Michigan Accent

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Is there such thing as a Michigan accent?. If so do you have any examples?. Is there anyone famous with a Michigan accent?

I think there is such a thing. I've heard Michiganers and I think they have a distinct way of speaking. It sounds very "northern" to me.

I don't know much about the Michigan accent except that they have the Northern Cities Vowel Shift. This means, among other things that the LOT set is fronted to [a] or possibly even to [{], and the TRAP set is raised and or diphthongized to [E@], [E{], [{_r], etc. This has the interesting consequence that 'stock' in Detroit is close to or the same as 'stack' in Windsor, just across the Canadian border.

Just google "Michigan accent" or "Michigan native"...I know that there are Michiganers out there who write about their accent with love...(It grates my ear, a little...but to each his own music...

Aha! I found it! Type the last line of my post for a sample of Michigan words. Is it Michiganese? I don't know. BTW, I don't hate Michiganers, but they drive way too fast.

http://www.michigannative.com/ma_pronunciations.shtml

<<Is there such thing as a Michigan accent?. If so do you have any examples?. Is there anyone famous with a Michigan accent?>>

Madonna is probably the most famous celebrity from Michigan and if you watch/listen to her early interviews you'll notice that she speaks with a flat, nasally quality that is usually associated with the upper Midwest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx5sfBVW5LA

Nowadays, she speaks in plummy, clipped tones and lower register that come and go like the ocean tide. ;-P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv9m7DxfHZ0

There may be some coarse talk on that Michigan Accent site-be forewarned. Also, I'm not sure what the proper name for Michigan folk is. I've seen different things. No offense to anyone who doesn't like "Michiganer"...Just write back with what you think is best.

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I looked at those video clips. Yes, her speech has changed. I think her intonation has changed somewhat.

The "proper" term for people from Michigan is "Michigander", with a "d".

The accent in the UP of Michigan is a bit different from the one in the LP. The UP accent (also called Yooper) has distinct Scandinavian and Finnish influences, and falls into the North Central category. The accent in the LP, including Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids falls into the Inland North category. This variety is the one with the NCVS. Both varieties have some degree of Canadian raising, although it is much more common in the UP. Vowel sounds (especially o and u) are a bit more rounded in the UP, and most speakers have the low-back merger. However, in the LP, the cot-caught merger is less common.

Metro Detroit accents are very similar to the accents found in metro Chicago, Cleveland, Syracuse, and Rochester.

Film director Michael Moore has a somewhat typical LP Michigan accent.

If you want more examples, try these links:
http://web.ku.edu/idea/northamerica/usa/michigan/michigan.htm
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=112
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=152
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=550
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=552
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=636
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=668

>>The accent in the UP of Michigan is a bit different from the one in the LP. The UP accent (also called Yooper) has distinct Scandinavian and Finnish influences, and falls into the North Central category. The accent in the LP, including Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids falls into the Inland North category. This variety is the one with the NCVS. Both varieties have some degree of Canadian raising, although it is much more common in the UP. Vowel sounds (especially o and u) are a bit more rounded in the UP, and most speakers have the low-back merger. However, in the LP, the cot-caught merger is less common.<<

The dialects spoken on the Upper Peninsula are more an extension of those spoken from there to North Dakota, through Wisconsin and Minnesota, than those "under the bridge", it should be noted. Of course, the most marked Upper Midwestern dialects are probally spoken there

people from Michigan and New Zealand pronounce ACCENT as General A merican ECCENT; FLASH as G.A. FLESH; ADOPT as G.A. ADAPT, CATCH as G.A. KETCH

<<people from Michigan and New Zealand pronounce ACCENT as General A merican ECCENT; FLASH as G.A. FLESH; ADOPT as G.A. ADAPT, CATCH as G.A. KETCH>>

That's not entirely accurate. The raised TRAP in NCVS accents is not generally [E] (I've never heard of that), but [E@] or [E{]. The LOT set in New Zealand is not fronted and unlike in American English, is not merged with PALM. 'Adopt'' would therefore be pronounced [@"dOpt] in New Zealand and [@"dapt] in many NCVS accents. 'Catch' as /kEt_S/ rather than /k{t_S/ is not a NCVS phenomenon, but a common dialectal pronunciation throughout North America. I have it, and I'm certainly not NCVS-affected.

hi, i'm from michigan, born and raised. i live in the suburbs around metro detroit. people from michigan are called michiganians.

that video of madonna is NOT a michigan accent. it's some crap she made up. i've never even heard someone talk like that.

i'd say we have midwest accents. but we put a lot of emphasis on our vowels. we say "pop" instead of soda. the "o" is very obnoxious, and sounds like "AW", rhymes with "paw".

this was the closest example to how most people here speak:
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=550

listen to how she says stOre, bAWb, snAHck, frAWg

Too bad there is not transcription provided, as I can't play Quicktime on here.

That should be "no transcription".

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