I've been meaning to do this meme since it first popped up earlier this year (or was it last year) and I finally took a couple of minutes to record myself talking this evening.
My accent is unusual for someone who has lived in the Kansas City, Missouri area since birth. My mom's side of the family was from South Dakota (and she had some Chicago influence growing up) and my dad is the son of Swedish immigrants. I grew up on the outskirts of town, mostly around my own family, so they had much more of an impact on my pronunciation than the "locals."
Say the following words: Aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, Alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught
And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that curls into a ball when you touch it?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?
(Note: Damn, I have smeary eye makeup and dark circles! Next time I do a video, I'm going to fix myself up a little first.)
Yay! And you totally have a northern/midwestern accent (though it's not strong). I can hear the Dakota/Minnesota/Chicago influence, definitely.
Posted by: MLE | September 30, 2011 at 06:50 PM
You pretty much say everything like I do except for coupon, which I say like "Q-pon". I grew up calling soda "pop". And yes, I can hear the north in there, just a little bit. I was born in Iowa and can detect that accent pretty well.
Posted by: Donna W | October 01, 2011 at 06:19 AM
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel? ummm....thingy? I am pretty sure that says more about my memory than my accent:-P
Posted by: A Librarian | October 02, 2011 at 01:50 PM