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Maps show U.S. language differences by area


little_dreamer

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Is it "tennis shoes" or "sneakers"? Depends on which part of the U.S. that you are in.

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6?op=1

Who knew that when the sun shines in rainy weather, some southern people call it "The Devil is beating his wife"???

http://www.ask.com/question/the-devil-is-beating-his-wife

Or that a drive-through liquor store is called a "brew-thru" in Virginia?

The site doesn't compare "couch" vs. "sofa" though.

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Sofa is how old money says it while couch is how new money, lower class and others say it, universally.

Here is another not listed that some people do, omg, sandwich with a g instead of a d. Then you have the truly pitiful who pronounce it with an m instead of the ndw...

Very fun graphs. So glad to be in the part of Texas that does not speak with a Southern accent, for the most. We are more Southwestern here so share our dialect with New Mexico, Arizona, and the interior parts of California that are not along the coast or within the Inland Empire (they are Okies there, OK).

We do say yall here without the apostrophe and we also say hey for, "what's up?" We even say, "hey, what's up?" Of course there is a difference in the way we say that and the way they truly say it in the South. For instance we will say this, "Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hi' for me!" Someone from the Deep South will say it like this, lol, "Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hey' for me!"

Ooh, the map in the article forgot to list expressway. Now can someone tell me what a biway is?

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I don't match a lot of the terms for SE WI where I grew up. But some of them do :)

And here's another one... What do you call a very small bit of water flowing along.. Creek, crick, brook, stream, or rivulet?

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My father in law is from North Carolina, and they have some weird euphemisms..... :yes:

My mother in law, who was born and raised in Indiana (a Yankee, *gasp*) says pop for soda...I've always called it a coke....

I always thought that was interesting, that depending on where your from, you call things by different names....

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...

"Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hi' for me!" Someone from the Deep South will say it like this, lol, "Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hey' for me!"

...

I would say it the first way. I ususally say "You guys" but sometimes say "y'all" when I am tired or in a hurry.

....

What do you call a very small bit of water flowing along.. Creek, crick, brook, stream, or rivulet?

I would call it a creek.

I also say "soda" instead of pop or soft drink.

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Old timers say "soda water". Do some actually say "so-dee water"? Or is that some joke?

A very few areas use arroyo for creek. The ones who use variants, how do they say creek bed? Stream bed? Rivulet bed?

Edited by The world needs you
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I don't match a lot of the terms for SE WI where I grew up. But some of them do :)

And here's another one... What do you call a very small bit of water flowing along.. Creek, crick, brook, stream, or rivulet?

Crick....

The little town I live right next to is called, Delhi, but it isn't pronounced "deli" like New Delhi in India, it's pronounced "Del-hi".....

Edited by Kowalski
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I lost the majority of my Southern accent years ago. I have to speak to people from all over the world in our business and many have the stereotypical image of the ignorant Southerner when they hear it. I do still say ya'll though.

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Is it "tennis shoes" or "sneakers"? Depends on which part of the U.S. that you are in.

http://www.businessi...ica-2013-6?op=1

Who knew that when the sun shines in rainy weather, some southern people call it "The Devil is beating his wife"???

http://www.ask.com/q...eating-his-wife

Or that a drive-through liquor store is called a "brew-thru" in Virginia?

The site doesn't compare "couch" vs. "sofa" though.

Where I was raised we can "couches" couches and "soda" soda. Anyone who claims they should be called otherwise are backwards barbarians who have no place in civilized society.

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Some of the ways I take words...

Coleslaw.. If you are asked if you want slaw with that order, usually means the cabbage based stuff depending on what food it's being served with, like fried foods. I would expect slaw to mean apple based if I was being served something like roasted pork. Other slaws usually should have their main component named, like broccoli slaw or carrot slaw. But all slaws are always shredded.

It's not tennis shoes or sneakers- its tennies.

I use you guys, y'all, and folks interchangeably.

They are the same critter, but crayfish are what you catch for bait, crawfish and crawdads are cooked for human consumption, preferably with hot spices though non-hot savory spices are good too in a boil with other stuff.

The big road you drive on is "The I" or the interstate. Highways are big state or county roads. So you hop on The I (94) to go to Chicago, or you can take highway (32) to get to Chicago. Those big roads are quite often just termed with their numbers alone. Like you can take 94 or 32 to Chicago.

And for the moving water one I suggested.. I use all of the terms, depends on where it's located, how big it is, how fast it's moving, and what critters or not live in it.

