Minnesotan Accents (midwest usa)

Lana   Thursday, July 17, 2003, 13:27 GMT
Ryan,

In western Kansas they actually say "ink-pen" to distinguish it from "pin." Apparently they can't tell the difference. I'd say "Do you have a pen?" and they'd say "Whut kinda pin you wunt?" lol.

I didn't think the Lawrence area had that much of the hick accent. Being in the middle, Kansas seems to have a range from the western/southwestern "hick" (sounds like their mouth doesn't move) to the southern/Texas-like to the midwestern Kansas City ("backs" for "box") etc. I grew up mostly in the eastern part and have the KC accent. Maybe you have to grow up in an area to even hear those distinctions.

In Montana (Missoula), so many people I met were from other places, like Minnesota and the Midwest. I could somewhat distinguish the natives by their accent. It's not very distinct. I mostly distinguished them by their attitudes and behavior.
Clark   Thursday, July 17, 2003, 22:17 GMT
Is it very common in Minnesota that a lot of people are of Scandinavian origin? DO a lot of people have Scandinavian surnames?
Ashley   Thursday, July 17, 2003, 22:38 GMT
well my last name is swedish, but i'm 95% german, and i'm a native minnesotan
Clark   Thursday, July 17, 2003, 23:29 GMT
Hmm, that is interesting. How did you get the 5% Swedish? Have you done your genealogy?
Ashley   Friday, July 18, 2003, 01:58 GMT
Well all the other last names in my family are german, and my dad side and mom side has a lil swedish.
Clark   Friday, July 18, 2003, 02:08 GMT
Ah, seh ich gut yetzt. Ah, I see well now.
HiyaKiani   Friday, July 18, 2003, 06:19 GMT
Ryan

You said something about Michigan people having nasal tones in their accents. My Spanish teacher (who's of Russian descent) said that she was from Michigan, suburban Detroit and I never really could put my finger on what was different about her accent and then you said nasal tone and I said, "Bingo!" That's what was different. She's like 27 years old and she said that when she went back to Michigan for the Christmas holidays, she asked for a 'soda' instead of some 'pop' and her family and friends were talking about "how 'Californian' she's become."

I just had to say that...
Kiani :)
SweetPerson   Friday, July 18, 2003, 15:34 GMT
Does the minnesotan accent sound nasally to any of you?
Ryan   Friday, July 18, 2003, 17:15 GMT
It might to some, but not to me. People from the south or east probably tend to group together northern accents like Minnesota and Michigan.

Kiani, Eminem has the nasal Michigan accent too and it's part of what gives his rapping its distinctive tone.

Other words used in Michigan besides "pop."

Tennis Shoes = running shoes or "sneakers," if you're from out east. They're called "gym shoes" or "trainers" in Britain, by the way, along with several other local dialect words.

Sucker = lollipop elsewhere

Kitty-Corner = "catty-corner" elsewhere

Party Store = small convenience store where one can buy alcohol.

Euchre = northern card game played with only 24 cards out of the standard 52 card deck. Often played when drunk from alcohol bought at a party store.

Ryan
Ashley   Friday, July 18, 2003, 19:40 GMT
Thanks all for your replies, i appreciate it
HiyaKiani   Saturday, July 19, 2003, 06:04 GMT
I forgot Eminem was from Detroit. I always recogize his voice on the radio...

~They say sneakers and tinnis shoes used in California, but won't look at you weird if you say running shoes or gym shoes.
~Sucker and lollipop but mostly sucker.
~Liquor store instead of Party Store. If it's on a corner it's sometimes called the "corner store" (if they know which store you're reffering to.)
In my case, 7-11 is used with all the little kids in my neighborhood. :P
~I only heard of Eucre in the book, "Of Mice and Men," at school
~I don't know what kitty-corner is.

Those were neat facts, Ryan. Thanks for sharing :)
Kiani
Clark   Saturday, July 19, 2003, 07:03 GMT
No, we say "teh-nihs" here in California. But I think that a fair amount of people say "sneakers" over anything. SOme people, mostly the basketball enthuiasts, they use the brand name, or the person promoting their own line of material (ex. Nike's Air Jordan's).

As for "liquor" or "corner" store, in California, we say "liquor store." However, when locals are speaking with each other, the name of the store is used generally.
Ryan   Saturday, July 19, 2003, 07:19 GMT
Kitty- or catty-corner is the idea that something is on the opposite corner of where you are currently located. Basically, the idea is that you have to cross a north-south street and then an east-west street or vice-versa to get to someplace that is "kitty-corner." It comes from some traditional British word that sounds something like "catty," but I can't recall what it is. Maybe one of the Brits on here could help.

If you ever visit Michigan, make sure to go to Meijer (a Michigan version of Wal-Mart) and buy some Vernors (distinctive Michigan ginger ale). But if you can't afford Vernors then you might have to buy Faygo (really cheap Michigan "pop"). The music group Insane Clown Posse, who are also from Detroit and mutual enemies with Eminem, are well-known for their habit of bringing an entire truck full of Faygo pop on tour with them as Michigan is the only place you can buy it.

Ryan
Lana   Saturday, July 19, 2003, 18:51 GMT
Catty-corner is a variation of catercorner, and from there to kitty-corner.
Tim   Saturday, July 19, 2003, 22:11 GMT
Ryan, maybe one of the 'Yanks' here could tell me what "dumbarse" means.