What American accent do you really have? | Comments

Quiz was correct, I grew up 15 miles SE of the Loop, and have Northern speech. But this is the speech I learned in school, not at home. My home dialect is sloppy pronunciation, influenced by living in a blue collar, 1st to 3rd generation E European community. This includes the pattern of dropping articles(the, a)and pronouncing certain sounds as in Polish language (Chicago Metro has nearly 2 million people of Polish descent, plus many other Central/E Europeans. That has influenced the dialects there). Also used "duh, diss, deez, dem and dose" as in NE cities; ken(can) git (get)as in Midland. Also used to say " acrossa street" for "across the street."

Lived in St Louis for 4 years, but people could tell I was from the Chicago area. Test for St Louis, south side:

four is pronounced far, fourth is farth, and forty, farty; horse is pronounced harse; or is are.

Now in AZ, no one can tell where I'm from, but it's easy to pick up a slight Spanglish or Native American English sound. However, listening to native white Arizonans (which are a small minority, especially over age 40), their speech is not Northern at all - it's Western with Southern Highland influence.

TS

Thanks for the quiz. It is fascinating. I am from Vermont but my parents were from New York and Switzerland. I was always told to speak properly, ennunciate correctly as my mother was learning English when I was a small child. Then I lived in Maine for two and a half years. When I was 21, I moved to California where I have lived for over 35 years. I always thought I did not have an accent (the California accent) but I tested as having a Midland accent. I believe I have also been influenced by getting two Master's degrees and some acting classes years ago. Good luck with your book!

Great work.I'm from Morris Co.NJ,have a late '60s PhD in Linguistics,a life-long interest in sound(esp.vowel) change and dialects and audited a couple of Labov's courses.I have only one minor quibble with your vowel analysis-the sameness of the [ae]vowel in central upstate NY in 'bag' and 'vague'.I've given a lot of attention to this one and I honestly believe it is inherited,genetic,u nique. That area's west moving Don/Dan sameness is more helpful.

Mid-Atlantic: the accent of Philadelphia, south Jersey, and Baltimore.

It's funny. I've never been to North America at all. I'm a Russian, I've been to Switzerland and Germany.

When I speak German the Germans think I was born in South Germany and moved due North.

The native speakers from the English speaking countries think I am a German who's been living in North America for a long time.

For people from Asian countries like Korea, Vietnam and China I'm an American :)

I took the first quiz and it said Minnesota but also said i could be mistaken for a English speaking Canadian. Thats what I am. The second time I took it, it said Western US.. The second one doesnt say Canadian but I think it is actually more accurate. People in Canada west of Quebec sound a lot more like Americans in the prairies and West than they sound like the Americans in the mid west and Minnesota. I noticed that it also stated strong similarities with North Central and MIdland though on the bars. I think the test was pretty accurate.

My results were Mid-Atlantic. However, I've lived in both Maryland and Delaware, giving me a mix of Philly and Tidewater, so my accent depends on where I am. If I go to New York, I have a Southern accent, but if I'm in Virginia or further south, people will think I'm from Philly or Jersey. If I'm neither of those, I'm Australian or Canadian. Then add a Turkish accent that comes out when I'm excited, and I'm more of a vocal mutt.

The quiz results were close for me, but not quite 100% accurate. It told me I was from Northeastern New England (Boston area, or New Hampshire, or Maine).

Although I was born in Boston, and have spent some time in the Boston area, I grew up in Worcester, Mass., in the center of the state (and center of New England).

Mine is a Central New England accent, close to but not quite as pronounced as the Boston accent. I can tell the difference between the way that a true Bostoner speaks and the way that I do. But to those outside of New England, I have a New England accent.

It said I have a Northern accent, which isn't too bad seeing as I grew up in CT, just above the NYC inflection and a bit below the atrocious Mass accent. I ran a test using the answers that should have generated a result for a Maine accent (which is about as atrocious as Mass and RI), but it ended up being North Central. Not really too accurate, as far as the ear is concerned.

Your Result: North Central 91%

This is what people call a "Minnesota accent" or "Fargo accent" as heard in the movies "Fargo" (obviously) and "Drop Dead Gorgeous." People with this accent live in northern part of Minnesota and in North Dakota, right next to the Canadian border. Some people might think you're a Canadian because of your accent. How did you know lol?

First of all, you should fix the last question if you are able to edit this, it is cut off.

