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How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other

by Drez
9 replies
My son sent this to me and I found it really interesting.

Even when we speak the same language (English) we can sometimes have trouble actually understanding each other.

Check out these maps that show linguistic "conflicts" across the Country.

It may make you think about what/how you write (know you audience). But, if nothing else it's just plain fun.

Here's the link:
22 Maps That Show The Deepest Linguistic Conflicts In America - Business Insider
#americans #differently #english #language conflicts #speak #totally
  • Profile picture of the author MelanieandMiles
    Miles here... Melanie is often working on the content creation/marketing side of our business and I take the lead on the phone for the leads we generate.

    I'm usually taking 3-6 calls per day from qualified prospects from around the country and WOWZERS... Sometimes I feel like I'm speaking to someone who has a different native language than I do, but they are just from another corner of the country. lol. Always entertaining, to say the least!

    Those maps are GREAT! Thanks for sharing this.
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    • Profile picture of the author Arnoud1970
      Originally Posted by MelanieandMiles View Post

      Miles here... Melanie is often working on the content creation/marketing side of our business and I take the lead on the phone for the leads we generate.

      I'm usually taking 3-6 calls per day from qualified prospects from around the country and WOWZERS... Sometimes I feel like I'm speaking to someone who has a different native language than I do, but they are just from another corner of the country. lol. Always entertaining, to say the least!

      Those maps are GREAT! Thanks for sharing this.
      Very interesting! For me (Dutch is my native language) sometimes I have difficulties with strong Texan accent. Most of the time I have no problems with American way of English. However the writing is different from UK English.
      I shall never write labour, odour or colour without an u.

      By the way I remember once I took a cab in Washington DC and the driver asked are you from Ireland? No sir people over there speak much better English than in The Netherlands!
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  • Profile picture of the author Greg guitar
    They left out the difference between "please move over and let me pass you", which:

    1) In Ecotopia, otherwise known as Seattle, is expressed by 2 flashes of one's headlights followed by a self effacing smile and a wave.

    2) In Appalachia (to an "outlander") by forcing them at the point of a shotgun into a "Rasslin match" with your "Uncle Dad", or "Aunt Mom" if Aunt Mom's big and mean enough, until the outlander "squeals like a pig", or simply by forcing them at shotgun point to marry your "Cousin Sister" (the one you're not already married to).

    3) In New York City, by a 10 second blast of the horn; if that fails, 20 seconds, then 30. Then if need be, a friendly but firm nudge with your front bumper (you're doing it wrong if you don't see their head snap back); if that fails and you're in a good mood, you force them off the road, pull them out of their car and beat them senseless, or if you're feeling a bit blue or low energy, you just gun them down ("hey, they was askin for it", is the most popular defense for the "unfortunates" who get caught).

    4) In Los Angeles, by 2 warning shots.

    5) In Texas, same as LA, except "warning shot" in the Texas/American phrase dictionary is defined as "shotgun blast to the face at close range" (most popular court defense "But Judge Good Ole Boy, I saw an armadilla [pronounced "armadillo" in the rest of the US]; them's good eatin. Naturally when I see an armadilla, I grab my shotgun so's to rustle me up some roadkill without the tire tracks. This here varmint got in my way; giving me no choice but to shoot.")
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeremey
      I've always been amazed by the similarities between deep Louisiana, San Francisco, and some NYC accents are.

      I do realize this map is linguistic and not "accents" - looks like Louisiana, NY, and the Bay area couldn't be further apart on what exactly a "crawdaddy" is.
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      • Profile picture of the author NoeyGoes
        I never understood why some people pronounce "wash" with an R in the middle...
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    When you're way up there in Wiscansan you can drink a battle of watter.
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    • Profile picture of the author bluewatersailor
      I've heard most of the major accents and lots of minor ones for the US (I travel a lot, professionally as well as for the fun of it.) No problem with most of them, Louisiana "lazy mouth" included... except deep-woods Jawja. E.g., a Good Ole Boy had asked my wife "aty'ubn?" - we both gave up after several tries (including a variation, "eey'ubn?") and just shrugged.

      Later, we figured out that he was asking "(is) that your husband" and "(is) he your husband". And it wasn't just him; that was normal for the area. Very soft (or dropped) consonants plus dropping your voice toward the end of what you're saying... and it's as good as encryption. The Bostonian "cahner", Idahoan "terlet", and the North/South Carolinian (and other) "warsh" don't even come close.
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  • Profile picture of the author wrcato2
    I heard from an Australian once say that Americans put a lot of emphasis on our R's.
    instead of "pass the butta" it is "pass the butterrrr"
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