[solvegas]

Hebrew is an amazing story of a language from antiquity which survived in spite of enemies which tried so hard to kill it off like the Romans and most recently the germans. It truly is a window to the past. It's modern use is a testament to the inherent toughness of a people unjustly persecuted for almost 4500 years. Yup, that's how long the egyptians, sumerians, babylonians, persians, greeks, assyrians, phoenicians, romans and many more have tried to kill them off. Still around while many of the old adversaries are gone. I'm old enough to remember when in catholic church the priest used latin. I had no idea what he was talking about. Anyways, I salute you RandomX for speaking Hebrew. Do you know Yiddish ? I thought that was the languade of the jews in North America.

[pedonbio]

Do you know Yiddish ? I thought that was the language of the jews in North America.

Yiddish is a creole of German used among Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. Ladino is a creole of Spanish used among Jews of Spain, Portugal, and Brazil.

[RDaneel]

I have to press 1 on the phone for customer service. Does that qualify?

[RandomX]

Anyways, I salute you RandomX for speaking Hebrew. Do you know Yiddish ? I thought that was the language of the jews in North America.

I was brought up learning Hebrew, but I actually learned German for the sole purpose of learning Yiddish. Sadly, Yiddish is a dying language so I'm having problems learning it. I've volunteered at old age homes before and the women spoke Yiddish. I couldn't reply but I could follow what they were saying!

Additionally, Yiddish isn't the language of Jewish Americans. In modern times (about 18th century on) Yiddish was a language primarily for old wives of Russia and Poland.

[Q_BE]

70% General American English
25% Yankee
5% Dixie
0% Midwestern
0% Upper Midwestern

This is strange to me, considering I've lived most of my life in North Carolina, or as Nimrod's diagram would indicate, the Eastern North Carolina/Upper Atlantic South. I have spent 5 summers in the Upper North, and the fact my English is 25% Yankee reflects my anecdotal observations that my dialect was more affected by my relatively brief time in the Upper North than by all my years in NC. I do personally tend to favor the dictionary-phonetically-accurate pronunciations, since I was a prolific speller in my youth (spelling bees were one of my things), so you could say that my bookish childhood kept me insulated from the southern twang. I'll never know.

Reflecting back on these environmental factors, it's fascinating to see where your language (and dialect) originate, and how much your individual upbringing, as opposed to your culture, matters.

Q-"What say you, מכתב מקרי של האלפבית"-BE

[pedonbio]

Most identifiable language markers in the U.S. since the 1960s have come from television. That was when the broadcast networks adopted a practice the BBC started in the 1920s of standardizing announcer pronunciation. In the U.S. now the "accent" is much more likely to be the result of watching television than geographical location. Very little television = strong regional accent; more television = more standardized accent.

That being said, my results were:
                                              60% General American
                                              20% Upper Midwest
                                                5% Dixie
                                                5% Midwest
                                                5% Yankee
so I guess my speech is 95% American.    That is because I agree with the late doggo: In life there are no easy classes.

[rtpoe]

45% General American English
45% Yankee
10% Dixie
0% Midwestern
0% Upper Midwestern

Hmm....

By the way, Random, I *love* Yiddish! It has so many wonderfully expressive terms that simply have no correspondence in any other language, nu?

[Hiram]

The dialect here in the north of England would also be alien to Charles.

[onion_writer]

How are people defining "upper Midwestern"? There's the classic Chicagoan, the much-mocked Minnesotan, and the southwest Wisconsin drawl (a roof is a ruf, creek is crik, root is rut, milk is melk). Lots of variation all even in just the upper Midwest.

[bignatslover]

The dialect here in the north of England would also be alien to Charles.

Too funny.  I actually visited Cumbria once.  Can you imagine?  An American in Cumbria.  I had to kindly ask people to repeat themselves three or four times.  And when I spoke, I sounded like I was talking in slow motion and learning disabled. 

[Shara]

55% General American English
35% Yankee
10% Dixie
0% Midwestern
0% Upper Midwestern

but I see spelling errors in the test, not bad for a dutchie

updated:

70% General American English

15% Yankee

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Dixie

0% Midwestern

[J25]

60% General American English

30% Yankee

5% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern


I live within 25 miles of Chicago....not sure about the 0% Midwestern...hmmm.

I have lots of family in Maine, so that makes sense.

[pedonbio]

I must have failed the test; my results only added up to 85%. There were some questions I couldn't truthfully answer because none of the options made any sense.
4: Toilet paper is for wiping your arse
10: In the real world there are no easy classes
14: If I worked out, it would be in trainers

<i>40% General American English
20% Yankee
15% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Upper Midwestern</i>

Every so often, late at night, I browse thru doggo's posts. I miss the old Tory.

[luvdemwhoppers]

NY/NJ .....how ya 'doin?

[luvdemwhoppers]

http://www.youtube.com/embed/_N5S9d5lOqI?feature=player_detailpage