.

However, my grandparents family moved FROM Ohio to Seattle....
do you suppose word tonality is that strong via 3 generations?

also, a lot of "southern" accent is tonality, and word emphasis.Does not necessarily show up in this type of quiz.

[amyrose2712]

12. Philly. And that's pretty close. I'm from South Jersey,

which is more Philly compared to what the rest of the country seems to think a Joisy Accent sounds like.

[MiddleFingerMom]

19. I lived 20 mi NNW of Philly for 20 years and South Philly sounded like Joisy to me.

[mysuzuki2]

13. I am inland north!

makes sense since I am originally from Minneapolis, grew up there and in suburban Chicago and now live in Wisconsin.

[trof]

15. "The South", but that's WAY too general.

There are dozens of southern accents, some very different from others.

[RebelOne]

16. The site got my accent 100% correct/

My result was Philadelphia. I was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in Miami, FL, but never lost my Philadelphia accent.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. Inland North.

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

I was born in Wisconsin, have lived in Minnesota for many years. I call carbonated drinks "pop."

[Vanje]

18. North Central

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot."




I never knew.I've never been to Minnisota , or N. Dakota.
Must be from growing up with Swedes.
I'm from the Pacific Northwest. True, I am sometimes mistaken for Canadian

[Odin2005]

83. It's because the PacNW accent is very similar to North Central.

[Vanje]

85. I guess that explains Sarah Palin's accent.

She is a NW'er that sounds Minnesotan.

But Jeeeeez. Do I sound like Sarah Palin!!!!!???????????????
Oh Jeeez!

[Odin2005]

89. Also, there is an enclave of North Central speakers in the Wasalia area.

[Justice wanted]

20. Interesting...It says I have a Philly Accent yet I live in Western PA and was born in Nev and NEVER

spent an hour in Philly.

[pink-o]

21. Said "Midland" for me as well. Born in Baltimore, Raised in Cali, with 5 years in London!

I don't think "pen" and "pin" nor "fill" and "feel" sound alike, so I guess I'm not a true California girl. We also say "Melk" for "Milk"

Was told I had a broadcasting voice, which is something I've been told before. My dad used to own an Advertising Agency (In the era of Mad Men, but nothing that exciting!) and he put me on some radio spots when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, I think I have a face for radio as well!!!!!

[dawg]

22. "That's a Southern accent you've got there."

Tell me. Do you Yankees really rhyme "bag" with "vague"? 'Cause that's just so wrong.

[Charlemagne]

52. I have no clue who does that

Im an ohio blue blood and never heard it?

Maybe in boston, maybe????

[Odin2005]

84. That's a distinctive feature of the Upper Midwest and Pacific NW

[nolabear]

23. Philadelphia? Bwahahahahahahaaaa!!

Now I don't have a deep Southern accent but it's there. Maybe it's just my big ol' case of Brotherly Love.

[surrealAmerican]

24. The North East ...

... although I have lived in the mid west for more than 20 years. Few people here seem to notice my accent anymore, but I still notice theirs.

[femmocrat]

25. "The West"???

I speak perfect Pittsburghese. Jag-offs.

[quakerboy]

58. Trade ya

I got Inland north.

I'm a west coaster, mostly Oregon..

[meow2u3]

26. Northeast

Your Result: The Northeast


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.

[elleng]

27. Got me, Northeast, more Philadelphia than Inland,

but by just a hair.

[GoneOffShore]

28. That is one seriously screwed up site.

Got my accent kind of correct.

Northeast.

[seabeyond]

29. said midland. but had the west highest percentage. AZ and CALIF. mary merry marry

couldnt really answer that question cause mary and marry were the same and merry different. that was not an option

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

Boston

The South

Philadelphia

North Central

The Northeast

The Inland North

[quakerboy]

59. Yup

That was exactly my answer to Mary, Merry, Marry.

I had always heard that NW tended to be the closest to accent free, that it was what voice coaches used to teach news casters so they could kinda fit in anywhere.

[Archae]

30. Got me right on the button.

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."


I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life.

[UTUSN]

31. Called me "Inland North," too, but could be from my reading aloud as a kid

with t.v. newsers like Chet HUNTLEY as a model. Where was he from?!1

Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

The Northeast (in descending order)
Philadelphia
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West

[UTUSN]

33. Wiki says Chet was from Montana. Btw, I'm not "from" Inland North!1 n/t

[snacker]

36. Same results

and I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life

[annabanana]

32. Called me Boston.. well.. I grew up in the suburbs of bean town,

but moved to Jersey at the age of 15.. I guess I never lost it.

[shanti]

34. heh, the west.

cali born and raised!

[pacalo]

37. It got mine correct: the South.

Imagine that!

[sakabatou]

38. 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.

[Melissa G]

39. The midland

Most folks in Texas where I have lived my entire life, say NY.

