New England English is more similar to British English (at least in comparison to most US English), so it makes sense it would be the closest to Australian or South African English. Like they still use the word “carriage” commonly
I'm also Norwegian and got a very similar map, though with more emphasis on a New York dialect. I'm guessing it has to do with our English being heavily influenced by popular media, in which the midwest might have less vocal presence.
When I lived in New England people particularly thought that the way I say “theatre” (thee-ter) and “butter” (bUHtter) were particularly striking. They pronounce theatre with the a (thee-a-ter, or thee-ar-ter) and dont emphasize u sounds much
Also Im a “mah” or “mahm” person
Honestly just in STL there are a lot of variety of dialects though, even not accounting for racial lines. Go down to Arnold and you might as well be in the bootheel
My answers, unshockingly, reflected my region, but this question made me laugh pretty good. I dont know why lol "um akshully, Icing and frosting are different". This was my answer anyway
I was disappointed by a lack of option for "Icing is what you get when someone gives you a proper cake from a bakery, frosting comes out of a Betty Crocker jar forgotten in the back of a cabinet when someone has made a boxed cake." for this one.
Curious about your answers. In theory I should've gotten Minneapolis as most similar and ended up with Vegas, followed by LA. Granted I only did the 24 question one
I did the 60 question one and if I remember correctly it told me that my answers of crayfish and that a freeway has no traffic lights or stop signs but a highway does were the biggest factors for why it picked MN.
It missed by a couple of states, but it's close-ish. Some of those questions are wild, like whatever bullshit word people use for lighting bugs or fireflies that is neither of those two. Sambo niggles or some such a thing.
Edit: Peenie Wallies? Just call them double dick bugs 😆
Not from Kansas, but it’s not far off either. I bet its idea of a St. Louis accent is based on the old St. Louis accent that is common among older people but very rare among anyone under 50. Although there were no questions that asked about “fork” versus “fark”, “fourty” vs “farhty”, “soda” vs “sodee”, etc. It may just not have much of an idea of that dialect built into it
Not on the quiz of course, but one major difference between MO and IN is that “Hoosier” is a positive term in IN but a pejorative term in MO.
Once upon a time a bunch of people from Indiana moved to Missouri, and apparently they were not well liked. So hoosier is like the MO equivalent of calling someone a redneck
It could be worse, but I've never been west of the Mississippi (within the US; I've been to BC). I've adopted or switched words over the years, so it's not too surprising that it got it wrong. That old dialect quiz from the NYT or whatever years ago was worse at getting my location.
Mom was from Michigan, Dad was from L.A. I grew up in California. Early questions nailed me in Michigan, later questions shifted to PNW. I feel like I don't have an accent, since everyone on TV and in movies talks like I do. My mom said "pop" instead of soda, and I grew up saying "pop", but switched to soda when everyone around me was saying that. I answered "pop" to the question, knowing that was a big differentiator.
I wonder if any questions would have shifted the map further south.
Got me pretty good. I am a little surprised my biggest giveaways were word choice not pronunciation, but I was only 56% similar (which was also weird) so i guess there weren't too many to choose from. I was also about as similar to San Francisico and LA as I was to Salt Lake City UT, did not realize those cities spoke so similarly.
Despite me not being from the US, it was still as accurate as it could possibly be. I’m on Vancouver Island, nestled right in that notch in the northwestern corner of Washington.
Despite my kiwi heritage 🇳🇿 I'm from Rhode Island, apparently.
Many years ago I went on a solo road trip around California. I spotted a man pulled over by the side of the road looking upset, and stopped to see if I could help. He asked me to find a pay phone and call his friend to tell him "Jack is out of gas" and give his location.
I swear I was on the phone for a good ten minutes trying to make myself understood. It makes sense now. Rhode Island is a loooong way from California.
LOL the map thinks South Carolina but if I went there nobody would think I was from there. I think Florida is sort of an outlier, our accent is not Southern - if I go to the literal South they think I talk "proper" but when I was in California I did sound southern compared to their Western sound. We do have the y'all, such a useful non gendered word.
I remember my friend from New York used to crack me up with "woof" for wolf and draoah for drawer. Up north I don't sound southern either, though at school in England my Scottish boyfriend used to like when I got drunk because he said I got Southern sounding and he liked that.
Interesting, it was dead on for me. Hottest in the two places where I grew up and where I've lived most of my adult life, and very warm in the two places I went to college and grad school.
Grew up in Philly, but it guessed Delaware, so super close. But it did say my next closest city was Philadelphia. It's interesting because I went to school for radio and spent a ton of time working on my diction and pronunciation, and yet it was the little things I never would have realized I say that still got these results spot on.
73 Comments
Memnochian@aussie.zone · 26 pts · 1d
As an Australian this was interesting.
appelkooskonfyt@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1d
Got about the same as a South African.
Slashme@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Same here, bru.
