Do you talk more like a Yankee or a Southerner? (US)

[Distracted]

Yayo?

[Alelou]

I actually muse thinking how I might have grown up there if I hadn't moved away when I was 9. I might've turned out to be one of those egghead chemists that makes fat dough working for a crack rock hustler, cookin him up some hardcore Colombian yayo

Glad you didn't!

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had stayed in Florida -- my friends down there, who were fairly 'cool' in a yearbook/newspaper kind of way, got into all sorts of addictions and other unfortunate life choices while I was marooned in a dinky little town in Western Mass, hanging out with the only kids who would tolerate me -- all hopeless nerds. I resented the hell out of it, but I suppose it might have saved my life.

[Elessar]

I actually muse thinking how I might have grown up there if I hadn't moved away when I was 9. I might've turned out to be one of those egghead chemists that makes fat dough working for a crack rock hustler, cookin him up some hardcore Colombian yayo

Glad you didn't!

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had stayed in Florida -- my friends down there, who were fairly 'cool' in a yearbook/newspaper kind of way, got into all sorts of addictions and other unfortunate life choices while I was marooned in a dinky little town in Western Mass, hanging out with the only kids who would tolerate me -- all hopeless nerds. I resented the hell out of it, but I suppose it might have saved my life.

Hey! I might be drivin a Mazzerati down Northern Avenue in Phoenix's seedy night life!

...or more likely, serving 10-15 for manufacturing controlled substances

[Bether6074]

I lived down in Florida for about 5 years. I caught myself saying y'all a couple of times.

[Alelou]

I lived down in Florida for about 5 years. I caught myself saying y'all a couple of times.

When I come back from visiting the folks, I'll probably let a few slip. And I still think it sounds a hell of a lot better than "youse" or "you guys."

One thing I'll never do like my grandmother, though, is squeal. A Southern lady can really squeal, especially upon encountering young'uns who are relations. "Oh my Gaaawwwddddd, look at youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! How you've groooooowwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn! I can't belieeeeeeeeeeeve it!"

That and they'll lie through their teeth if they think it's socially appropriate. My mother doesn't squeal but oh my God will she lie. "I just love what you did with that piece of art in the bathroom." Translation: "What the hell were you thinking? You put a Virgin of Guadalupe in your BATHROOM? Don't you have any idea how trashy that looks?"

[evcake]

Anybody ever read Southern Ladies and Gentlemen by Florence King? She talks about all this stuff. It's quite funny, and I assume she knows of what she speaks, being a Southerner herself, and very proud of it. She also wrote Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady, which is hilarious. Wasp, Where Is Thy Sting is a good one, too.

[Alelou]

No, but I'll have to look it up. Looks like fun!

[Lady Rainbow]

One thing I'll never do like my grandmother, though, is squeal. A Southern lady can really squeal, especially upon encountering young'uns who are relations. "Oh my Gaaawwwddddd, look at youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! How you've groooooowwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn! I can't belieeeeeeeeeeeve it!"

That and they'll lie through their teeth if they think it's socially appropriate. My mother doesn't squeal but oh my God will she lie. "I just love what you did with that piece of art in the bathroom." Translation: "What the hell were you thinking? You put a Virgin of Guadalupe in your BATHROOM? Don't you have any idea how trashy that looks?"

OMG, my husband's grandmother does the squeal thing. And she hugs you like she's Hulk Hogan doing a right-side-up piledriver. Seriously. The woman has no concept of "gentle hug". And yes, she's Southern.

And both my MIL and my mom will lie through their teeth in that way too. And sometimes I play dumb and say (like to the art thing), "Well, thanks. I'm glad you noticed." They get irritated because that's NOT what they meant. (Mean, yeah, but you don't have to lie to tell me otherwise, guys! )

[evcake]

Something's been on my mind...drive-thru liquor stores? Never heard of such a thing. How widespread is this prenomenon?

[JadziaKathryn]

I didn't know they existed until I saw some in Australia. 'Tis true that Aussies drink more than we do.

Incidentally, while we're on the subject of pronunciation, real Aussies pronounce it "Ozzie."

[Linda]

31% Dixie, so definitely on the Yankee side. For many of the individual answers I got Western Great Lakes. No surprise there, since I live a quarter mile from the western shore of Lake Michigan. But I grew up in upstate New York. When I moved to Wisconsin people were surprised I had no 'accent'. I guess when I said New York, they were expecting one of the New York City accents. I think I have picked up many "Milwaukee isms" in the past thirty years, as reflected in the Western Great Lakes tags on my answers.

I wonder how my sister would do on this test. Being a long time Florida resident (15 years) she has picked up a faint Tallehassee accent and her partner has a rich southern accent.

[Linda]

Alelou said "Anybody who is NOT from the South is a Yankee, unless of course you're a damned foreigner."

What would that make a Vulcan be? A damned alien, I guess? They really don't do an alien accent with aliens on Star Trek. In the TOS episode "Journey to Babel" there was one Andorian who had a great accent. I always liked that Andorian because he seemed so alien.

[Distracted]

I think the actor was Yugoslavian or something.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I liked Celia Lovsky's accent. She played the original T'Pau on TOS's Amok Time. I think she was Czech or something.

I was actually a bit miffed that her younger self didn't speak like that on ENT's Vulcan arc.

[Lady Rainbow]

I liked Celia Lovsky's accent. She played the original T'Pau on TOS's Amok Time. I think she was Czech or something.

I was actually a bit miffed that her younger self didn't speak like that on ENT's Vulcan arc.

Maybe T'Pau had to adopt a more "formal" spech pattern when she came into power? Some politicians are like that...they have a different "voice" when theyre doing they job as opposed to a more casual setting. (Kinda like Queen Amidala did in SW I: The Phantom Menace. I guess it was the clothes that made the queen.)