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Post by chonies on Jan 1, 2014 20:39:29 GMT -4
Interesting. The first time I took this quiz, I got three cities in three states I've never lived in. Taking it just now, it came up with Detroit and Grand Rapids and Spokane (WTF?). I've lived in MI for all but four years of my life. I'm wondering what different answers I made this time to get the "correct" answer. I don't know, but I took the test three times because it was accurate for my mom and my sister, but it pegged me in states I lived in but don't talk like (that sounds weird). ANYWAY, at one point, my mother and I had the same answers for three 'defining' questions but the test used those as evidence my mom sounds like a New Yorker and I sound like a Mississippian. Which I don't*, aside from a few novelty words and the ability to codeswitch when necessary, and that was not addressed in the quiz. Harrumph. *not that there's anything wrong with that.
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Post by Mutagen on Jan 1, 2014 21:24:41 GMT -4
I didn't know which thread to put this in, but the New York Times had a great 25 question quiz about pronunciation & word choice that will reveal where you are from. It was totally correct for me (Washington DC/Baltimore) and totally correct for my Dad (Boston/Worcester). Some of the questions are things we've discussed here before - like how some of us pronounce "Mary" "Merry" and "Marry" differently and some of us don't. The questions aren't all the same every time, so it's fun to take it more than once too. Now that's fascinating! I've lived in the South since I was 10, but I still mapped to Washington DC (I grew up in Maryland before moving here) and NYC/Yonkers (my mom is from northern New Jersey). I need to send that on to my family. Thanks for this link!
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Post by sardonictart on Jan 1, 2014 22:33:37 GMT -4
I took this awhile back, and it pegged me as from the Northwest. I have never lived anywhere near there, and no one in my family is originally from there. Ha.
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Post by famvir on Jan 1, 2014 22:38:08 GMT -4
My dad is from Boise Idaho, and they pegged me from there because I use a lot of his idioms. They also have me a little north of my home town (LA suburb) and placed me in Santa Barbara, but not bad. Although the fact that I don't have a name for a drive through liquor store putting me on Santa Rosa seems a stretch.
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Nysha
Blueblood
Posts: 1,029
Jul 7, 2007 2:19:58 GMT -4
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Post by Nysha on Jan 2, 2014 1:28:41 GMT -4
I've never even heard of a drive through liquor store! My first time through I got Spokane, Boise, & Grand Rapids. I grew up in Portland and live halfway between Spokane & Boise, so that's probably right. I have no idea where Grand Rapids fits in, though.
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Post by bklynred on Jan 2, 2014 3:21:10 GMT -4
OK, that was one of the ones I had no answer for. I mean, how many states even have these, let alone more than one way to say it? I think some others were "What do you call the greenery along a sidewalk" and "What do you call a four-point intersection"? (I don't know, an intersection?) I was wondering if they were trick questions, but there were such varied answers that I was just stunned. (I know, weird how NY isn't the capital of like, everything.)
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Post by Coffeecakes on Jan 2, 2014 8:40:35 GMT -4
I got Stockton and Fremont California as well as Honolulu even though I am in Southern California. At least I got my state.
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Post by Ginger on Jan 2, 2014 10:20:48 GMT -4
OK, that was one of the ones I had no answer for. I mean, how many states even have these, let alone more than one way to say it? I think some others were "What do you call the greenery along a sidewalk" and "What do you call a four-point intersection"? (I don't know, an intersection?) I consciously answered the questions the way I would have when I was growing up in Maryland. Since I moved to Massachusetts, I have learned the word "berm" for the greenery along the sidewalk, but I don't think I've ever used it, so I answered "I don't have a word for this".
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Post by batmom on Jan 2, 2014 14:12:11 GMT -4
Regionalisms are cool, especially when you realize that a term that you use regularly is, in fact unique to your region. Our paper published an article on Saturday with some uniquely Canadian terms and some were obvious, others surprised me. They measured the 'Canadianism' of the term by how widely recognized the term was outside of Canada.
100% Canadian - Toque (a knit cap, or beanie) Not just Canadian, but western Canada - hooped, as in "If I don't get home by curfew I will be so hooped." Mostly Canadian - Parkade (a parking garage.) 100% Canadian - Two-four, a pack of 24 beer.
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Post by chonies on Jan 2, 2014 14:49:57 GMT -4
OK, that was one of the ones I had no answer for. I mean, how many states even have these, let alone more than one way to say it? No idea, but I've been to them in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, and I know there's a famous one in one of the Carolinas. They have drive-through service windows at the liquor stores here in Georgia, but it doesn't have a special name, I don't think. Or at least it didn't come in the welcome packet from the welcome wagon. I've lived in five major linguistic areas (NY area, DC, Deep South, Texas and Chicago) and it's all blurring together: I don't know where a frontage road is v. a service or access road, I go back and forth on Awnt/Ant, and...no idea. I also say "sodapop" because I can, and since I don't drink them and am super picky when I do, I will identify by brand or flavor. Vernor's, Squirt, Mexican coke, tamarind jarrito, etc. This quiz really worked a nerve. Must go meditate or something. ETA: I know my own peculiarities don't invalidate the results, but I was irritated. Hrrmph.
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