What Kind of American Accent Do You Have?

The Economic Policy Journal ^ | 11-24-2011 | By Xavier Kun

[blam]

What Kind of American Accent Do You Have?

November 24, 2011
Xavier Kun

To most Americans, an accent is something that only other people have, those other people usually being in New York, Boston, and the South. And of those other people, half of the ones you meet will swear they "don't have an accent."

Well, strictly speaking, the only way to not have an accent is to not speak. If you're from anywhere in the USA you have an accent (which may or may not be the accent of the place you're from). Go through this short quiz and you'll find out just which accent that is.

1. What is your age? Under 18 Years Old 18 to 24 Years Old 25 to 30 Years Old 31 to 40 Years Old 41 to 50 Years Old 51 to 60 Years Old Over 60 Years Old 2. What is your gender? Male Female

3. We're going to start with two ordinary words, "cot" and "caught." Do you think those words sound the same or different? Same Different Same, no wait I mean different, well, I don't know...

4. What about "don" and "dawn"? Same Different Same...ish. Maybe a little different.

5. OK, what about "stock" and "stalk"? Same Different Almost, but not quite, the same

6. Now then how do "collar" and "caller" sound? Same Different Almost, but not quite, the same

7. Do you think the word "on" rhymes with "dawn" or with "don"? dawn don Well, I don't think don and dawn sound any different in the first place so on would obviously rhyme with both

8. Moving on, what do you think about "Mary," "merry," and "marry"? All 3 sound different Mary and merry sound the same but marry is different from them All 3 sound the same

9. Our next word is "horrible." How does that first vowel sound? It's just like in the word "whore." It's the same "o" sound as in "hot." Neither one

10. Now for "pen" and "pin." Don't worry about what others say is correct, just tell us how they come out in an ordinary conversation. Same Different Close. Pen sounds almost, but not quite, like pin.

11. What about "feel" and "fill"? Same Different Well, I think they're different even though they sound very, very similar almost to the point of being the same

12. When you say "about," does the "ou" sound like the "ou" in "loud"? No Yes

13. Last question. When you say "bag" does it rhyme with "vague"? Yes No

[RockinRight]

Barry, is that you?

[RockinRight]

I have switched from “POP” to “soda” in my almost 5 years in Maryland. Yet, not everyone here says soda, either.

[fatima]

It nailed me.I am from Phila.:)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia   Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Northeast
The Inland North
The South
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The West
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

[bcsco]

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland	 
The Northeast	 
Philadelphia	 
The South	 
The West	 
Boston	 
North Central	 
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I'd say I was right on (or Don, but not Dawn)...

[TomMix]

"Popcorn, poppop, soda pop, pop in fresh, popcycles.

Pop is totally different than soda. Soda is carbonation of some sort or something with. soda in it such as soda crackers. You misinformed eastern nuts."

I'm with you. Scotch & soda or a bottle of pop. A bottle of pop was sometimes referred as a soda pop.

I remember a soda was made by a soda jerk in a soda-fountain, which was a place in a drug store back in the day. If a soda jerk didn't make it and it was in a bottle it was pop. Everybody else just doesn't get it right.

[afraidfortherepublic]

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

LOLOLOL! I've lived in WI for more than 25 years, although I was born and raised in CA. I know that I have an ear that picks up other accents easily and unconsiously. You should have heard me when I lived in TX for 10 years!

Funny thing, I could hear a definite Wisconsin accent when I first moved here. I don't hear it any more.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Canal Zone.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Yes, I’ve always heard it and pronounced it in 2 syllables roo-inned. But, a couple of weeks ago I heard Gretchen Carlson (from MN and on Fox and Friends) pronounce it as ONE syllable — “rooned”. She said it twice. Since then, I’ve heard a couple of other people pronounce it that way on TV.

Odd, isn’t it? It must be a Minnesota thing.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I'm just not believing this test at all ... I have one of the thickest Deep South accents in the world. Not totally backwoods rednect, but a definite Deep South drawl. My test results were:

You were just trying too hard to provide the "right" answers to the questions. It's that perfection thing you've got going for you, and it muddled your test results. LOL!

[Ditter]

The South, no surprise there!

[afraidfortherepublic]

My result was Northeast, but I’m from New Orleans.

My sons (growing up in TX) attended a Jesuit High School where all the priests were from New Orleans. They all sounded more like they were from Brooklyn, NY than from the South. I was told that the Brooklyn sound was the true New Orleans accent from a certain section.

[afraidfortherepublic]

cor-ner. Is there any other way?

[Ditter]

I am from Texas and we always said Coke or Cold drink. Never in my life have I said soda or pop and I have heard some say soDEE. Did you ever notice how some people would say “coldBEER” ? It was all one word with the accent on the beer, as if to say someone might want a warmbeer. :D

[Straight Vermonter]

I got “the West”. Lowest score was “The Northeast”. I have lived in Vermont my entire life.

[READINABLUESTATE]

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Neat trick

[MEG33]

I think I have heard sodeewater, too. Yes..LOL..colBEER!

[Alas Babylon!]

Agreed, Bendy.

Here I am in Alabama, and it says I’m an “Inland North”, too.

[Ditter]

I hear the word “strength” pronounced strangely sometimes too. I pronounce it with the accent on the “e” like streeength but I hear a lot of black people mostly put the accent on the “n” as in strennnth and leaving out the “g” completely. I hear this on TV and now from a few white TV personalities.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I took it honestly, and it gave me “inland north” which impressed me since I’ve spent 30 years since quickly unlearning an Minnesota accent. It gave me a response having to do with people thinking I’m from Wisconsin.

Then, I tried answering the exact OPPOSITE of all of my answers, and it told me I was “North Central” which is the Minnesota (”Fargo” movie) accent.

(I’m less impressed now that I know the test thinks Wisconsin is the exact opposite of Minnesota. Basically, it just tells me I don’t have the key indicators of a southern or eastern accent.)

[Sans-Culotte]

I should have more of a drawl, being born in AL, and living most of my life in TX. However, I concentrated on learning correct pronunciation while growing up. I was a theater major in college, and did some community theater work; so I have a pretty good ear for accents. However, I’m sure I have some regional habits of which I’m not aware.