ToastedRavioli@midwest.social · 3 pts · 1d
New England English is more similar to British English (at least in comparison to most US English), so it makes sense it would be the closest to Australian or South African English. Like they still use the word “carriage” commonly
tooclose104@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 22h
As a Canadian, I feel like it was pretty on par for me lol 53% Minnesota
adarza@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 16h
my early childhood was spent south of winnipeg, so this tracks 100%. am a native-born minnesotan:
welfare_wizard@lemmy.zip · 15 pts · 1d
I'm norwegian and got the complete opposite from the map of americans who actually originate from my country, lol.
username100519@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
I'm also Norwegian and got a very similar map, though with more emphasis on a New York dialect. I'm guessing it has to do with our English being heavily influenced by popular media, in which the midwest might have less vocal presence.
chunes@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 15h
This is so weird, how is it even possible to talk like a New Yorker, Californian, and Floridian all at once?! No Americans got anything close to this.
chickenf622@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 1d
I don't want to dox myself, but it definitely guessed the exact city I live in. I will not answer further questions.
shartgargle@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 1d
Yup. Within a 20-30 minute drive anyways. And I've lived in a different state for about 20 years. That's incredible.
hakase@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 1d
Same, and it's not a big city either. There's one thing I say that's a dead giveaway.
sketchyenchantment@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 1d
Ascrod@midwest.social · 7 pts · 1d
I guess mine is pretty solidly midwestern.
Amuro_eat@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 1d
Do you say “mahm” or “mom”?
Ascrod@midwest.social · 3 pts · 1d
"Mahm" I guess. Definitely not "ma'am" or "mome".
Amuro_eat@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 22h
Yeah STLiens pronounce “o” differently. I didn’t even realize we had a bit of an accent until someone asked me about it one time
ToastedRavioli@midwest.social · 3 pts · 20h
When I lived in New England people particularly thought that the way I say “theatre” (thee-ter) and “butter” (bUHtter) were particularly striking. They pronounce theatre with the a (thee-a-ter, or thee-ar-ter) and dont emphasize u sounds much
Also Im a “mah” or “mahm” person
Honestly just in STL there are a lot of variety of dialects though, even not accounting for racial lines. Go down to Arnold and you might as well be in the bootheel
dadarobot@lemmy.sdf.org · 2 pts · 1d
very similar
Elting@piefed.social · 2 pts · 1d
Your map and mine look similar but Louisiana is light blue on mine.
Jimbabwe@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
You and @Memnochian@aussie.zone have to fight now
Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 23h
My answers, unshockingly, reflected my region, but this question made me laugh pretty good. I dont know why lol "um akshully, Icing and frosting are different". This was my answer anyway
hraegsvelmir@ani.social · 1 pts · 14h
I was disappointed by a lack of option for "Icing is what you get when someone gives you a proper cake from a bakery, frosting comes out of a Betty Crocker jar forgotten in the back of a cabinet when someone has made a boxed cake." for this one.
suzyq@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 1d
49% Kentucky
I have never lived here, but I do have family there.
Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 1d
It do be accurate
Manalith@midwest.social · 2 pts · 17h
Curious about your answers. In theory I should've gotten Minneapolis as most similar and ended up with Vegas, followed by LA. Granted I only did the 24 question one
Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 15h
I did the 60 question one and if I remember correctly it told me that my answers of crayfish and that a freeway has no traffic lights or stop signs but a highway does were the biggest factors for why it picked MN.
Manalith@midwest.social · 1 pts · 55m
I did in fact have those two as well, I'll have to try the longer ones and see what's up.
Update: did the 60, got San Fran, so apparently I live in the wrong region.
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Did you have the "roof, room, broom, root aren't pronounced the same" giveaway? Also firefly, pop, sunshower, and freeway is faster than highway.
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 23h
It missed by a couple of states, but it's close-ish. Some of those questions are wild, like whatever bullshit word people use for lighting bugs or fireflies that is neither of those two. Sambo niggles or some such a thing.
Edit: Peenie Wallies? Just call them double dick bugs 😆
KhanLee@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 1d
Freaky, It was able to determine what state I grew up in.
preussischblau@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 1d
Philadelphian who has also lived in Florida. This worked better than I expected, given my accent can be eclectic.
ToastedRavioli@midwest.social · 4 pts · 1d
Not from Kansas, but it’s not far off either. I bet its idea of a St. Louis accent is based on the old St. Louis accent that is common among older people but very rare among anyone under 50. Although there were no questions that asked about “fork” versus “fark”, “fourty” vs “farhty”, “soda” vs “sodee”, etc. It may just not have much of an idea of that dialect built into it
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 23h
We use the same words. I wonder what differentiates from IN which is actually right for me.
ToastedRavioli@midwest.social · 2 pts · 21h
Not on the quiz of course, but one major difference between MO and IN is that “Hoosier” is a positive term in IN but a pejorative term in MO.
Once upon a time a bunch of people from Indiana moved to Missouri, and apparently they were not well liked. So hoosier is like the MO equivalent of calling someone a redneck
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 20h
I'm not sure Hoosier is positive but more like neutral in IN. I'm certainly not attached to it.