[Solly Mack]

40. Your Result: Philadelphia (Wrong!)

I'm from Georgia.

[csziggy]

41. Mine came out Midland also but I have lived in Florida all my life

I did grow up hearing a lot of people with Michigan and Midwest accents - my paternal grandparents were from the Upper Peninsula and my great aunt worked in Oberlin, Ohio all her adult life. They had friends and relatives from those areas and from New York state visit them and I grew up listening to them talk.

I have a completely different accent when I'm talking to my horse business friends - much more country and Southern sounding. But that is not the "voice" I think of when I am reading or responding to quizzes like this.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

42. Said I was Northeastern.

One would think I was a true blue Yankee, right???

Except that I am a native Houstonian. Lived in texas my entire life.



I know the culprit: My daddy. He came to Houston from NE Ohio decades ago because he was tired of shoveling snow.

[pokerfan]

43. North Central

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.

Probably about right.

[Xipe Totec]

44. Inland North...

Though, in actuality, It's Midwestern, with a touch of South Texas, a dash of Mexican, and just a hint of Boston south shore....

I must admit, though, that I learned English watching the CBS news with Walter Cronkite...

Oh, and a big FU to those who think Mexicans can't speak English aright.

[Populist_Prole]

46. The Northeast

Last edited Sun Jan 22, 2012, 06:12 AM - Edit history (1)

Too general in my opinion. Test needs a larger sampling. "Northeast" has a huge variety of accents in a relatively small geographic area.

[dana_b]

60. the West

which they call the lowest common denominator of American speech. Hmm.. it's true though. I've lived in California my entire life.

[polly7]

61. That's cool.

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: North Central

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The Midland

I'm Canadian.

[TheCruces]

62. I came out Midland...totally inaccurate.

[raccoon]

63. I came out as Northeast--and my accent is blatantly Southern! nt

[Angry Dragon]

64. Inland North ------- which is correct

[mia]

65. Suburban DC

Your Result: The Northeast

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.
Result Breakdown:
97% The Northeast
87% Philadelphia
85% The Inland North
60% The Midland
58% The South
38% Boston
18% The West
2% North Central
Quiz URL: http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

[Burma Jones]

66. The Inland North, makes sense, both my parents, as well as my Brothers and I were born in Gary, IN

Funny though, we moved to the DC area when I was 7, moved to New Orleans at 9, and then back to the DC area when I was 13. When I went to College in Galesburg, IL, many of my fellow students (many form Chicagoland) pegged me as having a Southern Accent.....

[MorningGlow]

68. Inland North

Quite so. Especially "Chances are you call carbonated drinks 'pop.'" I used to, till I went to college with a bunch of New England types who mocked it out of me.

[rrneck]

69. Philadelphia. Wrong.

I sound a lot like the Guy on the right.



But the south ran a close second.

[wovenpaint]

73. Boston

I passed!

[one_voice]

74. Philly for me...

pretty close, I was born in Wilmington, Delaware.

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: Philadelphia


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.

[itsrobert]

75. Wrong

I am from the West. I never refer to carbonated drinks as "pop".


What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

[OhioChick]

77. The Inland North n/t

[RushIsRot]

78. Yup, the south, y'all.

[Odin2005]

80. North Central, which makes since because I'm from the Fargo area.

"North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.

[Vanje]

87. Sometime, we should swap Tuna Hot dish recipes

[Odin2005]

86. Here's a huge map of American English dialects:

http://aschmann.net/AmEng/

[baldguy]

88. I found a map that seems to correspond with the quiz:

http://robertspage.com/dialects.html

[RedCloud]

90. Needed Horse and harse, and are Herb and Erb different.

It would have gotten my old street address!

[BlueDemOhio]

91. This is awesome

Thanks for posting

[Wait Wut]

92. Midland North!!!

"You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop.""

Yep. Folks ask me if I'm from Chicago. You got it. No one has EVER asked if I'm from Wisconsin (they talk funny up there). And, I don't call drinks "pop". I call them Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, etc. If I have to lump them into a group, they're fizzy drinks. "Honey, you need to pick up miscellaneous fizzy drinks for the party."

[kentauros]

93. "Midland" despite being a Native Texan

and Houstonian most of my 50+ years. At least they got the second bar pretty well pegged in "The South":

[url=http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have]What American accent do you have?[/url]
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.
Result Breakdown:
100% The Midland
88% The South
67% Philadelphia
63% The Inland North
45% The Northeast
45% The West
13% Boston
8% North Central
[url=http://www.gotoquiz.com/]Quiz Created on GoTo Quiz[/url]

One part they got right on was the bit about having a "good voice for TV and radio." The one time I worked for a commercial radio station, they all told me I had a good voice for radio

I'm gonna send this to my NZ girlfriend and see where she ends up! lol

[Renew Deal]

94. Got mine right

Northeast

"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."