Sofas are bigger than loveseats, smaller than couches. And when they have a pull out bed built in, they are always sofas.

It's soda- pop is your dad or the guy on the rice crispies box. On the rare occasion I order cola, I call it coke. I like seltzer with a lime, and usually have to explain to the waitress that means don't press any syrup button or re-name my drink by saying sodawater.

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...

Sofas are bigger than loveseats, smaller than couches. And when they have a pull out bed built in, they are always sofas.

..

We call them sofa beds or couches with a pull-out bed. They are usually hell to sleep on, whatever you call them.

I have heard sneakers called trainers, running shoes, or athletic shoes by some people.

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And here's another one.. The food usually made with a lot of bread that you serve up along with Thanksgiving turkey.. Is it stuffing or dressing? In our house it was stuffing, though I've heard plenty of folks call it dressing.

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I lost the majority of my Southern accent years ago. I have to speak to people from all over the world in our business and many have the stereotypical image of the ignorant Southerner when they hear it. I do still say ya'll though.

I really could care less, how people view my Texas accent...I'll talk the way I want, and if they think I'm an ignorant backwoods hillbilly...Well...that's their problem, not mine.

I love my accent. :)

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Sofa is how old money says it while couch is how new money, lower class and others say it, universally.

Here is another not listed that some people do, omg, sandwich with a g instead of a d. Then you have the truly pitiful who pronounce it with an m instead of the ndw...

Very fun graphs. So glad to be in the part of Texas that does not speak with a Southern accent, for the most. We are more Southwestern here so share our dialect with New Mexico, Arizona, and the interior parts of California that are not along the coast or within the Inland Empire (they are Okies there, OK).

We do say yall here without the apostrophe and we also say hey for, "what's up?" We even say, "hey, what's up?" Of course there is a difference in the way we say that and the way they truly say it in the South. For instance we will say this, "Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hi' for me!" Someone from the Deep South will say it like this, lol, "Hey, if you see so and so tell them 'hey' for me!"

Ooh, the map in the article forgot to list expressway. Now can someone tell me what a biway is?

Not a thing wrong with grilled ham & cheese sammich. Suprising that you are happy you have a southwestern accent instead of no accent. Southerners don't have accents, folks that don't sound like us have accents!! :yes:

"hows you're momma and them?" and "fixin to come a cloud" are classic.

A byway is a little travled side road.

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Not a thing wrong with grilled ham & cheese sammich. Suprising that you are happy you have a southwestern accent instead of no accent. Southerners don't have accents, folks that don't sound like us have accents!! :yes:

"hows you're momma and them?" and "fixin to come a cloud" are classic.

A byway is a little travled side road.

What does "fixin to come a cloud" mean? Bad weather on the way?

I use byway the same way you do :) Also backroads to denote little traveled roads too.

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In the city here when going somewhere we can either go on the expressway (aka interstate or other highway) or go through the bottom, which means on roads with stoplights and such.

Edited by The world needs you
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What does "fixin to come a cloud" mean? Bad weather on the way?

I use byway the same way you do :) Also backroads to denote little traveled roads too.

Yep, bad storm's acommin'

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I've never understood people saying "I'm trying to catch a cold" Why would you try to catch a cold?

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I've never understood people saying "I'm trying to catch a cold" Why would you try to catch a cold?

Don't think I've heard that one. Only reason I can think of is to miss work/school.

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Don't think I've heard that one. Only reason I can think of is to miss work/school.

They say it when they feel like they are coming down with a cold.

And I always heard "the devil beating his wife" was when you could hear thunder when it's sunny outside.

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milk or mElk?

My buddy from New Orleans calls it that - mElk that is. New Orleanians have a strange accent anyway.

I have to disagree with the one map on hoagies/heroes/subs - where I'm from along the Gulf Coast, it's called a Po-Boy.

I did like the merry/mary/marry. I do the same thing with pen/pin - pronounce them exactly the same way.

I've always been fascinated with how folks in Upstate New York pronounce elementary. Down south we say it like Dr. Watson (eluh-mentry), but up here it's pronounced eluh-MEN-terry.

The coke/soda/pop thing always makes me laugh. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard, "Hey, what kind of Coke do you want? I'll have a root bear."

Anybody call a dresser a chifferobe?

Edited by Rafterman
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Anybody call a dresser a chifferobe?

Bureau.

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Anybody call a dresser a chifferobe?

Not anyone under eighty. I call it a dresser.

The older generation called a refrigerator a frigidaire...haven't heard that in years.

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