The Big Map of North American English Dialects

[billroper]

This is a fascinating map that tries to display the regions for the various North American English dialects.

After a while, it makes my eyes hurt. :)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting map, but my linguistics professor (who thought I should consider linguistics as a career) would call these accents rather than dialects.

[madfilkentist]

I have to agree. The descriptions deal mostly (perhaps entirely) with pronunciation, with little or no discussion of word usage or grammar. Still there's stuff that could keep me occupied for hours.

[robin-june.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see here in this map what we knew when we were growing up: the SouthCoast (TM) of Massachusetts is a different dialect than the stereotypical "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd" of Boston.

My mother tried to raise my sisters and me to have clear and distinct Midwestern pronunciation instead of the "muddy" Massachusetts ones that we grew up immersed in. I think that she succeeded for the most part with me, but sometimes, I think, the other slips in when my guard is down.

And yes, Emeril Lagassi (the single vocal specimen from Fall River MA) is probably a (very) distant cousin of mine; why do you ask? [g]

[sexybass.livejournal.com]

Glad to see Canada is included and French Canadian and Metis are probably the only true dialects with "Newfie" being just wierd :-D but we love it "Ay Boy".

[archiver-tim.livejournal.com]

How can this be turned in a set of rhyming words that don't really rhyme went sung in 'x' place as a guide for songwriters?