View Full Version : Interactive Dialect Quiz & Map
montanadave
12-27-13, 10:06
Kind of a fun quiz which matches up commonly-used words or phrases to specific areas of the country and provides a composite map at the end which incorporates the data from all the individual questions.
Pretty much nailed me. Thought both of my parents being from the South would have skewed my results a bit but apparently I'm a northern plains boy.
If anyone wants to check it out here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?ref=opinion
Doc. Holiday
12-27-13, 10:16
Interesting quiz. I'm definitely speak mid western haha.
BoringGuy45
12-27-13, 10:23
Mine is very much Massachusetts although I don't have a heavy accent (I use my R's and A's properly). I also have a bit of Southern Connecticut/New York and Pittsburgh thanks to Dad and Mom, respectively.
Most similar to Baltimore, St. Louis, and Raleigh. Makes sense as I've been in the Baltimore area my whole life.
It had me pegged already at the bubbler question. :p
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I'm disappointed not all three dots were in Texas. I was born and raised a Texan. These results make me question where it all went off the tracks. On the other hand, throw out the outlier & split the difference, it's right.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/6443/1ddf.jpg
Nailed it. DC-Baltimore. Some NJ because half of my family is from NJ.
NCPatrolAR
12-27-13, 11:56
Said two north/central spots in NC and central Alabama. Weird as I've only driven through AL and I'm certainly not from the Winston Salem/Greensboro part of NC
Crow Hunter
12-27-13, 12:26
Missed with me.
Showed me much further South than I have ever lived. Birmingham/Montgomery/Jackson MS. The furthest South I have ever lived was Memphis and that was just in college. I have only ever lived in Tennessee.
Some of the questions I thought had some interesting answers. Particularly the night before Halloween and rain with the sun shining. Never heard some of them before.
Had me all around Ohio, but nothing in Ohio. Strange.
C4
It showed my military brat upbringing. The was only blue in the extreme northeast.
It figured I was from either California - or New York. I guess being from Canada, and then living in FL for several year threw it...
SilverBullet432
12-27-13, 14:36
I knew it! Im from Texas. :cool:
Whiskey_Bravo
12-27-13, 14:48
It pretty much nailed mine.
Akron, Columbus, and Omaha. Interesting on the Omaha.
Pretty neat find.
I knew it! Im from Texas. :cool:
It pretty much nailed mine.
What'd yall answer for the access/service/frontage road question? That is the one that put me way out in Jackson, MS. I answered frontage.
Mine spread out drastically considering the size of CA, though I Reno was chosen for me.
My three were: Oceanside San Diego, Santa Rosa, and Reno.
I am guessing I use dialect from my mother who was born and raised in Northern CA- Reno "slang" from what I have experienced is similar- mixed with Southern CA from which I was born and raised.
I have to watch myself when speaking in Wisconsin to not seem like an outsider. :D
Kept sticking me in Alabama/Mississippi....most people guess I'm from Georgia, so I was expecting a miss.
ramairthree
12-27-13, 15:32
despite decades in the south and abroad,
Sneakers, grinder, catamount, and aunt instead of ant appear to have given me away
For the Midwest guys on here, how do you say the word "bag?"
When I say it, it Rhymes with "Stag."
I am not sure how to spell it how some people say it here, but its something like "beg" in extreme cases.
That one caught me off guard the first time I heard it.
Moose-Knuckle
12-27-13, 16:18
Pretty much spot on, named two cities from my state one of which I was born and raised in.
I was all over the map. Maybe traveling has something to do with it.
F-Trooper05
12-27-13, 16:35
Had me all around Arizona. I've never been to Arizona.
SilverBullet432
12-27-13, 16:44
What'd yall answer for the access/service/frontage road question? That is the one that put me way out in Jackson, MS. I answered frontage.
I know then as service roads. Thats what the signs say. Ex: I20 service road west.
sandman99and9
12-27-13, 17:36
Had me in Tallahassee, Louisville, and somewhere else in Kentucky. At least they had the first one in the right state. Love the question about what you call rain in the sunshine ? We call it Florida or summer :)
S.M.
Moose-Knuckle
12-27-13, 17:43
Love the question about what you call rain in the sunshine ? We call it Florida or summer :)
S.M.
That was not one of the questions on my survey. Around here if it rains when the sun is out (sunshower) we say "the devil is beating his wife".
Crow Hunter
12-27-13, 18:38
That was not one of the questions on my survey. Around here if it rains when the sun is out (sunshower) we say "the devil is beating his wife".
See that is really strange to me.
I just asked my wife what she called it. (She is from NE Mississippi vs West TN) she said "Good chance for a rainbow?". She said is there a name for that? I told her your response and she did her unintentional Dr. Spock impression.
