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In reply to the discussion: What is your favorite American English dialect? [View all]Odin2005
(53,521 posts)11. False, Michigan is the center of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Northern_American_English
The Inland North dialect of American English is spoken in a region that includes most of the cities along the Erie Canal and on the U.S. side of Great Lakes region, reaching approximately from Herkimer, New York to Green Bay, Wisconsin, as well as a corridor extending down across central Illinois from Chicago to St. Louis.[1]
This dialect used to be the Standard Midwestern speech that is traditionally regarded as the basis for General American in the mid-20th century,[2] though it has been since modified by an innovative vowel shift known as the Northern Cities Shift, which has altered its character.[3]
Notable speakers of the Inland North Dialect include US President Ronald Reagan, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, actors, Dennis Farina, Dennis Franz, Gene Wilder, as well as the late John Belushi and Chris Farley; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; actresses Bonnie Hunt and Jami Gertz; filmmaker Michael Moore; financial adviser Suze Orman; talk show host Steve Wilkos; and musicians Iggy Pop and Bob Seger.
The dialect was used for comedic affect in the Saturday Night Live skit Bill Swerski's Superfans, and in the film The Blues Brothers.
The Inland North dialect of American English is spoken in a region that includes most of the cities along the Erie Canal and on the U.S. side of Great Lakes region, reaching approximately from Herkimer, New York to Green Bay, Wisconsin, as well as a corridor extending down across central Illinois from Chicago to St. Louis.[1]
This dialect used to be the Standard Midwestern speech that is traditionally regarded as the basis for General American in the mid-20th century,[2] though it has been since modified by an innovative vowel shift known as the Northern Cities Shift, which has altered its character.[3]
Notable speakers of the Inland North Dialect include US President Ronald Reagan, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, actors, Dennis Farina, Dennis Franz, Gene Wilder, as well as the late John Belushi and Chris Farley; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; actresses Bonnie Hunt and Jami Gertz; filmmaker Michael Moore; financial adviser Suze Orman; talk show host Steve Wilkos; and musicians Iggy Pop and Bob Seger.
The dialect was used for comedic affect in the Saturday Night Live skit Bill Swerski's Superfans, and in the film The Blues Brothers.
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When we lived in Pittsburgh my SIL told me I have a California accent.
Still Blue in PDX
Jan 2012
#45
Across a thin strip of Northern Ohio there still can be found a strong influence of the speech
Ikonoklast
Jan 2012
#19
Standard American, the goal toward which all educated speakers strive, but a tip of the hat to
dimbear
Jan 2012
#8
I like the Boston accent because it reminds me of the Kennedys. I've also been to Boston twice and
applegrove
Jan 2012
#13
I like the accents in CA (since we don't have accents) LOL! However, if I had to choose an actual
nirvana555
Jan 2012
#16
Not one person has mentioned the New York, Brooklyn, Bronx or Queens accent
Sanity Claws
Jan 2012
#33
Whatever it was in the movie "Fargo." Is that Minnesota? Also, cajun accent. nt
Honeycombe8
Jan 2012
#40
That's it! N Dakota! So you live in Fargo? How cool is that? Literally cool.
Honeycombe8
Jan 2012
#46