[Palomine]

Quote:
There's a name for languages that no longer adapt to change. They're called "dead". As you implied, Shakespearean English is no longer how they speak in modern day Great Britain and Americans don't speak the way we did in the 1700's. Prince Charles should see how far he would get trying to stamp out all the different dialects in Great Britain before complaining about another country's version of it.  

I was going to post something similar but don't see the point when Herald did such a fine job. Language is dynamic not static when in wide and lively use... though I wince at MISuse of language, new words and slang do not offend IMO.

[gOOber]

 I just wanted to know what people thought was the reason why "language"
came about? How could humans go from not speaking to speaking?

 

[rtpoe]

His Highness needs a refresher course:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6302892058/102-6703253-2734569?v=glance

And I thought someone would have already mentioned Robert MacNeil's show with the same title as this thread:

http://www.pbs.org/speak/

rtpoe

[NeoMyztikX]

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

[BillN]

55% American English
40% Dixie
5% Upper Midwest
0% Yankee
 
BTW "Ya'll" is singular.  "All Ya'll" is plural.

[Janus]

70% General American English
15% Dixie
15% Yankee
0% Midwest
0% Upper Midwest

 Yep, genuine Maryland. To north to be south, too south to be north, and not an ounce of the midwest.

J- My political philosophy? Booyaka. That's all you need.

[Blax12]

 Please, take not that I am italian.

Your Linguistic Profile:
55% General American English
25% Yankee
15% Dixie
5% Upper Midwestern
0% Midwestern

[Nimrod]

Kithara and I took the test -
She got: (from Illinois)
70% General American English
15% Upper Midwestern
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Yankee

I got this: (from Indiana)
65% General American English
20% Upper Midwestern
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Yankee

Fun test.
Now that we are in Kansas City there are a few local terms that we notice that are from the "Midwestern" turn of phrase or at least west of the Mississippi River.

[PregNut]

1. The level of a building that is underground is called the: dirt; don't have either in Florida (at least not in any house I've lived in.)


2. What do you call the night before Halloween?
October 30th.

3. You bring back your groceries in a...
Grocery bag.

4. The act of covering a house or area in front of a house with toilet paper is called...
T.P.-ing

5. You call sweetened, carbonated beverages:
Whatever the brand is. (same here)

6. You drink from:
Water bottle or paper cup, whatever's handy.

7. You tend to call the sweet spread on top of cake:
Icing.

8. Do you use the word cruller?
Nope. I call them 'tractor tires'.

9. What do you call a traffic situation in which several roads meet in a circle and you have to get off at a certain point?
A pain in the ass (ditto)

10. What do you call an easy class?
Study Hall.

11. If it's raining while the sun is shining, you call it:
Welcome to Florida.

12. What do you call something that is diagonal from you?
Over yonder.

13. What is the four wheeled contraption you push around your groceries in?
Race cart.

14. You work out in...
Work out?  12-ounces at a time.

15. "Y'all"...
I never use it, despite being a native Floridian.

16. The second syllable in pajamas sounds like:
'Jays', as in "P.J.'s".

17. Does "caramel" have two or three syllables?
3 vowels, 3 syllables.

18. Do you pronounce "aunt" like "ant"?
Ant or Auntie.

19. "Route" rhymes with...
Root.

20. Mary / marry / merry...
Two, to, too. Sounds the same to me.

[doggo]

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

40% General American English
20% Yankee
15% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Upper Midwestern

[Blax12]

  Ok, I'll make it more interesting for you. This is how to reply in italian.

1. The level of a building that is underground is called the: seminterrato

2. What do you call the night before Halloween?
30 ottobre/la notte prima di Halloween

3. You bring back your groceries in a...
sportina

4. The act of covering a house or area in front of a house with toilet paper is called...
Essere studenti universitari

5. You call sweetened, carbonated beverages:
Coca/pepsi/other brand name

6. You drink from:
Bicchiere

7. You tend to call the sweet spread on top of cake:
Glassa

8. Do you use the word cruller?
No
9. What do you call a traffic situation in which several roads meet in a circle and you have to get off at a certain point?
Rotatoria

10. What do you call an easy class?
A university class where you easily get good grades

11. If it's raining while the sun is shining, you call it:
Eeeeeehhh, guarda (eeeehhhh, look....)


12. What do you call something that is diagonal from you?
Diagonale

13. What is the four wheeled contraption you push around your groceries in?
Carrello

14. You work out in...
tuta

15. "Y'all"...
?
16. The second syllable in pajamas sounds like:
litterally, like "ya" in "yahoo"
17. Does "caramel" have two or three syllables?
4: ca-ra-mel-lo.

18. Do you pronounce "aunt" like "ant"?
No why? There's a u in there...

19. "Route" rhymes with...
None of italian words---

20. Mary / marry / merry...
Maria/sposare/felice

 

[Inherency]

80% General American English
10% Yankee
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern

[Nimrod]

Kithara and I took the test -
She got: (from Illinois)
70% General American English
15% Upper Midwestern
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Yankee

I got this: (from Indiana)
65% General American English
20% Upper Midwestern
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Yankee

Fun test.
Now that we are in Kansas City there are a few local terms that we notice that are from the "Midwestern" turn of phrase or at least west of the Mississippi River.

Five years have gone by and Kithara and I have noticed that we might be clinging more and more to our childhood dialects. We took the test again and got this:

80% General American English
5% Dixie
5% Midwestern
5% Upper Midwestern
5% Yankee

We are even more like our General selves than ever.
Yeah for the Hoosier Apex!

[RandomX]

This is totally OT but I just want to share this based on the subject line.

I'm fluent in English, Hebrew and German. When I used to mention the second to people, IMMEDIATELY AFTER TELLING THEM THE LANGUAGE they'd go "Oh, you speak Jewish?" to which I'd usually reply, "yup. I'm also fluent in Americanese."

Oy.

[RandomX]

Oh, also:

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

That question about Easy A's left my answer out (An easy A), so I'm not sure how much that would have changed things.