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They nailed me.

Nailed, also.

The quiz results even specified Southern Ohio, and while I realize I speak a little differently than most folks in Columbus, Ohio, where I now live, I'm surprised that could have been discerned by so few questions!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: saranita,

Bam..bam.
I have a Southern accent. Surprise!

I was nailed, as well. It even named Chicago (where I live now) and then Wisconsin (where I was born). Geez, does it have ESP?

Evidently some people pronounce Mary, merry and marry differently. This disturbs me because I've never noticed any difference in any accent.

Neveu, I pronounce "Mary" and "merry" identically [probably due to my Kentucky background -- most Central Ohio people tend to say "MAIRee" for "Mary"], but I rhyme "marry" with "tarry." I met some people from Zanesville (very near here) once, though, who instead of "marry," said "murry."

Mary, merry and marry

I have a friend who was born in Worcester (Woosta), MA, and she pronounces them all distinctly differently. I tend to pronounce Mary and merry the same, but marry slightly differently.

OK, I took the quiz. Standard sets of words for determining accent. I got what I pretty much expected: "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." Born and raised in California.

Apparently I have a Philadelphia accent - but of course, as I know very well, I have no American accent at all ;-)

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I got what I pretty much expected: "You have a Midland accent"

That's what I was expecting, but evidently I'm still dragging my Wisconsin accent around 25 years later. Oh ya!

It got me as Wisconsin or Chicago. I would tend to lean away from Wisconsin, but that is probably cultural.

The Mary/merry/marry subject was discussed in depth on a forum on OEDILF. Unfortunately, it was a forum that requires registration so in order to access it, you would have to be a member there.

I was very surprised that anyone would ever pronounce them differently. Sometimes I think the nuances of pronunciation are so fine that the bulk of us don't realize there's really a difference. Other times, of course, the difference is huge.

No accent here - great voice for TV. Actually, I do have a good announcer's voice, if a bit low for a woman. Also a very pleasant phone voice, I'm told, but I think that's more to do with tone and clarity than with accent or lack thereof.

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some people pronounce Mary, merry and marry differently

For 47 years I have tried to teach my otherwise intelligent husband the difference between Merry, Mary and marry. He is from Syracuse, NY.

But what is the difference, missann?

We pronounce all three differently here.

Mary = Mairy
Merry = mehry
Marry = marry (short "a").

arnie, I believe the Bostonian pronunciation is the same as you cite.

I learned this from very vaguely recalled educational cartoon, which used this as an example of regional pronunciations. Having learned it I can hear the distinctions, and with concentration speak them, but they do not come naturally to me.

Spot on. Wow!

Your Result: The Inland North
... when you step away for the Great Lakes you get asked annoying quesitons like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?"

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs -- specifically, the ones that lie between Chicago and Wisconsin.

quote:

Mary = Mairy
Merry = mehry
Marry = marry (short "a").

Wow.

Airy, Berry, bury, Carrie, carry, dairy, derry, fairy, ferry, Gary, hairy, Jerry, Kerry, Larry, merry, Mary, marry, nary, parry, query (but not quarry), sherry, tarry, Terry, very, vary, and wary all rhyme perfectly in the Wisconsin accent that I apparently carry around like an enormous orange neon sign flashing "CHEESEHEAD! CHEESEHEAD!"

Me, too, neveu. I grew up in southern Wisconsin; what about you? I don't think that accent is unique to Wisconsin, though. Surely Chicagoans and other midwesterners have the same accent.

I do disagree with CW that "good" TV or radio broadcasters or phone voices are devoid of accents. Personally I prefer a great accent on announcers or phone calls to those without one. I'd probably be more apt to buy from a telemarketer with an accent than without one (though I hate telemarketers in general!).

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Personally I prefer a great accent on announcers or phone calls to those without one

There is nobody on this earth that has no accent. We simply believe that we, ourselves, have no accent and those who speak like us, similarly, have no accent.

But we do, you know.

I'd also agree with that, Richard, though we have a few above who have said that they have "no accent."

They nailed me with "Midland," and since I grew up in Cincinnati and now live 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia, that was exactly right.

Wordmatic

PS Cat, there are people in Philadelphia who say "Murray" for "Merry"!

I disagree. I have an accent; I know I have an accent; I think most people realize they have some sort of regional accent. Also, there are college courses designed to assist those wanting to go into careers in media communications to "homogenize" their speech. It seems to me that in the U.S. accents are strongest towards the East (East, Southeast, Northeast) and begin to be less noticeable as you move westward. By the time you get to Colorado and states farther west, there are fewer noticeable qualities in accents. I love hearing different dialects. [Are "accent" and "dialect" interchangeable words or no?] But I think I would find it annoying to turn on my local news and hear a reporter or anchor with a very strong regional accent that isn't a Central Ohio accent.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: saranita,

Accent (or pronunciation) is just one part of a language which can differ between dialects. When you start to look at dialects in Europe and elsewhere, you start also to get differences based on vocabulary and grammar. The reason regional varieties are concentrated back East in the States is because English has been spoken there longer than out West. Where I live, English has only been spoken for about 150 years. Back East and down South, it's closer to 300. In Germany, many areas have a dialect (usually only people born there and as a rule not college educated), a regional accented version of High German (for everyday speech), and Standard High German (for formal occasions). The local dialects in the area where I lived (the Rhineland) differed in phonology, lexicon, and grammar.

quote:

Also, there are college courses designed to assist those wanting to go into careers in media communications to "homogenize" their speech.

Interesting...so some people really think that there is such a thing as "no accents" and that you can "homogenize" speech? What happens when that person visits England? Does he still have "homogenized speech?" I can't understand how anyone could have "no accent."

Zmj, that's a good point about the length of time people live in a place being related to the extent of the accent (along with dialect and vocabulary). Still, everyone has some sort of accent, I think.

I joke about having no accent because, in general, my homey midwest AMerican accent is what is seen as the most acceptable broadcasting accent in the US. I know that I have an accent, too. I think it's amusing that this accent I have is what was chosen as the "standard" for broadcasting - and I have no idea who chose it. It is what it is, and it (I have to admit) makes me (sometimes) want to say "Yay me!"

Regional accents can be interesting and attractive, (even in the US). Dialects and local words likewise. To attempt to homogenise speech is a ghastly thought as well as an impossibility. Maybe those who propose such schemes have had their brains homogenised.