American Dialect Map
 

(I did a quick search and didn't find anything so I hope that this hasn't been done before)

I stumbled across this dialect quiz that produces a map reflecting dialect and pronunciation similarities in the US. Here's mine:

http://s14.postimg.org/lnxtz1fe9/language_map.png
It's fairly accurate in my opinion! I seem to have the most in common with my native Northern California, and I would apparently have a hard time in Louisiana (and Western Penn for some reason? I had no idea that region even had a unique accent!)

I think it could be fun or interesting to compare maps (even if you're not from the US, for ****s and giggles). The quiz itself is also interesting, as it gives you individual maps corresponding to the answer you last gave as you go along. There are words and phrases featured as answers that I have never ever heard of either.

I gave this a go out of curiosity.
Being an Englishman I reckon my result may be of interest, historically?

Anyway the 3 most similar cities shown are; Yonkers, Newark/Paterson and Philadelphia.

3 of the least similar cities shown are; Worcester, Garland and Fort Worth.

Make of that what you will...

This sounds interesting! I'm looking forward to trying this.

And, yeah, western PA has its own unique accent and even its own weird words like "yinz".

Where would I belong with my finish accent that sounds like some pseudo British people who is eating a hot potato at the same time. I'm gonna try this someday

Blah it didn't allow me to speak. Just a bore and it did not work anyway.

Wish there was a UK version.

I did it and got Boston, Worcester, Providence. So I'm where I should be I guess.

There should be, I'd really be interested to see where it places me.

Ok, here's mine:

Most similar to: Buffalo, Rochester, and Arlington (hmmm). Buffalo and Rochester are spot on - they're only like a 3 hour drive max from Toronto. And most of our American TV stations are from there. In fact, pretty much all of NY is super red on my map.

Least similar to: Philadelphia, Houston, and Detroit (kind of funny since I was born there. Didn't grow up in the Windsor/Detroit area though - they have their own accent down there.)

http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps76fa147a.png

Most: Minneapolis, Seattle, Tacoma
Least: Philadelphia, Little Rock, New Orleans

Mine puts me in Calj but I don't think that's an extreme difference that my Pacific Northwest dialect

http://nyti.ms/KbLVf4

About where I should be. But apparently while all three of my most similar cities are at least in states bordering me (Washington D.C., Arlington, Virginia, Durham, North Carolina), it looks like I'd be pretty good to go in Maine for some apparent reason.

This site knows what's up though, since it thinks I should stay the **** out of Detroit.

I got Boston, Yonkers & New York as my 3 most similar cities.

And this was, by far, my favorite question in the quiz...

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/...psa014b02d.png

There's some interesting poetic imagery in those first 7 answers! :laughing:

Most similar: New York, Boston, Providence
Least similar: Little Rock, Pittsburgh, Akron

Taking the quiz was funny, I'm far away from the American continent!
Most of the times I picked "I have no word for this", which is just the truth.
Looks like the average citizen of NY never talks much...

Well, it looks like most people here talk like ****ing Yankee scum or pinko leftist commie bastard Californians.

apparently bostonian, i would've thought something closer to maine, though. (im in the canadian province just above maine. the states is just an hour's drive away)
http://nyti.ms/1jU0qV8

http://i42.tinypic.com/w9e3x2.png

Accurate.

http://nyti.ms/KccnVN

Accordning to this map I am apparently a New York assh*le.

West coast is the best coast.

I agree. I wish I could afford to move out there. But I think I would actually miss real winters, though.

California is super expensive but I've found a comfortable medium up here in the suburbs of the Seattle area. It hasn't really snowed in the two winters I've been here (I really actually haven't seen snow since 2011) and I think it's kind of nice. It gets cold (but not too cold) but at least there's not black ice everywhere and snow on the ground for half the year.

I resent this. I'm a pinko leftist commie bastard Portlander. We make Cali leftists look like Tea Party Bible Thumpers.

It's sort of tragic that my locale doesn't have a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods market but I'll be damned if there's not 10 goddamn Starbucks within a 2 mile radius.

We had an apocalyptic snow storm in early 2012


Seattle Weather: January 2012 Snowstorm Could Be Worst Blizzard In Decades (PHOTOS)

See, I would miss the snow. Plus there is only snow on the ground here for like 4 months... not half the year like a lot of people think. I think some people believe it snows here all year round lol.

Oh, I remember that. I wasn't here yet but Ki was telling me that his family was living without power for a few weeks, snowed in, and it was miserable. I was safe and warm in Northern California. :laughing:

Hopefully another blizzard like that never happens again. I'd just give up and die. I hate snow that much.

Also I feel like this survey forgot a couple questions, to be honest.

Like.

"What do you call the thing you gather your groceries in?"

(I've heard some people call it a buggy, carriage, and even a basket. It's a shopping cart, man.)

I spent a large portion of my life in northern Minnesota. It would start snowing in October and there'd still be some of it on the ground as late as May. You'd start to feel the warmth sometime in April. It's miserable. You don't even feel the sun for months on end. It's almost unnatural.

Most of Minnesota is further north than where I am, and yeah there is more snow overall in those parts. Especially in Midwest Canada.

I used to live so far north that most of my customers were actually tourists from Winnipeg. :laughing:

I.... I actually pronounce "yeah" like most of those people (except for the Wisconsinite-sounding "oh yiiihhhh" ... gross). It's more like the German "ja" for me, but when I apply myself and try to sound like everyone else, it sort of sounds like "yeee" and then I feel like Kanye West or something. Fargo's actually in ND, and if they were trying to nail the Minnesota accent thing, they ended up sounding more like Wisconsin (or, should I say 'Scaaaaaansin).

If you haven't seen Fargo, well, you should because it's a great movie, but it takes place mostly in Minnesota, the center of the movie takes place in Brainerd, MN

I actually haven't seen all of it. I really should, though. It looks like a hilarious movie.

.
I thought that they just called it a sunshower everywhere, to be honest. Those other six sound pretty out there to me, though.

Yeah, same. Who the hell calls it "the devil is beating his wife"? Would the conversation be something like "Oh, look out the window. The devil is beating his wife!" :laughing:

I took this a few days ago and was placed in Bakersfield. :(

This is what I grew up referring to it as.

I think it's cool, although a little funny since I had never heard it before until now. I wonder where it originated from?

I got Rochester, Yonkers and Honolulu. No idea what these accents sound like but it's still interesting!

My mom and Southern relatives use that expression. It's supposed to mean the devil is angry and beats his wife because God created a sunny, beautiful day -- and the wife's "tears" fall as rain.

Here's my map. I've lived in NYC all my life, yet still can't say I'm really familiar with Yonkers and Newark/Paterson dialects.

http://nyti.ms/1jUOp1J