I think its pretty similar to Northern California, and it has some similarities to the rest of California. I don't know much about dialects though.Ryotknife said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_English
Michigan accent and other American accents thoughts?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_English
I was born in Pensacola, Florida...which is about as northern as you can get in the south...moved, and spent most of my youth within 40 minutes of Chicago, first in Illinois, then later Indiana.
...I say Roof like a dog and Syrup like "sear-up." That's really about it. Aside from that, it's typical northerner.
...I say Roof like a dog and Syrup like "sear-up." That's really about it. Aside from that, it's typical northerner.
I never think I have a accent, but apparently we Utahns miss Ts in a lot of words. Mounain instead of mountain, brighon instead of Brighton ect ect.
My accent is a little odd, I was born and raised in Montana by two North Carolinians, which means I mix dictionary perfect pronunciations with Word-Phrases like "Janeedsum'm?" (you need something?) and sentences like "I u'no bout'at". I tend to lean more toward the flat North-Westerner but when the southern slips through it tends to raise a couple eyebrows, and people sometimes ask me where I'm from.
Again, it's not that extreme. I just feel it's not complete without some kind of emphasis on that.Ryotknife said:
And I'll tell you a little secret. A deep, dark secret. Come close, so no one else will hear.
Closer.
There's a smaller difference between the two than either is willing to admit.
Having been born in Missouri, spent my early childhood in Pennsylvania, my middle childhood and teenage years in Michigan, and the last two-and-a-half years in Nebraska, I don't know what the hell kind of an accent I've got. Some weird combination of fast-Pennsylvanian, with the subtle slurring of a Michigander, all topped off with an irritating bit of Nebraskan twang when putting emphasis on some syllables.
And all that is the reason why I try (and often fail) to plan out what I'm going to say before I say it, otherwise it's just a bunch of quick, stuttering gibberish. Hopefully I don't pick up a Wisconson accent now that I'm here, because no offense guys, but you speak slower than anyone I've met in any other state.
And all that is the reason why I try (and often fail) to plan out what I'm going to say before I say it, otherwise it's just a bunch of quick, stuttering gibberish. Hopefully I don't pick up a Wisconson accent now that I'm here, because no offense guys, but you speak slower than anyone I've met in any other state.
As a fellow Minnesotan, I know what you mean. Although I haven't had as many people act surprised that I don't sound like I'm from that movie; I'm pretty much in the same boat when it comes to having that flat, generic American "non-accent" that you hear everyone in the media having.w9496 said:
Although, if anything, I've had several people ask me if I was Canadian for some reason, both online and in reality. Because, even though I've only been to Canada once in my life and have lived in the US for all of it so far, I sound Canadian somehow... yeah, I don't get it either.
[small]I don't even live in the northern parts of Minnesota that are actually close to Canada. I live in the Twin Cities area, which is in the southern half of the state... >_>[/small]
I very much have a southern californian accent. And to all the california people saying we don't have an accent. We do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_English NorCal and SoCal have very different and very distinctive accents and ways of speaking. I hear it when I talk to my family up in NorCal. Or my friends up there. I hear the California accent more in movies. Or when I go to Hollywood/anywhere in LA. Or whenever I've spent a lot of time talking to people from Boston or across the globe on skype or teamspeak. The Pacific Northwest and Southwest tend to have a more bland non accent kind of accent. And it's boring as shit to hear. And just really bad in general. It's why I won't date Californians anymore. Well...one of the many reasons.
Same for Colorado. Sometimes we briefly dip the volume of our voice when we reach a "T", such as, "Look at those beautiful Rocky Moun'ins." Not as much with town names though.Lonewolfm16 said:
you and I are now friends. It shall be known.Souplex said:
I grew up in the Bronx myself. As a black kid who spoke proper english, most people actually thought I was British. I have NO idea how that works. I don't have a British Accent. Nothing close to it. I guess the idea that a black guy could speak proper didn't compute if he was American.
As a Michigander I notice we like to put an "s" on words that don't need it. "I'm going to Wallmarts"
Wickatricka said:
I think this is an American thing, but "do you have an accent" is a really weird question. Anywhere else on Earth (I think) the question would be "What accent do you have". Accents aren't a variation of a standard, because there is no standard. Everyone has one all the time. Someone with the same accent as me still has an accent.
Also, I have a
Maybe we sound Canadian since we're so nice? I don't know.SilkySkyKitten said:
I live around an hour north of Minneapolis/St. Paul myself, and the occasional tourist will pop in and say that we sound Canadian, which is bullshit. You have to drive to International Falls before the accent sinks in.
Saint Louis: Where there's an 'A' in "Forty", an 'R' in "Wash", but the entire town will turn on you if you pull a "Missoura". Other than that it's pretty corporate, so it's mostly vaguely pleasant generic what-you-think-of-as-an-American-accent-and-also-holds-onto-vowels-too-long.