Sunday, May 15, 2005

Linguistic profiles



Your Linguistic Profile:



45% Yankee

40% General American English

10% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern




I once took the 500 or so question test this one was cribbed from, and it identified me as mostly a southerner. I use a lot of words interchangably, lifted from many areas of the country, and the world. For examle, I tend to say Arse as well as Ass, and Shite as well as Shit (living in Ireland). Actually a lot of Irish and english expressions found their way into my personal lexicon.

For things that I am very certain, or in complete agreement with I will often use the term "absolutely", which was both a thing in the Air Force, and an Irish/English thing.

My family used to call carbonated sweet beverages tonics (a new englandism, especially Boston), a water fountain a bubbler, and the days of the week were "Satdee, Sundee, Mondee, Tuesdee, Wensdee, Thursdee and Fridee".

Somehow I managed to avoid developing a strong Boston accent; in fact generally I don't have one at all, sounding more southern or southwestern most of the time (another remnant of the Air Force) unless I've been spending a lot of time with Bostonian friends and family lately. My brother Rob on the other hand... well I usually describe him as sounding like an extra from "Good Will Hunting"...

Actually that's something that really irritated me. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (who I actually knew when I was a kid through an accelerated learning program that we were both a part of called ACE. He was a senior when I was a freshman, and we met when I was in Jr. High, and he did "The Second Voyage of the Mimi") both grew up in and around Boston (Caimbridge mostly)both graduated high school there, and did some college there. They both DO still have slight Boston accents, that come out most when they are speaking quickly or with great feeling, and they CERTIANLY know how a Boston accent should sound; so why were their accents in good will hunting so HORRIBLY bad?

The only genuine Boston accent in that movie was from the loosah with the white affro who was always stealing food; who I BELIEVE was played by Bens younger brother Casey.

I wanta heah Ben Affleck oaddah a lahge regulah from Dunkins, and sound like he knows whaddies sane deammit.

Yeah, we really shuah do talk like theat. If theyah from tha Naweth Shawer, like Reveah tha axint is wicked gay; and every freaking other word is freakin pissah oah oawsum.

Shaws has TWO syllables; I sweah.