Never heard most of those expressions before.
That was not one of the questions on my survey. Around here if it rains when the sun is out (sunshower) we say "the devil is beating his wife".
I think that was one of the answers.
We don't have a term for it up here. We just say, "WTF? It's raining while the Sun's out??"
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SeriousStudent
12-27-13, 19:20
Way, way off for me. I've never set foot in Springfield, MS.
I saw this on Tuesday, and sent it to a buddy of mine overseas. He's an engineer for a very well-known computer company, an awesome guy that I mentored for a few years. He's only been to the US once for 3 days - he was born and raised in India. His mother is an English teacher.
And the quiz pegged him as a Texan, of course. ;)
But I've also been told by a friend at work that I speak Russian with a German accent.
Had me in Tallahassee, Louisville, and somewhere else in Kentucky. At least they had the first one in the right state. Love the question about what you call rain in the sunshine ? We call it Florida or summer :)
S.M.
No kiddin, "The devil is beating his wife", "The wolf is giving birth" ,"Foxes Wedding" ? What kinda hippy dippy acid trip shit is that? All the Floridians I know just call it rain or a shower.
That thing had me in Tallahassee, (I was born and raised right here in J-ville) Amarillo, and somewhere in Oklahoma. Outta those 3 I've only ever been to Tallahassee. I've never been to Texas but I would like to.
SeriousStudent
12-27-13, 20:25
............... I've never been to Texas but I would like to.
You'd hate it here. We sacrifice burnt offerings to the BBQ gods, and consume much strong drink.
Oh, and guns. We're wacky about guns.
Moose-Knuckle
12-27-13, 20:32
You'd hate it here. We sacrifice burnt offerings to the BBQ gods, and consume much strong drink.
Oh, and guns. We're wacky about guns.
Shhhh! Don't tell him about the women . . . ;)
SeriousStudent
12-27-13, 20:45
Shhhh! Don't tell him about the women . . . ;)
You just blew it, man! Now they will never leave us alone....
One of the 3 places was right on the nose. One place I have only spent the day in & one I have never been to.
BrigandTwoFour
12-27-13, 20:51
I grew up in South Florida, but this pegged me right around Shreveport, LA where most of my family is from. Interesting.
Most like Vegas, Fresno and Henderson. Three places I've never been.
Damn! All these years living in Oregon and I'm still pegged as a Midwesterner. LOL! It had me centered between Madison, WI, Milwaukee, WI, and Rockford, IL. Pretty darn close to Chicago, where I grew up. My wife and I had a lot of fun with this. Thanks for the link, montanadave.
You'd hate it here. We sacrifice burnt offerings to the BBQ gods, and consume much strong drink.
Oh, and guns. We're wacky about guns.
Shhhh! Don't tell him about the women . . . ;)
You just blew it, man! Now they will never leave us alone....
Man, that sounds like hell on earth, I can't possibly fathom why any one would want to live there... ;)
Results were Georgia (x1) and Kentucky (x2). Pretty accurate assessment.
7.62WildBill
12-27-13, 22:30
Worcester,MA...Providence, RI,...Santa Rosa,CA? I grew up in Chicago and have been in NC for the last 20 years.
My wife (life long eastern North Carolinian) took it, and she got Montgomery,Al...Mobile,Al...Jackson,MS.
Straight Shooter
12-28-13, 00:00
DEEP South. Thank God.
Nailed it for me. Landed in the nearest city to me, Anchorage, AK
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Interesting quiz. Dialects fascinate me in how they change with the geography.
Had me a little east of Mississippi. Mobile, Montgomery, and Columbus, GA. The 3rd one being a town I've spent a lot of time in. I know a few guys will give me grief over saying this (you know who you are ;) )but my accent is pretty tame for where I live compared to most locals.
-Jax
sandman99and9
12-28-13, 10:38
I have lived in Orlando almost my entire life from about 8 or 9 yrs old. I have been to Nashville for a few years for work and have visited San Antonio a couple times but that is about it other than just driving through places to get where I was going.
S.M.
I met a guy at a party once who could talk with you for 10 or 15 minutes & tell you where your are from based on accent & word usage. He was pretty amazing.
Only been down to AZ once (Gunsite) but according to this I had the dialect down cold.
No, it was NOT ebonics.
Belmont31R
12-28-13, 22:50
Took this a week ago but it got me within an hour of where I grew up and where my parents lived before I was born.
Has me down for Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines... I live in Ohio, I've never been past the Mississippi river in my life..
Pittsburgh (obviously) not sure how I received Buffalo and Rochester.
I got mostly Northern IL which makes sense as I was born in Sycamore, IL, and Western Michigan... Not sure where that comes from because I was raised in Northern WI.
Pretty cool nonetheless.
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