<p>ooo - we are cray-ons and Florida people</p>
<p>The Seattle 4-way stop: it doesn’t matter who has the right of way because everyone will try to defer to someone else “you go, no after you, no really you go” there are waving hand gestures involved, etc. or the palm up “right this way” gesture that you might do when holding the door for someone except you hold your hand up towards the windshield so they can see.</p>
<p>Hunt: Is that where the “pig in a poke” came from? Is it really just a pig in a bag?</p>
<p>All of Wisconsin says “cray-on” and “Florida”, and that’s not far from Michigan. Or maybe it’s generational? Older people are one generation closer to their immigrant grandparents or great-grandparents and may have more original language quirks.</p>
<p>My friend from residency from Detroit and I had almost of the same pronunciations-- we found that very obvious when we trained in Cincinnati. They all assumed we were from the same place (Iowa/Wisconsin, me, and Michigan, him.) So most upper midwest dialects must be similar imo.</p>
<p>Columbus-bound kid----try some Cincinnati-style chili-- different than any chili you’ve ever had. I know they have places with it (Skyline, Goldstar) in Columbus.</p>
<p>in the south, a “poke” is a bag or sack. Also, four plus one makes fav.</p>
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<p>Our accent is different than Wisconsin’s. The UP’s is similar to theirs. </p>
<p>It’s funny, people can always distinctly tell that I’m from Michigan. And my family in Minnesota sounds MUCH different than us and we sound different from my family from central Ohio.</p>
<p>I’m third generation Detroiter and my grandfather still gets pegged as being from Michigan even though he’s lived in Cali for 30 years lol.</p>
<p>bclintonk - the person whom you see in Minneapolis ~barely~ stopping at 4 way stops and just rolling on through is my father. I apologize in advance for all of the frustration he will cause you. He explained 4 way stops to me like this : “In Minnesota, everyone is too nice and always allows everyone else to go. Therefore they wait in their position at the 4 way stop forever. I know that they are going to do this, so I just go…” sigh…</p>
<p>Saintfan - I hate to tell you this but that “How to Talk Minnesotan” book is pretty much ALL TRUE. ha ha I have a copy myself. The “little lunch” “supper” thing is more common in rural MN, but you’ll still hear it in the cities (as we call Mpls and St. Paul) every now and then. </p>
<p>One thing your D should know is that in MN we have “The Cities” which are Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis is the larger of the two, and the more well-known I guess, but St. Paul is actually the capitol. Many Minnesotans tend to forget this since Minneapolis has more “capitol city swag” shall we say. 
Once you have the cities, the rest of Minnesota is generally referred to as “Up North.” For example “Where are you going for the 4th.” “Oh, up North to the ‘cabin.’” Everybody has a cabin, somewhere, on a lake. We have over 10,000 lakes so it’s not hard to find a lake to have a cabin on or nearby.
