US regional dialects

[jsluder]

I wonder if there's a similar test for Candians. ("Does 'Toronto' rhyme with 'pronto', or 'pirrhana?'")

Pirrhana? Seriously? What region of Canada pronounces it like that?

[Nanohedron]

As a side note, I hate it when people say "care-uh-mel." The word is "car-mul," and all other pronunciations are silly and wrong. I once had a guy explain to me that he uses each pronunciation for separate things. He said that a caramel candy is called a "car-mul," but things are made of "care-uh-mel," and they have "care-uh-mel" on top.

Dude. That is so not right. Caramel is "care-uh-mel". Or it oughta be. By law. People will sell caramel with dodgy pronunciation and in adding insult to injury spell it "carmel" on their signage. Carmel is a Biblical mountain, and a Californian place to be. And it's pronounced "car-Mel". That's right up there with "expresso" for me for the I-swear-my-head's-gonna-explode factor.

[Flyingcursor]

We call those titty bars.

So do we, though I conciouly try to use the term "strip club" when in more polite company (generally anywhere I wouldn't be comfortable swearing).

As a side note, I hate it when people say "care-uh-mel." The word is "car-mul," and all other pronunciations are silly and wrong. I once had a guy explain to me that he uses each pronunciation for separate things. He said that a caramel candy is called a "car-mul," but things are made of "care-uh-mel," and they have "care-uh-mel" on top.

Also, I work at a convenience store on a small lake in the area, and people come in all the time wanting "minners," what I would called "minnows." Sometimes I want to pretend like I don't know what a "minner" is, and then go, "OH! You want some minnows?"

Yeah, when I was a kid anybody who said "care-uh-mel" got ice cold ginger ale poured up their nose and we'd put them in a barrell with nails pounded in and roll them down a hill.

Fiddler - Like: ter-on-toe

[fiddleronvermouth]

I wonder if there's a similar test for Candians. ("Does 'Toronto' rhyme with 'pronto', or 'pirrhana?'")

Pirrhana? Seriously? What region of Canada pronounces it like that?

The people from ter-ON-toe.

[Nanohedron]

Yeah, I have it on good authority that if you don't pronounce it "tuh-Ronno", you're automatically marked as an outsider.

[Innocent Bystander]

My favourite Shibboleth is the one for Religious divide.

You say the alphabet. Immediately the listeners know if you are culturally Protestant or culturally Roman Catholic. *

How? Why?
Because the culturally Protestant Schools teach that "H" is pronounced "aitch".
Catholic schools teach that it is pronounced "haitch".
This works throughout Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. And the Isles. And the Isle of Man. Probably on the Channel Islands as well.

*Jews and Hindus seem to fall into the Protestant zone. I have heard Muslims fall into the Catholic zone. Don't ask me, I didn't make it up.

[Cynth]

I came out 25% Dixie. I was surprised that some of the ways I pronounce things or words I use were said to come from the East Coast. Midwest or California makes sense for me.

This website is on pronunciation and not usage, but it is sort of interesting:
http://accent.gmu.edu/index.php

This website is for actors to listen to how people from different places speak English. I haven't explored it very thoroughly though. The files are fairly large. I listened to a couple of Alabama ones. They don't talk as funny there as I was expecting.
http://www.ku.edu/%7Eidea/

[Innocent Bystander]

When I was in Kentucky (in Loo-ah-vul) I experienced a production of "A Nightingale sang..."

The main character was (according to the script) supposed to talk like a Geordie. A native of Newcastle upon Tyne. Up there.
There were a couple of people in the cast who had plainly heard Geordie-speak and could do a passable imitation. But the actor playing the main character either didn't know how, or had decided not to. So he played it with what sounded to me like a Californian accent.

When he was meant to say: "Why, Aye, Man"

It should have come out as "Wai Ai, m'n"

But instead it came out as "Why Aaaaayyyy, Maaaaaaan."

It made for a very strange production.

[fearfaoin]

As for Elton Brown, he's a self-declared southern boy; not sure where from. Every now and then you can tell when you listen to him; it's more little usages, but it's not due to the accent.

Alton Brown is the host of a cooking show on the Food Network
called "Good Eats" http://goodeatsfanpage.com/

The show is taped in Atlanta, where Brown's from. Alton was probably
trained in some fancy California cooking school, where I'm sure he lost
his accent. His grandmother was on the show once, and she's as Dixie
as they come. She made biscuits from scratch.

[Nanohedron]

As for Elton Brown, he's a self-declared southern boy; not sure where from. Every now and then you can tell when you listen to him; it's more little usages, but it's not due to the accent.

Alton Brown is the host of a cooking show on the Food Network
called "Good Eats" http://goodeatsfanpage.com/

The show is taped in Atlanta, where Brown's from. Alton was probably
trained in some fancy California cooking school, where I'm sure he lost
his accent. His grandmother was on the show once, and she's as Dixie
as they come. She made biscuits from scratch.

Oops. Alton it is. Silly me.

[Celtic983]

I came out with 95% Dixie...the highest so far. The thing is although I do have an accent, its not as strong as most of the good ol' boys around here

[emmline]

As a side note, I hate it when people say "care-uh-mel." The word is "car-mul," and all other pronunciations are silly and wrong. I once had a guy explain to me that he uses each pronunciation for separate things. He said that a caramel candy is called a "car-mul," but things are made of "care-uh-mel," and they have "care-uh-mel" on top.

Dude. That is so not right. Caramel is "care-uh-mel". Or it oughta be. By law. People will sell caramel with dodgy pronunciation and in adding insult to injury spell it "carmel" on their signage. Carmel is a Biblical mountain, and a Californian place to be. And it's pronounced "car-Mel". That's right up there with "expresso" for me for the I-swear-my-head's-gonna-explode factor.

I'm so with you on this Nano.

[djm]

'Toronto' rhyme with 'pronto', or 'pirrhana?'")

Like: ter-on-toe

"tuh-Ronno"

The first thing to understand is that not many people actually come from Toronto. Mostly they're from elsewhere. The next thing to understand is that people who are actually from Hog Town have large pickles up their whatsits (and hate to be reminded it used to be called Hog Town). Then it depends on how fast the person is talking and to whom, as Canadians talking amongst themselves tend to slur words terribly, so TRONN-toe quickly disappears into TRAWN-na. And if anyone corrects your pronounciation of Toe-RONN-toe, check to see if they walk funny before taking them too seriously.

djm

PS The test doesn't seem to allow for any variations on the set answers, so I had to pick whatever seemed closest:

32% Dixie. You are definitely a Yankee.

[Nanohedron]

As a side note, I hate it when people say "care-uh-mel." The word is "car-mul," and all other pronunciations are silly and wrong. I once had a guy explain to me that he uses each pronunciation for separate things. He said that a caramel candy is called a "car-mul," but things are made of "care-uh-mel," and they have "care-uh-mel" on top.

Dude. That is so not right. Caramel is "care-uh-mel". Or it oughta be. By law. People will sell caramel with dodgy pronunciation and in adding insult to injury spell it "carmel" on their signage. Carmel is a Biblical mountain, and a Californian place to be. And it's pronounced "car-Mel". That's right up there with "expresso" for me for the I-swear-my-head's-gonna-explode factor.

I'm so with you on this Nano.

I knew I could count on you for a voice of calm sanity and reason, Em. Not that it helps me in my personal situation, but still.

[hyldemoer]

I thought it might be worth mentioning, I sign (American Sign Language) with a heavy Chicago accent.
Deaf people I've chatted with in Wash. DC, New Orleans, and San Fran could pin point where I was from before I started the customary 2 minute story of my life.