I’ve been told that we have a somewhat southern accent in extreme southern Michigan. Mostly central and east. However Michigan is actually a large state with some petty distant corners.
I use the term “winder” out of habit.
Michigan has an accent, but it’s not drastic. “Tire” is “tahr,” for example. I know because I picked it up.
Michigan Pronunciation Guide
“aeh Narbor”: Ann Arbor. Home of the Michigan Wolverines.
“Ashfault”: Asphalt.
“Bob-lo”: Bois Blanc. The name shared by several Michigan islands (and a former amusement park).
“Char-LOTT”: Charlotte, a Michigan village close to Lansing.
Related: Durand, MI, pronounced “DUrand”, Saline, pronounced “SuhLEEN”, its neighbor “MYlun” (spelled Milan), and of course, Lake Orion, pronounced “OReeyun.”
“COMF-terbul”: Comfortable.
“Cranz”: Crayons.
“Crick”: Creek, in some parts of the state, they say “crick”.
“Davenport”: Sofa.
“Deerburn”: Dearborn, home of Ford Moder Company.
“Di’TROI’”: Detroit. You can always tell a non-native because they’ll say “DEEtroit”.
“Drownded”: Drowned. “
Related: “drownding”.
“EeeevsTraaaf”: Eavestrough.
“FI-yerr”: Fire. Say it in two full syllables.
“FREVer”: Forever.
“Frigerraider”: Refrigerator.
“Graage”: Garage. Ahhh, shuddup an’ go parrk yer cahrr in the friggin’ graage. (another one from Tim)
“Gran Blank”: Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint.
“Grrarapids”: Grand Rapids
“GROSHries”: Groceries.
“Haahkee”: Hockey.
“Hunnerd”: Hundred. Alternate pronunciation: “hundrid”.
“I-munna”: I’m going to.
“Kiddycorner”: Kitty-corner. Elsewhere in the US: “catty-corner”.
“KI-nuh”: Kind of. I dunno, I kinuh like Vernor’s.
“LayKEERie”: Lake Erie.
“Lie-berry”: Library.
“liVONEya”: Livonia. Perhaps the fladdes’ ciddy in Michigin.
“Melk”: Milk.
“Michiganderr”: Michigan native.
“Muskeeda”: Mosquito. The State Bird of Michigan.
“NAWzeeus”: Nauseous.
“Night-meer”: Nightmare.
“Er”: Or. Ya know, it wuz like watchin’ X-Files er somethin’.
“Pah-neeack”: Pontiac.
“Pahp”: Pop. “Soda”, in other parts of the world.
“Pellow”: Pillow.
“Port Urine”: Port Huron.
“Pronounce-eation”: Pronunciation.
“Reeelatur”: Realtor. This one sent in by Joe in KalamazOOOOOO.
“Samwich”: Sandwich.
“Sherbert”: Sherbet. Is this unique to Michigan? Another one from Kalamazoo Joe.
“Stold”: Stole. “
“Sump’n”: Something.
“Tempachur”: Temperature.
“Tuh”: To. It’s hardta get inta the habita sayin’ teeeoooo.
“Terr”: Tour.
“U-sta”: Used to. My deead u-sta work at th’ Tek-Cenner in Warn.
“Vanella”: Vanilla.
“WEEK-en”: Weekend.
“Winzerr”: Windsor, Ontario.
That's due to so many southerners moving to the lower counties-SE mostly-to work. Many that live in the City of Monroe sound like they just moved from Appalachia and they don't call it Ypsitucky for nothing.
That’s funny. My dad says “winder” too, and he lived in Chicago his whole life, except for a stint in the army. I’ve never heard anyone else around here use it but him, so I don’t know where he got it from. He did have some relatives from Michigan, so maybe that was the source.
I tink der mak’n fn’v uz.
Here in Brazil, regional accents remain strong, despite mass media. Much as in the northeast in the US, accents are strong among the proles, weak amongst the yuppies.
Not exactly. For instance: In the City of Monroe people have southern accents because so many moved up from Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, you get the picture.
Out county, however, the accent is NOT southern at all. My spouse who is from Western Wayne county calls it Monrovian and he can pick it out when people speak. It is very fast speech and sometimes mumbly. I have been asked if I was from Cleveland...yeah, sort of, my family moved from that area 150 years ago.
Toledoans also have distinctive speech and since I have always lived so close to the border that is probably in there, too.
NO ONE I know says jab for job.
Southern Ohioans were drinking cwuffee back in the 70s.