Your D does not want to be venturing ‘up north’ between Oct and April without major snow and cold appropriate attire. I was in International Falls once (Wayyyyy up north) and it was something like 28 degrees below that weekend. No lie. </p>
<p>South of the “The Cities” basically consists of “Mankato” where the Minnesota Vikings have training camp. (this is a tourist destination ONLY when the Vikings have training camp. lol) and Rochester where the Mayo Clinic is. Rochester is very interesting as it attracts some of the smartest people in the world to live and work there, but it is essentially in the middle of nowhere, close to nothing. It’s a fascinating place. </p>
<p>And so concludes my geography tour of Minnesota. I am sure you are all fascinated. lol </p>
<p>Jaylnn- No, I hadn’t heard about “grilling out” as a “fry out.” I’m trying to remember what we called it when I lived there but I’m coming up with a blank. You “Cheese Head.” lol</p>
<p>romanigypsyeyes - I agree with you 100%. I went to school at UMich and I can tell you in a second or two if someone is a Michigander or a Minnesotan. To the ‘trained ear’ lol, there is a big difference in the accent. </p>
<p>Whomever posted that fact about Sarah Palin’s accent I find that fascinating. It is very very Minnesotan and I was wondering how that happened!</p>
<p>Laurendog-- I embrace my Cheeseheadness, lol! Isn’t “fry out” gross? Ew.</p>
<p>Romani-- yes, I can tell a Michigander from a Wisconsinite, but in Cincy they couldn’t! Our accents were different (to my ear) but our dialectic habits-- crayon, etc-- were very similar. That’s what my post said-- the dialects are somewhat similar imo even if the overlying accents aren’t. We just stuck together and laughed at the Southern colloquialisms and accents.</p>
<p>I always just thought Sarah Palin was trying to imitate a midwestern accent. That makes so much more sense!</p>
<p>It was me who posted about Sarah Palin. </p>
<p>You know how everyone around you has the local accent but there will be one person or one friend who BAM---- <em>really</em> has the accent? Like, I have a friend whose Wisconsin accent is so marked that some people actually think she’s from another country. I can hear Minnesota in other people from Wasilla that have been interviewed, but BAM-- Sarah is the one who <em>really</em> has the accent!</p>
<p>Perhaps in a more general sense, there are also differences to notice going to an area (or school) which is much more or less socially conservative than where one grew up.</p>
<p>*Columbus-bound kid----try some Cincinnati-style chili-- different than any chili you’ve ever had. I know they have places with it (Skyline, Goldstar) in Columbus. *</p>
<p>I second this. Also, you’ll have enough kids from Cincinnati at OSU that you might run into the “Please?” phenomenon. If someone can’t hear what you said or aren’t sure what you said, instead of saying, “Pardon?” or something along those lines, many from Cincinnati say, “Please?” - spoken like a question.</p>
<p>weatherga- we do have Nanaimo bars here in the Pacific Northwest. I love them!! Used to make them often, then I turned 40. That practice had to stop right away!! :)</p>
<p>I grew up in CA. I would advise all those sending their children off the CA, particularly So Cal, to educate their kids on earthquake safety. I grew up with the '71, '86 and '94 quakes and I don’t think a thing about them. When I was in college (‘86) we had a pretty strong earthquake at school. Many kids totally freaked out. There was damage, a fire in the chemistry building and the computer science building. It never occurred to me others would not know what to do. (We practiced earthquake drills monthly in elementary school) Escorting classmates out of class and onto the grassy areas was a real eye opener, lots of people were really scared and quite upset.</p>
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<p>Anyone moving to Ohio needs to learn to hate the University of Michigan with a blinding, uncontrollable passion, bordering on rage. And to carry a pack of matches for use in burning cars with Michigan license plates on game day.</p>
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Yep. The reason you don’t want to buy a pig in a poke is that you want to see the pig before you buy it.</p>
<p>I guess I have no linguistic cojones, having given up “pocketbook”, “bubbler” and “carriage” for “purse”, “water fountain” and “cart”. Do those of you who have moved away from your roots find that you hold onto your regionalisms, maybe even pass them on to your kids, or do they fade because you don’t hear them anymore, or just feel funny using them?</p>
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I find that I exaggerate them.</p>
<p>MommaJ, this thread has made me realize just how much I have changed. When I visit my hometown, I pick up the accent, but have left behind the colloquialisms. I abandoned pop for soda, bag for sack, dinner for lunch and ice box for refrigerator. Sad really.</p>
<p>I let them go. And it IS sad. </p>
<p>Suzy-- the first time I went into a bank in Cinti (actually it was in Covington, KY) to open a new account I talked way too fast and the person said, “Please?” and I got all huffy and repeated myself-- “Okay, I need to open up a new checking and savings account PLEASE.” I thought she was making a comment on my bad manners!!! Heehee. What a moron I was.</p>
<p>MommaJ… It’s funny. My uncle is from Detroit but has lived in Cali for well over 20 years. I think he moved to New York for a few years after high school and then has lived in Cali ever since. When I visit him in Cali, he has all the SoCal accents and terms. When he’s on national tv or radio, he switches immediately back into his standard Michigan accent.</p>