okay, this will prove where you're from

[Fredwina]

Fredwina: You grew up in Southern Indiana, didn't you?

"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockle burs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me!"
Getting that out of the way,
I'm from the City of Jackson, Mo(not to be confused with Jackson County,MO) population when I Graduated High school : 7827. It's about 120 miles south of Saint Louis and is next door to Cape Girardeau(Cape Ge-RAH-do, or just Cape ) Some towns did manage to avoid the mangled french pronunciation. OF course , you should hear my try and pronounce Rancho Cucamonga (she's still at Cocomungo )

[eofelis]

This explains it!

My result? "The Midland."

I am born, bred, and raised in New England... both of my parents are also native New Englanders...

Yet, somehow, people say I don't sound like I'm from here... or they say "no, really, where are you from originally?"

As a native New Englander (Ipswich, MA), I got the same result.

[laughlaugh18]

Or are they basing the California dialect on SoCal

If they are, it's not the SoCal I grew up in. My answers made me "Midland", but I'm a born and bred Valley Girl, from long before Moon Unit came up with the song!!

OTOH, I took their Los Angeles quiz (under their State quizzes), and on that quiz I came up as "100% Angeleno and proud of it". Go figure.

And, yes, SoCal is different from NoCal.

[Crankin]

Surly Pacer,

Apparently only people who live in or next to Worcester say "Wister." I worked in Shrewsbury (Shoosbry to some) and that was the first time I heard that pronounciation. I spent some time in Worcester as a kid, my mom's family was from there, and none of them said that! Yes, my dad worked in Hayvril when I was a kid... I used to make fun of my husband when we first moved back here. He would pronounce everything like an outsider "Haver-hill."
When I had been here a week, I called a bakery in Lowell for directions to get there from Rt. 3 (I was living on the NH border at the time). First, all I heard was a muffled "blah, blah, blah." Then when I asked for the nearest cross street, the woman said "What's that?" I hung up in frustration. Here I was, a native New Englander, and I could not understand her. I was not used to giving directions by land marks. In AZ, especially in the east valley, people give directions by, well, direction; like I live one block south of Elliiot Rd., between Rural and McClintock. Well, now after 17 years, I am used to it! But, I have to say, around where I live, very few people have the Boston accent anymore.

[SheFly]

Haudlady, another MA town that causes those kind of jokes is Ayer. Pronounced "air," for all you non-New Englanders. When I first moved back here, I was driving around some of the surrounding towns to just sort of figure out how all the local roads were connected. When I crossed the town line, into Ayer, I said out loud, "Oh, we're in Ayer." My kids, who were about 6 and 9 said something like "Gee Mom, what do you mean? Of course we're in air. It's everywhere." This of course, from the child (Scott) who called Scottsdale My-dale for the first five years of his life and Miami, Your-ami. ..

When I first moved here from Canada, the biggest challenge I had was passing road signs telling me No. Reading. I couldn't figure out why they didn't want me to read there... From there, I passed another sign saying Reading - so now it was ok? Totally flabbergasting until I figured out that it was North Reading (pronounced Red-ing)...

SheFly

[7rider]

As a native New Englander (Ipswich, MA), I got the same result.

I finally did this test. I got "Inland North" and never set foot in Chicago (well, I've sat in their airports a time or two waiting for connections, but that's it) or come remotely close to Wisconsin. I was born and raised in New England (Connecticut - although I did live for a time in Ipswich, MA - and Gloucester!). When I first moved to Gloucester from CT, folks asked me if I was from New York, as I have - to their ears - more of a New York accent. Maybe it was just my attitude as I think the comment usually came after I yelled at the Gloucester drivers!

[7rider]

I was not used to giving directions by land marks.

Old timers in Gloucester MA give directions by where things USED to be. Like "Oh, it's down by where the Finast was. Right next to the old Radio Shack." Well, uh....there hasn't been a Finast in town for 20 years, nor is there a Radio Shack nearby!!!

[tattiefritter]

Mine was tied: "no-accent" and "west". Grew up in the west just south of the Canadian border, but lived in Scotland for awhile.

Never thought a Canadian or Scottish accent made me sound midwestern!

I'm Scottish, grew up near Edinburgh but now live in England. I have visited Boston once! I can perceive differences between American and Canadian accents but I think they are pretty subtle in comparison to British accents.

[Kimmyt]

Robyn, re: the directions thing

I think us east-coasters, especially those of us from near the old cities, give directions by landmarks because, well, with all those twisty turn city streets you can never be sure if you're going north, south, east or west!

My bf is from Indiana. He's used to going 'ok so I need to end up North of here. So I'll take this road North and it'll take me there'. Whereas, around here a N-S road may at any point in time turn into a W-E road, take you an infinitely long time to get you anywhere (but sure does look pretty doing so), or turn into another road completely! There's a few roads near where my parents live that have at least 3 names. When he first came here, it sure got him confused trying to get somewhere!

K.

[uk elephant]

I got placed in Wisconsin....not too out of place I suppose. Spent 4 years in Madison and almost 5 years in Illinois. Although my accent is getting more confused now. I'm picking up more and more English pronounciations, even Northern English (which always makes BF very happy as he is from the Wirrall near Liverpool). Our plan is to hopefully move to Wales next year. could give me a very strange accent....

[East Hill]

Born in Swinton, Lancashire. Dragged to the United States at a young age (10 months!). Started off in Norwalk, California. Up to San Jose, California by age 11. Shook the adobe off my heels around age 20 for the slightly greener hills of Santa Rosa, California.

After the week when the temperature NEVER got below 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I decided it was time to move on. Have lived in Puget Sound since 1980.

Quiz told me I was from the Northeast.

Could it be the British parents, who influenced my speech patterns until I started attending school?

East Hill

[Crankin]

Well, about the giving directions according to be what USED to be there. I had not run into that before, and I grew up in Newton and I lived in Tyngsborough and Boxborough before moving to Concord last year. I discovered that in my neighborhood, your house is referred to by the name of the original owner! So, according to them, I live in the "Jone's" house. Now this neighborhood is not a bunch of old Victorians from the 1700s. They are all contemporary houses built in the 70s. I got really mad at a woman at a neighborhood meeting when she asked which house I lived in. When she said "Oh the Jone's house," I replied, no I live in MY house.

[HillSlugger]

The quiz told me I have an "Inland North" accent, but anyone who knows me can peg that I'm from Long Island (and no, I don't pronounce that as Lawn Gyland) even though I swear I don't have a Long Island accent.

[ace]

wow. it pegged me. I've lived in California for 20 years, but it knew I am originally from Boston :-)

[Deanna]

It got me all wrong - born and raised in California, but it says I'm a midland. For those who are interested in American dialects, visit:

http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL...stics/dialect/

This was an advanced dialect survey conducted over the internet with many, many more detailed questions (I think it took me almost an hour to complete it). The survey is now closed but the results can be fun to explore. Maybe I'm nerdy this way, but I think it's fascinating.