What American accent do you have? — Fun Quiz. You may be surprised.
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.
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.”
That’s about right – I lived most of my life in the Midwest, although I now reside in Texas. Cool quiz.
I ain’t got no dang accent!
“Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island.”
Um.. the south actually. But I’m not surprised. My students once told me that my accent was “weird” and guessed I was from the northeast. One guessed Boston.
On another occasion, I was in Boston and really hadn’t thought about having an accent, but they assured me that my accent was very southern. One guy was quite amused by it, in a very nice way.
But I’ve noticed that I turn my southern accent on and off to an extent. It’s kinda like writing formally or informally, only with speech.
I wouldn’t be surprised if verbally intelligent people subconsciosly pick and choose elements of pronunciation, and vary it according to their particular circumstance, just as they write to different audiences on different occasions with varying voices.
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P.S. The question about the word “on” needs revision.
Here’s my accent, if I must admit to having one.
I’m from Australia and I have an Northeast accent…noice.
In the county where I was born there was at least 6 different dialects. Any local could tell the town you lived. I assume this is common in many places.
Oh, and per my previous post #3, Southern was listed as second, which means that the test at least told me what others in the past have told me.. which is mildly interesting.
well, it’s pretty darn accurate. good quiz
Your Result: The West
Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you’re a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland “You have a Midland accent” is just another way of saying “you don’t have an accent.” You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.North Central The West Boston The South The Inland North Philadelphia The Northeast What American accent do you have?Quiz Created on GoToQuiz
Funny ! Native California actually ! 🙂
Whenever I go to Florida, I’m always pegged as a Californian. Hmmmm…
Not a good quiz: there are a lot of sounds it doesn’t differentiate. I’m from the mid-Atlantic (Mrlnd, no vowels) and the quiz says I’m a Westerner. Well, I lived in CA, and don’t have a Westerrrrrn drrrrawllll. (Yeah I know, it’s more inland, but you do hear it in CA).
Pittsburghese, GO Stillers!!
Inland North… big shocker, I was born in Wisconsin.
Mine was the the west. As expected this backs our assertion that we don’t have an accent.
I always thought I spoke Brooklynese, but this survey says that I speak Northeastern. Oh well maybe it’s because I haven’t lived in Brooklyn for some 26 years.
What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.Philadelphia The Inland North The Midland The South Boston The West North Central What American accent do you have?Quiz Created on GoToQuiz
Mine was the west. As I expected, it stated that we do not have accents. However, that said, from what I have heard from others is that people on the west coast do not have an accent with respect to pronounciation but do with respect to choice of vocabulary.
I’m from California, and got “Midland” as the answer. This is way wrong.
Though I’ve lived in California for most of my life, I’ve lived in WA, AZ, OR, IL, ID as well. Most of my formative years were in IL (near Chicago); we thought the native Chicago accent was funny (we being from the Far West).
I think there need to be more questions to elicit a correct response. There need to be questions about the meaning of regional words, like:
Do you know what a Frappe is?
o Yes
o No
If you know, you’re more likely to be from the South (though it’s not perfect, since I know and only traveled in the South a couple of times…)
It said that I definitely have a Boston accent. Well, I do admit to spending 2 weeks there 36 years ago, but no. I live in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island. I suppose that should make me “The West”, but that covers a lot of sins. For example, in the State of Washington, just to the south of us, there is quite a range of accents, though I think less severe than when I was a kid.
When I was about 20, a friend and I were hitchhiking into San Francisco. We got a ride over a bridge with some “freak”, who in a few minutes was able to tell me where I was born, based on the way I spoke, my “accent”. Now that’s amazing.
Incidentally, a lot of national U.S. newscasters / show hosts have been Canadian. Strangers in your beds.
I’m from California and was tagged as from Philly. The quiz couldn’t be more wrong. I have also lived in Texas and Mississippi for a short time, but never in the North East.
I’m living in Phoenix, and everyone around here seems to have a strong Mexican accent. WEIRD!
I am from Ireland a tiny country with dozens of accents I have travelled allot in the US ( just back from Chicago ) and I dont think there is an accent you can meet people from anywhere from the North East to California they all sound the same you know like even Americans say this to me when in Ireland
Apparently, I’m from the Northeast of the USA:
“Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.”
… which is quite amusing, because I’ve never been there. I’m English.
Hmmm…. like #9, a native Californian who gets rated ‘Midland.’ But, I’ve always heard that CA accents are ‘no’ accents…although most from other CA natives!
“North Central” is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw “Fargo” you probably didn’t think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
I guess that is because I am Canadian….
Pretty accurate quiz but I don’t think I sound like the Fargo characters..
It is usually people from them Midwest that say they don’t have an accent. The Midwest accent is considered to be the most universal and acceptable that is why most national news anchors spend time learning how to speak with that accent if they are not already from the Midwest.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/010607dnbuspesos.31047f5.html
a use for those peso’s after all
Hmm … I got the ” …Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.” too – that’s likely good, seeing as I am Canadian … -and I agree with KB (3) about the different accents in the same person too – I’m from a rather rural area of Canada, and hear it coming out in my voice when I talk to my grandparents … kinda weird. (Oh, and how nice of JCD to try and get us to reveal all our places of origin – just don’t do the quiz on the secret meaning of your social insurance number 😉 (Social Security for all you American folks))
This quiz was faulty. I have lived in Florida all my life and the quiz said I was 100% from Philly. I have never even been to Pennsylvania!
@25. i wouldn’t want to be associated with small town hokey hockey players either. Come on??? Is hockey even played anymore? Didn’t they have a strike and nobody cared?
BTW- I am from Canada too and CHOSE to lose my accent at age 19-21. I am now rated The West.
I think accent has more to do with environmental factors, temp, humidity etc than anything else. Canadians talking with frozen lips sound similar to frozen Fargoers. 🙂
But wait… I’m suppose to be dead and not spending my plush stolen corporate booty on some Caribbean island. That pronounced “Ka Rib Be In” by the way. 😉
Perfect! “Your Result: Philadelphia”
Go Iggles!
(Actually it’s South Jersey and Delaware – but no matter.)
My result: Midland with a minor in West.
Born and lived in California all my life. Dad is CA/OR/WA raised, but puts the “R” in wash. (Warshington is the state; Washington is the one in DC). Mom is from Brooklyn, but moved here at age 8.
I have an aunt who is from Australia. Uncle picked her up while he was in the service in the early 1950s and brought her to his first stateside job….Atlanta. Everyone there thought she was from Boston!