Why do Minnesotans have accents?

[mysteryowl]

The key to detecting a Minnesota accent can be as simple as asking someone to pronounce the name of our state. The so-called "Minnesota o" — as long as a Minnesota goodbye — is among the accent's most distinct characteristics.

That flat, nasal Minnesota accent has come to symbolize a folksy charm. After "Fargo" infamously showcased the niche dialect, it became a subject of curiosity and consternation. Hollywood actors who have portrayed Minnesotans say it's the toughest accent they've tackled.

And even native speakers want to know more. "Why do Minnesotans have accents?"
[snip]
"That's where the controversy is," said Daniel Haataja, a linguist who teaches Finnish and phonology at the University of Minnesota, when asked about the accent's origins. "I don't think it's settled."

Many linguists attribute Minnesotans' unusual single-tone pronunciation of long "a"s and "o"s to the influence of Scandinavian settlers, as those sounds are common in languages of that region.
[snip]
"So the question is whether those characteristics were already existing in the English of the earliest English-speaking immigrants," he said. "Or whether those characteristics came from Swedish and Norwegian."

https://www2.startribune.com/speech-dialect-scandinavian-norway-sweden-fargo-minnesota-accent-flat-nasal/600114150/

There is more in the article.

&t=68s

[highplainsdem]

1. I lived in Minnesota, in St. Paul, in the 1960s, and I never heard anyone with an accent like that.

None of our neighbors, none of the students or teachers I met.

[mysteryowl]

4. The movie exaggerated the accent for comedy purposes.

It worked!

[Music Man]

16. Definitely exaggerated.

But there's a kernel of truth there

"Fargo" is such a great movie. The aforementioned scene with the cop and the old man really captures the vibe. Stoic but kind. Chit-chatty but with generic Midwestern conversation fillers. "You got that right!" "Oh yeah, sure!"

[MineralMan]

5. I hear it occasionally in the metro area, but rarely.

It originates up in the Iron range, mostly. There, you'll hear it more often. It was heavily exaggerate in the movie "Fargo," though.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

12. This scene...

"Hey Wade! Whatcha watchin'?"
"GOphers!"

[MineralMan]

13. Yah, you betcha.

I'm not a native Minnesotan, but I'm a pretty good accent mimic. The Minnesota Iron Range accent is one of the hardest ones to do I've ever seen.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

14. A deceased dear friend of ours, Tommy Yurkivich, was from the Iron Range...

From Eveleth. He talked like that. Lots of Yugoslavs up there.

To hear Yurki(we called him that) tell stories of when he and the late Herb Brooks, played Hockey together in the 1964 Olympic Games. They remained friends for years. Tommy worked with my husband at IBM in Rochester. He even was at Lake Placid in 1980 when Herb Brooks took the US Men's Hockey team to Gold against the Russians.

[edisdead]

37. Which is nowhere near Fargo.

The iron range that is. Dontcha know?

[FHRRK]

29. but she was from Brainerd don't cha know

and it is a CLASSIC movie.

How the hell is loading a person into a wood chipper a laughable scene!

[mysteryowl]

33. No kidding!!

I believe it is called dark humor.

[joanbarnes]

2. Love it

In the 80's we drove a few miles north from Iowa to Minnesota for a weekend ski trip and really noticed the accent. Michigan has its own sound too.

[yardwork]

23. Yes, my relatives in western MI have a similar accent.

[yardwork]

24. Yes, my relatives in western MI have a similar accent.

[PeaceWave]

3. Being able to pass for Canadian would be useful when and if the shit hit the fan.

[OAITW r.2.0]

26. Absolutely! Spent some quality time in Owen Sound, Ontario.

They speak Canadian Minnesotan up there.

[maxsolomon]

6. My family in Cleveland had that accent.

My mom still had traces of it decades after moving to Cincy.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

7. Lots of Norwegians here in Minn-e-sOta, dOncha know?

When living up in Nort(h) Dakota before moving to Minnesota in 1976, people up there talked as if they just got off the boat. Using that same accented style.

Howard Mohr's funny book HOW TO TALK MINNESOTAN is the Bible for Linguists.

Starting a conversation followed by a reply...
------"Been havin' pretty good luck with that Ford there?
------"You bet!"

A Classic for sure, you betcha!

[mysteryowl]

8. I need to order that book!

They have the book in audio format too!!!

I requested a hold from the public library. Thanks!

[BaronChocula]

17. Just to back that up

Lawrence Welk was born to German-speaking immigrants in North Dakota. He didn't learn English until he was grown.

