Spin off: regional dialect quiz accurate?

[EMom]

It's very accurate, but I could have predicted that: the linchpin question was the sandwich description. As a general rule, no one outside of a 150 mile circle around New Orleans calls it a po-boy, but that's one of the few truly Louisianian expressions I've never been able to shake (mostly because they are just so darned GOOD there. It's the bread.) If I hadn't had that very unique answer on my list, I think it would have had a lot less accuracy.

The trick for me was "do I answer it with what I'd prefer to say, or with what I would need to say to make myself understood where I live?" I kind of split the difference, because I've been here 30 years now.

I grew up a twice that far from New Orleans and called it a Po’boy. But that came from my parents, who lived in a New Orleans suburb for a few years. Most people called it a sub sandwich where I grew up and eventually I changed over to that.
The city listed for me was within 60 miles of where I grew up.

 

[Planogirl]

Pretty accurate. Houston area is where I did most of my growing up.

 

[AlohaNow]

I took the quiz again putting in different answers and I didn’t have that question the first time!

The second time I got yellowish cities spread out in the Midwest, so now I’m not wondering if GPS is somehow involved!

Definitely not, because I'm now about 2,000 miles away from my correct red areas that showed up! My results even tracked perfectly from where I lived before and after we moved while I was a teenager. You and I have pretty much the same map @ramee !

 

[AppleDumpling]

It's very accurate, but I could have predicted that: the linchpin question was the sandwich description.

Same here. Very accurate, no surprise. I’ve seen these before and I match on all the word usage, plus the stereotype accent for the New York City area (I’m from Long Island.) The linchpin for me is the Mary/merry/marry thing. Seems like the only Americans who pronounce all three differently are those of us from NYC/LI/NJ. What’s interesting is that the British do too.

 

[skeeter31]

Accurate for me. I got Newark, Yonkers, New York and I’m originally from Long Island so pretty close.

 

[AlohaNow]

I just watched DS14 take the quiz and some of the questions were different. Interesting! His results showed closer to where we now live, but lots of red in the northeast too, because that is his parental influence in how he speaks. What threw some red into the west was definitely firefly instead of lightning bug!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well one of the 3 cities is in my metro and borders the city I currently live in. I've lived in that city it picked twice in my lifetime, my high school was in that city. The other two cities were in the state above me which were right by each other. Apparently I'm firmly in the midwest and it was accurate for me.

I do remember taking this years ago and it was accurate then. I know some of the things I answered were dissimilar to my area just must be enough is similar.

 

[AlmostHeavenAppalachia]

I have always lived in WV near the OH and KY borders, and it matched me with cities in the deep south, with Columbus, GA being the closest match. Taken at face value, the test result would seem inaccurate. However, both of my parents are from Savannah, GA, so I guess I was influenced more by their dialect than by the dialect of the region where I was born and raised.

 

[Random Ninja]

I took it twice since someone mentioned multiple questions and got some pretty weird results IMO. First time I got Richmond, Montgomery, and Mobile. Second time was Yonkers, Philadelphia, and Newark. My grandmother is from Alabama so I can understand those but the rest... I have no idea.

 

[Kestryl]

It’s very accurate for me- my homestate (Michigan) is just completely lit up. The three key words were pop, kiddy corner, and Devil’s Night.

 

[NotUrsula]

Same here. Very accurate, no surprise. I’ve seen these before and I match on all the word usage, plus the stereotype accent for the New York City area (I’m from Long Island.) The linchpin for me is the Mary/merry/marry thing. Seems like the only Americans who pronounce all three differently are those of us from NYC/LI/NJ. What’s interesting is that the British do too.

I answered that one the same way, because for me, while my terminology is very Southern, my pronunciation generally is not; parental influence again. I'm first-generation, and I absorbed a lot of my immigrant parents' British diction habits. (So, MAY-ree, MEH-ree, MAHR-ee)

 

[brockash]

Not real accurate for me, but I've lived a lot of places. It said I was from the midwest, although strong ties to CO and parts of PA. I'm from PA, but lived almost half my childhood in CO. I've been married to the military for the last 20 years though, so we're kinda "homeless." I did try to base my answers on what I called things as a kid. My dad was born/raised/still lives in PA, but my mom was kinda from all over...still I was surprised to see IL, KS, and NE (all places I've never lived) as the pinpoints.

 

[brockash]

Definitely not, because I'm now about 2,000 miles away from my correct red areas that showed up! My results even tracked perfectly from where I lived before and after we moved while I was a teenager. You and I have pretty much the same map @ramee !

Interesting... I'm currently living somewhat close to my pinpoints, even though I've never really lived in this area before...maybe GPS is involve and that explains my pinpoints...hmmm

 

[indimom]

Pretty accurate. It says I'm from Ft. Wayne, Cincinnati or Akron. I live in Indiana, but am closest to Cincinnati.

 

[mamamary]

NYC. I knew it would be correct after the first question.

 

[aggiedog]

I was WAY off, but I'm linguistically confused since I lived in New England (my dad grew up there and still uses words/sounds like it.) until I was 8 then moved to Upper Michigan until I was 15, and have been in Texas since. The program picked Arizona and two states in the deep south. I do enjoy reading what the other options for words are, or even the "I have no word for this."

 

[Minnesota!]

Considering I am in the Twin Cities...I'd say it's accurate

 

[skeeter31]

Same here. Very accurate, no surprise. I’ve seen these before and I match on all the word usage, plus the stereotype accent for the New York City area (I’m from Long Island.) The linchpin for me is the Mary/merry/marry thing. Seems like the only Americans who pronounce all three differently are those of us from NYC/LI/NJ. What’s interesting is that the British do too.

And I just can’t wrap my head around how someone could pronounce those 3 words similar lol. It just sounds wrong to me.

 

[CynBeth]

They had me as Baltimore, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro and I have lived in MD my whole life.

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow, three cities, seven - fifteen miles from me. I know that some questions like mischief night and traffic circles make it easier to pinpoint.