nytimes's united states 'dialect map' quiz

edit: put some (probably didn't get all but w/e) in an album - quite the variation, haha.

seemed interesting, not all that new but i don't think i've seen it posted here before so yeah - do this 25-question quiz and it generates a map showing which areas your own dialect is most similar to.

link here
edit
: one of the options under 'share' provides a direct link to your results, kinda like this (http://nyti.ms/1juACKC) - fyi!



i got pretty amusingly dispersed results (what the fuck is a honolulu) - then again, unsurprising considering my background is a huge jumble of mostly british influences (uk university, singapore, british international school in hong kong) with random americanisms from books/ tv shows/ internetting. i'd imagine those actual americans among you would probably get more concentrated results, haha

questions change a bit each time you do it, randomizing between 30ish total (apart from the first question, which always stays the same). out of curiosity i ran through it a few times to try and get them all, lmk if you find any that i missed~
1) Do you call the sweet spread that is put on a cake frosting or icing?
frosting // icing // frosting and icing refer to different things // both // neither // other

2) Do you pronounce cot and caught the same?
different // same

3) How do you pronounce aunt?
with the vowel in ah // to sound like ant // with the vowel in caught // I have the same vowel in ah, caught, and aunt // to sound like ain't // I use ah when referring to the general concept of an aunt, but I use ant when I refer to a specific person by name // I use ant when referring to the general concept of an aunt, but I use ah when I refer to a specific person by name // other

4) How do you pronounce been?
with the vowel in sit // with the vowel in see // with the vowel in set // other

5) How do you pronounce caramel?
with 2 syllables (car-ml) // with 3 syllables (carra-mel) // I use both pronunciations interchangeably // I use both pronunciations, but the two have different meanings // other

6) How do you pronounce crayon?
with one syllable—rhymes with man // with two syllables—sounds like cray-ahn // with two syllables, where the second syllable rhymes with dawn // sounds like crown // other

7) How do you pronounce the first syllable of lawyer?
rhymes with boy // rhymes with flaw // I use both pronunciations interchangeably // other

8) How do you pronounce the second syllable of pajamas?
with the vowel in jam // with the vowel in palm // other

9) How do you pronounce the words Mary, merry and marry?
all three are pronounced the same // all three are pronounced differently // Mary and merry are pronounced the same, but marry is different // merry and marry are pronounced the same, but Mary is different // Mary and marry are pronounced the same, but merry is different

10) How would you address a group of two or more people?
you all // yous / youse // you lot // you guys // you 'uns // yinz // you // other // y'all

11) What do you call a big road on which you drive relatively fast?
highway // freeway // parkway // turnpike // expressway // throughway/thru-way // a freeway is bigger than a highway // a freeway is free (i.e., doesn't charge tolls); a highway isn't // a freeway has limited access (no stop lights, no intersections), whereas a highway can have stop lights and intersections // other

12) What do you call a drive-through liquor store?
brew thru // party barn // bootlegger // beer barn // beverage barn // we have these in my area, but we have no special term for them // I have never heard of such a thing // other

13) What do you call a large motor vehicle used to carry freight?
semi // semi-truck // tractor-trailer // trailer truck // transfer truck // transport // truck and trailer // semi-trailer // 18-wheeler // truck // rig / big rig // lorry // other

14) What do you call a sweetened carbonated beverage?
soda // pop // coke // tonic // soft drink // lemonade // cocola // fizzy drink // dope // other

15) What do you call a traffic jam caused by drivers slowing down to look at an accident or other diversion on the side of the road?
rubberneck // rubbernecking // rubbernecking is the activity (slowing down and gawking) that causes the traffic jam, but I have no word for the traffic jam itself // gapers' block // gapers' delay // Lookie Lou // curiosity delay // gawk block // I have no word for this // other

16) What do you call a traffic situation in which several roads meet in a circle?
rotary // roundabout // circle // traffic circle // traffic circus // I have no word for this // other

17) What do you call an easy high school or college class?
gut // crypt course // crip course // bird // blow-off // meat // other

18) What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
sunshower // the wolf is giving birth // the devil is beating his wife // monkey's wedding // fox's wedding // pineapple rain // liquid sun // I have no term or expression for this // other

19) What do you call the area of grass between the sidewalk and the road?
berm // parking // tree lawn // terrace // curb strip // beltway // verge // I have no word for this // other

20) What do you call the area of grass in the middle of some streets?
boulevard // midway // traffic island // island // neutral ground // I have no word for this // median or other

21) What do you call the insect that flies around in the summer and glows in the dark?
lightning bug // firefly // I use lightning bug and firefly interchangeably // peenie wallie // I have no word for this // other

22) What do you call the large, wild cat native to the Americas?
mountain lion // cougar // puma // mountain cat // panther // catamount // mountain screamer // painter // other

23) What do you call the long sandwich that contains cold cuts, lettuce and so on?
sub // grinder // hoagie // hero // poor boy // bomber // Italian sandwich // baguette // sarney // I have no word for this // other

24) What do you call the night before Halloween?
gate night // trick night // mischief night // cabbage night // goosy night // devil's night // devil's eve // I have no word for this // other

25) What do you call the rubber-soled shoes worn in gym class or for athletic activities?
sneakers // shoes // gym shoes // sand shoes // jumpers // tennis shoes // running shoes // runners // trainers // I have no general word for this // other

26) What do you call the small freshwater lobster often found in lakes and streams?
crawfish // crayfish // craw // crowfish // crawdad // mudbug // I have no word for this critter // other