Reminds me of something not unrelated. Sojourner Truth (before she was Sojourner Truth) was born and enslaved on a Dutch farm in upstate New York. She didn't learn English until she was sent to another farm at the age of nine.

[LittleWoman]

19. Howard Mohr passed away in 2022

Last edited Thu Aug 8, 2024, 02:45 PM - Edit history (1)

As a Minnesota native I loved that book! At one point in the Twin Cities there was a theatrical performance based on the book and as I remember it ran for a couple of seasons (this was a while back so my memory may be a little faulty) The book actually became a musical, a public television special and was updated in 2013.



https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/09/06/author-howard-mohr-known-for-how-to-talk-minnesotan-dies

[MineralMan]

22. I read that book long before I moved here.

It was at my mother-in-law's house, and I read it, laughing out loud in some places. Funniest thing ever, really.

[BigDemVoter]

9. I was born in Minnesota but didn't grow up there.

I DO have family who live there. I went back as an adult and was struck by the accent. . . . It was funny, as none of the Minnesotans I met thought that THEY had an accent. But of course nobody ever thinks they have an accent when compared to other areas.

I have lived in San Francisco for decades now. This is one of the few areas of the country where I wasn't strongly struck by a regional accent. Maybe because it's so diverse and there are so MANY different accents?

[nycbos]

10. I worked on the Pritzker campaign in 2018.

I had a colleague, who was originally from Minnesota. His accent was very subtle during the workday, but it became really thick after you got some beers in him.

[mysteryowl]

11. That is funny!

[GusBob]

15. "Say ya' to da' you-pee der hey"

From the slogan "say yes to michigan"

You hear it in most of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

Why do folks in the south have a drawl ?

Its the way you grow up talking

[sinkingfeeling]

18. I lived near Rochester in the mid-80s and heard the accent all the time.

[geo1]

20. I'm from the southern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan and I have an accent

My wake up call on that was when I went on a trip around Europe in the mid 70's (back in the day when college students could do it on the cheap). I met up with a group of students from other parts of the country (edit - US) who began laughing at my accent - something about how we pronounce the short "a" sound as I recall. I remember one of those kids was from New Jersey, and he had what I thought then was a very odd accent. I've traveled through a lot of different states in more recent years and observed there are a wide variety of different accents across the country, including variations across states in the south.

[keep_left]

21. The "Fargo" movie dialect was a *really* exaggerated Hollywood version...

...of the northwest WI/northern MN/eastern Dakotas dialect. You definitely don't hear a lot of "Yaaaaaahh, you betcha" in the Twin Cities, for example. However, there is still a definite Northern Plains dialect, which is easily noticed when one travels. People in cities like Boston who have their own strong regional dialect notice it right away. Interestingly, Northern Plains people often notice subtle differences in similar dialects from other regions: Pennsylvania Dutch transplants sometimes have quite striking accents.

Part of what gives away the Northern Plains dialect is our rather "creative" lexicon: "pop" instead of soda, "hotdish" (all one word!) for casserole, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-Central_American_English

[NickB79]

25. Lots of Swedish influence here

My hometown of Upsala, Minnesota was settled by Swedes from Uppsala, Sweden.

The Iron Range is full of Norwegian towns. Then we have New Ulm, where the Germans put down roots, and New Prague, where a bunch of Czechs got lost 🤣

Also, I don't think a single day has passed in 20+ yr that I didn't say "Ope" at least once 🤣

[mysteryowl]

34. "New Prague, where a bunch of Czechs got lost" 🤣

Hilarious!

I suppose that is how it happened way back when. Dont' ya know
The journey would dictate where they ended up.
You betcha

[OAITW r.2.0]

27. Reason 54,245 why I read DU.

For posts like this. No invective, just fun convo's on this post of the moment. Thanks!

[mysteryowl]

35. Nice comment

We all thank ya

[surfered]

28. You betcha!

[msfiddlestix]

30. I always felt like it might be connected to the Swedish who had settled there some generations ago

That speculation was based on the number of Traditional Swedish musicians I have met over the years from Minnesota.. But I've never fact checked my speculations.

[SalamanderSleeps]

31. Has anyone entertained the idea that it could be us that have the funny accents?

[Emile]

32. Oh yeah, that's quite a story.

Minnesota people think my Indiana accent is southern.

[edisdead]

36. Jesus fuck... Please don't... aww fuck you did it.....

THe fucking Fargo thing.

Let's do it folks. Where is Fargo located? Sure we answer the Phooooooooone and sometimes we go out in da Booooooat but honestly nobody younger than 60 really has that much of the accent anymore. Although we do all mostly say baygel.