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In reply to the discussion: What is your favorite American English dialect? [View all]Odin2005
(53,521 posts)47. The Upper Midwest was first settled by New Englanders
Older folks here will have accents influenced by German and Scandinavian immigration, but that is mostly gone in folks under 50. In fact, us folks under 30 are picking up elements of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift found in places like Detroit and Chicago. But unlike the folks around the Great Lakes, though like New Englanders and Canadians, we have the Cot-Caught merger, we pronounce "ah" and "aw" the same.
Also, we have the Flag-Plague merger, the short "a" sound (as in bat) becomes "ay" (as in bait) before g and ng.
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When we lived in Pittsburgh my SIL told me I have a California accent.
Still Blue in PDX
Jan 2012
#45
Across a thin strip of Northern Ohio there still can be found a strong influence of the speech
Ikonoklast
Jan 2012
#19
Standard American, the goal toward which all educated speakers strive, but a tip of the hat to
dimbear
Jan 2012
#8
I like the Boston accent because it reminds me of the Kennedys. I've also been to Boston twice and
applegrove
Jan 2012
#13
I like the accents in CA (since we don't have accents) LOL! However, if I had to choose an actual
nirvana555
Jan 2012
#16
Not one person has mentioned the New York, Brooklyn, Bronx or Queens accent
Sanity Claws
Jan 2012
#33
Whatever it was in the movie "Fargo." Is that Minnesota? Also, cajun accent. nt
Honeycombe8
Jan 2012
#40
That's it! N Dakota! So you live in Fargo? How cool is that? Literally cool.
Honeycombe8
Jan 2012
#46