Second, I was told I have a Boston accent. Doubtful. I lived in the Boston area from age 22-25. I am 48, and have lived in California for the past 23 years. I grew up in Pittsburg to age six, Buffalo age 6-10, and just outside NYC from 10-18. I have gone back to visit the New York area quite a bit, but Boston, Pittsburgh and Buffalo very little. For what it is worth, my mom is from the New York area, and my dad is from England. I've had people pick up on a trace of an English accent and a trace of a New York accent, but no one ever asks if I am from Boston.

Not even close. I grew up im New Orleans, lived only in Southeast Louisiana until my early 20's when I moved to Northern California. The quiz said I have the accent of Philadelphia, south Jersey, and Baltimore, places I've only visited for one day at the most, and as an adult. I don't think I've even known anyone from any of those places.

I got southern, but taking a very similar quiz I got northern. I have trained my pronunciation by now, but as a child nobody could understand me because my accent was so strange. I am from Montana (NW) originally, but I have never heard anyone speak with the same accent I used to have. For example: hwaadr = water, dahrd = tired. I second what Ripheus said, a lot of Montanans sound like Albertans!

I'm from Michigan, but I got the Midland accent as my answer. Which is funny to me since when I travel to the Midland, they sound semi-southern to me. People from other parts of the country think I sound like I'm Canadian. I think I sound like I'm from Michigan, but I have a little bit less Chicago/Detroit "urban" accent and more of a rural Michigan accent (without it being a "yooper" accent, however).

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but don't have the authentic "Pittsburgh accent." Listen to Bill Cowher or Dan Marino on the CBS NFL pregame show to hear good examples of the accent. To me it just sounds like home. I think the results of the quiz were pretty accurate.

This survey diagnosed me well. It says I'm Midland (neutral) and secondarily Midatlantic. I've been told by many people my accent is neutral. This probably is because I lived in many states and overseas with my military family all my youth. However I've now lived in Maryland for many years, so I also have acquired some Midatlantic accent. Good job.

I ended up with Mid-Atlantic, which makes sense for me! This quiz did seem to work better than the last one, which gave me Mid-west, given that my husband is Mid-west and frequently makes fun of me for my accent... and no way do I say "pop."

If I can make one suggestion for any future versions of the quiz... there are some of us who pronounce "on" differently than "Dawn" *or* "Don" and do not pronounce "Dawn" and "Don" the same. So maybe a fourth choice on that question, where "on" is unique from the other two?

I got scored a Boston accent; however, I am from Southern California. I have never been to New England and have never lived anywhere else in the United States. I find it a bit odd. I suspect that the reason that the test gives me this result is because of the way I pronounce "horrible".

Quiz wrong. I'm TEXAN and proud of it. Not New Jersey! I'm very offended. Also, New Yorkers, we don't live like Cowboys most of the time. We are civilized. Why don't yall visit Texas and learn some of out ways? We have plenty of attractions. Btw I hated quiz rated 1 star

I got a tie between Midland and North Central.

I'm from Missouri, but I have never said "Missurah" instead of "Missouri" and I don't pronounce "forty" as "farty," I actually say it like I'm only halfway pronouncing the "r."

Another thing I noticed is that I have a tendency to say "eh" after almost every sentence and no one else here does.

I do not say Pawk the Caw. I say Park the Car. It seems you could easily rule out a Boston accent by asking that question. Interesting, because I grew up in Nevada, but my dad was from New Hampshire. Regardless, I know what some one from Boston sounds like and I do not sound any thing like that.

The quiz id'd my accent as Western. It says, most people I meet would think I don't have an accent, unless I'm from the California coast. This statement needs clarifying. Does it mean if you are from the California coast, people there would hear an accent or people in general hear an accent if you're from the coast? I'm from the CA coast so I'm curious.

I grew up in Maryland, and still do (mostly) have a Midland accent. The only question that gave me difficulty was concerning "on". I don't say it like I say either dawn or don, but rather as a two syllable word, something like /u/ /schwa/ /n/. It doesn't rhyme with any other word I can think of...

My mother is from Chicago, my father from Boston. I spent 4 years in school in the NY area and I've lived in Israel for the last 13 years among many different accented English speakers. I am not surprised to have been Midlanded!

I noticed that foreigners are likely to leave comments. Maybe they worried about their accents. I'm a Chinese, a foreigner. Could I give a piece of advice? How can you use so many uncommon words to examine our accents? Or my English is still awful???......