posted February 25, 2010 08:44 AM         

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"You Lot"

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posted February 25, 2010 10:43 AM         

I was born a Yankee and live in the south...

posted February 26, 2010 08:59 AM         

That works with my kids.

Some Ohio trivia for those not in the know.
Ohio is considered to be part of the MidWest, although, I don't know why, because when you look at a map, it seems to be more MidEast.
No matter.
ANYWAY....
so, alot of Buckeyes (Ohioans) are one generation removed from either; Kentucky, West Virginia and sometimes Tennessee peoples. This is because in Ohio, we used to have alot of industry, and those other states did not, so people moved here for jobs.
What THAT has done, is give Ohio a somewhat Southern flavor to it. It's odd and confusing, because people that hear you speak and are good with linguistics, hardly ever guess you live here.

posted February 26, 2010 02:43 PM         

quote:

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Some Ohio trivia for those not in the know.
Ohio is considered to be part of the MidWest, although, I don't know why, because when you look at a map, it seems to be more MidEast.
No matter.
ANYWAY....
so, alot of Buckeyes (Ohioans) are one generation removed from either; Kentucky, West Virginia and sometimes Tennessee peoples. This is because in Ohio, we used to have alot of industry, and those other states did not, so people moved here for jobs.

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What THAT has done, is give Ohio a somewhat Southern flavor to it.

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It's odd and confusing, because people that hear you speak and are good with linguistics, hardly ever guess you live here.

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My ever long winded point? Alot of Ohioans say "Y'all." But it comes out "Yawl."

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The Inland North dialect of American English is spoken in a region that includes most of the cities along the Erie Canal and on the U.S. side of Great Lakes region, reaching approximately from Utica, New York to Green Bay, Wisconsin, as well as a corridor extending down across central Illinois from Chicago to St. Louis.[1]

This dialect used to be the "standard Midwestern" speech that is traditionally regarded as the basis for General American in the mid-20th century,[2] though it has been since modified by an innovative vowel shift known as the Northern Cities Shift, which has altered its character.[3]

Notable speakers of the Inland North Dialect include President Ronald Reagan, actors Jim Belushi, Dennis Farina, Dennis Franz, and Chris Farley; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; actresses Bonnie Hunt and Jami Gertz; filmmaker Michael Moore; financial adviser Suze Orman; talk show host Steve Wilkos; and musician Bob Seger.

Distribution

This map shows the approximate extent of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, and thus the approximate area where the Inland North dialect predominates. Note that the region surrounding Erie, Pennsylvania, is excluded; the dialect spoken there more closely resembles that of Pittsburgh.

The Inland North consists of western and central New York State (Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, Jamestown, Olean); northern Ohio (Akron, Cleveland, Toledo); Michigan's Lower Peninsula (Detroit, Grand Rapids); northwestern Indiana (Gary); northern Illinois (Chicago); and southeastern Wisconsin (Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee).

A corridor of cities along Interstate 55 southwest of Chicago as far as St. Louis, Missouri, which historically belong to the Midland region, have also begun taking on features of the Inland North's Northern Cities Shift in recent decades. On the other hand, Erie, Pennsylvania was regarded as an Inland North city by researchers in the first half of the 20th century, but it never underwent the Northern Cities Shift and now shares many features with the rest of Western Pennsylvania.

For more see
Northern American Englis

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posted February 26, 2010 11:30 PM         

Lexx, I did not know you were from that area. I can see your point, three years ago, Memorial Day, we went on a trip to Put-In-Bay, and, yes, the speaking is different.

But, I know you probably understand to what I am referring to. Displaced, or replanted Kentuckians, are called "briars" as my Mother taught me. And yes, that is a hill billy redneck person.

Since I've lived here longer then my home state of NJ, I have naturally picked up some of the dialect. BUT, what is strange is if I should speak on the phone to my father, brother, cousins, whomever, from NJ (and even FLA, because techically florida is a south as you can get in the US, yet nobody there has a southern accent. Once you leave Georgia, all the accents revert back to up East, but that is another story) I pick my NJ accent right back up. I am also told that if I have had to much to drink, I revert to my native accent.
So, it would seem, that I am somewhat unconsciously speaking the same as my peers, and when impaired, or when with my clan, I can no longer use that social filter, and I am once again, a Jersey girl.

posted February 28, 2010 12:31 PM         

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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies with in us."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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posted February 28, 2010 05:48 PM         

Oddly, they were big fans of Janis Joplin, who has a Texas accent similar to mine (you can especially here it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z031l0E_5n4

I asked them how they could mock me but love her, but they said they hadn't noticed it until I pointed it out while others did but thought it was mockery. Of course I looked her up and found sure enough she's from Texas.

But I got self-conscious and stopped talking that way as much as I could, though when my emotions got really strong in a good or bad way it would come back.

But after awhile I just stopped hiding it and found many think it's exotic, and not all the laughter is mean.

But others do think of me as a redneck, and with it a bunch of ignorant, prejudicial stereotypes. But I find I like screening people that way. If they're that prejudiced to think I'm stupid based on my accent, then they're too stupid for me to want them around anyway, even if I'm grimly amused when their prejudice includes that as a redneck I'm the one who is prejudiced while they're so open minded & socially aware.

And in some cases I take advantage of their stupidity in biz when they try to rip me off thinking I'm just some dumb redneck they can play like that and I turn it around against them. I'll give an example if anyone wants.