27) What do you call the small gray bug that curls up into a ball when it's touched?
pill bug // doodle bug // potato bug // roly poly // sow bug // basketball bug // twiddle bug // roll-up bug // wood louse // millipede // centipede // I know what this creature is, but have no word for it // I have no idea what this creature is // other

28) What do you call the small road parallel to the highway?
frontage road // service road // access road // feeder road // gateway // we have them but I have no word for them // I've never heard of this concept // other

29) What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?
bubbler // water bubbler // drinking fountain // water fountain // other

30) What is the distinction between dinner and supper?
supper is an evening meal; dinner is eaten earlier // supper is an evening meal; dinner is the main meal // dinner takes place in a more formal setting than supper // there is no distinction; they both have the same meaning // I don't use the word supper // I don't use the word dinner // other

31) What would you call a sale of unwanted items on your porch, in your yard, etc.?
tag sale // yard sale // garage sale // rummage sale // thrift sale // stoop sale // carport sale // sidewalk sale // jumble / jumble sale // car boot / car boot sale // patio sale // other



-- does anyone actually use frosting and icing to refer to different things?? what would be the difference?

-- re. "big roads on which you drive really fast", "a freeway has limited access (no stop lights, no intersections), whereas a highway can have stop lights and intersections" - i would respectively call those motorways and expressways, haha.

-- dinner to me is the main meal you have at 6-7pm, supper is a midnight slice of pizza or sandwich or something like that, more substantial than a snack but less than a meal, if i'm planning on staying up for considerably longer

-- baguette here definitely refers to the whole subway sandwich thing (i'd literally ordered a "brie baguette" just the other day - tuna baguette, salmon baguette, etc) but yeah to which i've had multiple people horrifiedly informing me that baguette refers only to a specific type of bread and just the bread

-- i "literaryily know" i guess that boulevard, verge, kittycorner refer to certain things, but i'd never actually use those words in daily life conversation so idk

-- conversely, which of you guys actually uses things like "the wolf is giving birth", "the devil is beating his wife", "monkey's wedding", "pineapple rain" to describe rain plus sunshine??? that said, though, "sunshower" is an incredibly adorable word and i am adopting it as of right now
 
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chimp

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Its funny how we take some words for granted.
Like "traffic circle", "water fountain," "mischief night," and even "sunshower." Until now I was under the impression that everyone used those words.
 

EV

Banned deucer.
I got Seattle, Portland, and Salt Lake City as my top three closest cities. Not surprising since I was born and I live in Seattle and I've lived in Portland (and my brother was born in Salt Lake.)

And yeah we don't have drive-thru liquor stores here. We just got liquor in our grocery stores a few years ago and that was a big enough deal.
 

vonFiedler

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I live in Washington and I got the great lakes area (such as Detroit). Is the dialect in that area also subtly influenced by Canada? Cause that'd make a lot of sense.
 

Aldaron

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lol this was fun if only for the nostalgia factor

reminded me of freshman year in college with everyone commenting on different accents / speech mannerisms

got new jersey, appropriate as I grew up in new jersey
 
i did this a while ago and got chicago, some city super close to chicago, and san francisco. grew up mostly around chicago but never lived anywhere near california
 

scene

Banned deucer.

Hilariously varied, probably because I'm not American (although the odd americanism has crept into our variation of the language). Also if all those words are really used in general conversation regularly, that's a really charming. I didn't have anything for a couple of questions (drive through liquor store?), which made me sad.
 
I'm not from America either, but I got a lot of red in the South-East, with Birmingham, Mobile, and Jackson being the three places that most matched. I found the former funniest as I live in Birmingham, UK. To anyone who has been to both, are the dialects similar at all?
 
Newark, New York, and Baltimore. Originally from DC, so not sure whether I should praise the thing for reasonable accuracy or damn it for comparing me to a New Yorker.
 

Arcticblast

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I haven't been farther east than Ohio for more than an hour since I was two years old and I live in Pittsburgh with two parents who are both eastern so ?_?

Might have fucked up a couple of those questions though
 

Myzozoa

to find better ways to say what nobody says
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I got Anaheim, Corona, and Fresno, all cities in southern california where I was born.
 
Kind of interesting, I got Boston, New York and Miami even though I used to live near Phoenix. Just goes to show you how much your dialect changes in the span of ten years.
 
I got New York, Yonkers and New Jersey, although I answered other/ don't use any for a lot of these. Nevertheless, I've been lost in translation occasionally in LA.
 
I got Boston, Worcester, and Newark/Paterson. Makes sense tbh, I was born in Boston and live 15 minutes away.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
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Boston, Miami, Pembroke Pines (first time I have heard of that place lol)

I'm spanish and have learnt mostly 'British' english, but I have been to the USA once, so I didn't think this was going to be accurate. I guess getting Florida has something to do with me being a spaniard?
 
Drive through liquor store? Really?
Yeah apparently those exist, I've lived in five states and never seen one though.
i've never seen one either [alberta], but my best bro [virginia] says he had them there, and i believe he says they were called "brew thrus" there.
~*~*THE MORE YOU KNOWWWWWWWW*~*~
edit - here's mine. one of them's seattle, which makes sense enough; i live fairly close to seattle. i don't like the garage/yard sale question, though, simply because i use both depending on where the sale is actually situated, but since they used the word "yard" in the question, i figured i'd answer literally.
 
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As a Philadelphian who never really left the city to live somewhere else for an extended period of time, they were pretty spot on. The darkest colors were in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area and they claimed Philadelphia, Yonkers, and New York for me.

As a Philadelphian though, I hate being compared to a New Yorker.


EDIT: Also, liquor stores not owned by the state aren't even a thing around where I live let alone drive thru liquor stores. I saw one drive thru beer distributor but we called it just that.
 

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