ToastedRavioli@midwest.social · 1 pts · 17h
Fair enough, I was mostly thinking of like the Indiana Hoosiers. I imagined it is similar to how cajun gets used in Louisiana
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 17h
It probably depends on the part of the state?
toynbee@piefed.social · 4 pts · 1d
I don't like this.
thenextguy@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1d
It said I was from NY, but actually CT. Close. When I moved to CA people thought I was Canadian.
iamericandre@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
I got CT, entire family is from there and I was born there but raised in the south
Blackfeathr@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Michigander through and through
vrek@programming.dev · 3 pts · 1d
Don't live there anymore but I did grow up in NJ
trebach@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1d
It said Maryland. I've never lived there nor have family there. My family is from two different states so maybe it's some sort of weighted average.
igmelonh@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 1d
It could be worse, but I've never been west of the Mississippi (within the US; I've been to BC). I've adopted or switched words over the years, so it's not too surprising that it got it wrong. That old dialect quiz from the NYT or whatever years ago was worse at getting my location.
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Interesting
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Mom was from Michigan, Dad was from L.A. I grew up in California. Early questions nailed me in Michigan, later questions shifted to PNW. I feel like I don't have an accent, since everyone on TV and in movies talks like I do. My mom said "pop" instead of soda, and I grew up saying "pop", but switched to soda when everyone around me was saying that. I answered "pop" to the question, knowing that was a big differentiator.
I wonder if any questions would have shifted the map further south.
1hitsong@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 17h
Yep. I'm in the red area. Go Cocks 🤙
Atropos@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 23h
Any other PNW homies out there?
Slashme@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
I'm from South Africa but don't speak in a very stereotypical South African accent, and I got "Massachusetts".
Hazmatastic@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Got me pretty good. I am a little surprised my biggest giveaways were word choice not pronunciation, but I was only 56% similar (which was also weird) so i guess there weren't too many to choose from. I was also about as similar to San Francisico and LA as I was to Salt Lake City UT, did not realize those cities spoke so similarly.
Ragallos@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 21h
I am from Idaho initially, grew up there. Now I have lived in Oregon for nearly 15 years.
Apparently I talk like I am from Maryland, somewhere I have never been.
tophneal@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 1d
Florida? 😂 I don’t buy it. I’ve never met a Floridian that spoke like me. That was fun though!
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
'Roof, room, broom, and root aren't all pronounced the same' was enough to know I'm from Minnesota lol
master_baiter@programming.dev · 2 pts · 16h
completely accurate. i was really surprised to learn that people pronounce things so wildly
lividweasel@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Despite me not being from the US, it was still as accurate as it could possibly be. I’m on Vancouver Island, nestled right in that notch in the northwestern corner of Washington.
kn33@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
This doesn't seem to dox too much, and yeah it checks out.
JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 14h
As an aussie (WA):
I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Tikiporch@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Is this for people who don't know where they're from?
MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 14h
Despite my kiwi heritage 🇳🇿 I'm from Rhode Island, apparently.
Many years ago I went on a solo road trip around California. I spotted a man pulled over by the side of the road looking upset, and stopped to see if I could help. He asked me to find a pay phone and call his friend to tell him "Jack is out of gas" and give his location.
I swear I was on the phone for a good ten minutes trying to make myself understood. It makes sense now. Rhode Island is a loooong way from California.
MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Got my state correct.
Would have been quicker if they just asked how to pronounce:
Can't park your car in Harvard Yard.
Can't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Yeah it focused on pronouncing words but not turn of phrase.
For example:
Take the I15 freeway to the I5 freeway
Vs
Take the 15 to the 5.
Not an accent thing but we'd play this game in our 20's
RBWells@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 20h
LOL the map thinks South Carolina but if I went there nobody would think I was from there. I think Florida is sort of an outlier, our accent is not Southern - if I go to the literal South they think I talk "proper" but when I was in California I did sound southern compared to their Western sound. We do have the y'all, such a useful non gendered word.
I remember my friend from New York used to crack me up with "woof" for wolf and draoah for drawer. Up north I don't sound southern either, though at school in England my Scottish boyfriend used to like when I got drunk because he said I got Southern sounding and he liked that.
square@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 1h
Interesting, it was dead on for me. Hottest in the two places where I grew up and where I've lived most of my adult life, and very warm in the two places I went to college and grad school.
Bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
My state was wrong, but close enough, my region was spot on, my city was 100% correct
RebekahWSD@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Apparently I'm from Vermont!
Maybe.
It was only a 50 percent chance.
(I'm not from Vermont, have never lived in Vermont, and have no relatives from Vermont.)
Kcap@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Grew up in Philly, but it guessed Delaware, so super close. But it did say my next closest city was Philadelphia. It's interesting because I went to school for radio and spent a ton of time working on my diction and pronunciation, and yet it was the little things I never would have realized I say that still got these results spot on.
Godric@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 22h
Not tryna dox myself, but they got me down pretty damn good!
xXSirDanglesXx@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 16h
Kinda surprised by how accurate this grouped me in
Ok_imagination@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Pretty spot on for me, western US
chunes@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 15h
Born and raised in Idaho
nezrock@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 17h
Surprised there was no bury/berry/bary question. Sooo many people pronounce it wrong 😁
adarza@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 14h
that's a trick question. they're the same.