It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with North American regional phonology. (Discuss)

American English has some regional differences. See also North American regional phonology. For information on regional lexical differences, see Regional vocabularies of American English. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In many ways, compared to British English, American English is conservative in its phonology. ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ... In many ways, compared to British English, American English is conservative in its phonology. ... This article deals with lexical differences within American English; see American English regional differences for differences in phonology and grammar. ...

General American English

Written English is standardized across the U.S., and in schools abroad specializing in American English, although it differs slightly from the written British-based English used in many other countries across the globe. By contrast, there is some variation in the spoken language. There are numerous recognizable regional variations (such as New York-New Jersey English), particularly in pronunciation, but also in vernacular vocabulary. Note: this article may be of particular interest to non-native users of English. ... New York Dialect is the variety of the English language spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland counties, and all of Long Island. ...

Most traditional sources cite General American English (occasionally referred to as Standard Midwestern) as the unofficial standard accent and dialect of American English. However, many linguists claim California English has become the de facto standard since the 1960s or 1970s due to its central role in the American entertainment industry; others argue that the entertainment industry, despite being in California, uses Midwestern. Certain features which are frequent in speakers of California English, particularly the cot-caught merger, are not often considered as part of the standard. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of California. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... // Father-bother merger The father-bother merger is a merger of the Early Modern English vowels and that occurs in almost all varieties of North American English (exceptions are accents in Eastern New England (such as the Boston accent) and New York-New Jersey English. ...

Regional dialects in North America are most strongly differentiated along the Eastern seaboard. The distinctive speech of important cultural centers like Boston, Massachusetts (see Boston accent); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina; and New Orleans, Louisiana imposed their marks on the surrounding areas. The Connecticut River is usually regarded as the southern/western extent of New England speech, while the Potomac River generally divides a group of Northern coastal dialects from the beginning of the Coastal Southern dialect area (distinguished from the Highland Southern or South Midland dialect treated below, although outsiders often mistakenly believe that the speech in these two areas is the same); in between these two rivers several local variations exist, chief among them the one that prevails in and around New York City and northern New Jersey. Categories: US geography stubs ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... The Boston accent is the English dialect not only of the city of Boston, Massachusetts itself but also much of eastern Massachusetts. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Nickname: Motto: Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She cares for her temples, customs, and rights) Location of Charleston in South Carolina. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ... The Connecticut River as seen from the French King Bridge in western Massachusetts. ... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ...

The sounds of American speech can be identified with a number of public figures: Ted Kennedy speaks with a Boston accent, while Jimmy Carter speaks with a Southern coastal accent. Chuck Schumer speaks with a New York accent. The North Midlands speech is familiar to those who have heard Neil Armstrong, John Glenn and Hillary Clinton, while Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Robert Byrd speak with South Midland accents. Comedians Mel Brooks and Ray Romano retain typical New York accents while Jack Black and Pauly Shore have the standard sound of southern California. Edward Moore Ted Kennedy (born February 22, 1932) is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. ... The Boston accent is the English dialect not only of the city of Boston, Massachusetts itself but also much of eastern Massachusetts. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is currently the senior U.S. Senator from the state of New York, serving since 1999. ... Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and naval aviator. ... For other persons named John Glenn, see John Glenn (disambiguation). ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917) is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Raymond Romano (born December 21, 1957 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated, American actor and comedian best known for his starring role on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond. ... NY redirects here. ... Jack Black (born Thomas J. Black, Jr. ... Pauly Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for starring in a series of comedy films in the 1990s. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

African American Vernacular English (AAVE, commonly known as Ebonics, Black English, etc.) contains many distinctive forms. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

Eastern New England

The accents of eastern New England, including those of Boston (see Boston accent), New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine (also called Down East), are characterized by a number of phenomena that distinguish them from General American (GenAm). Traditionally, these accents (with the exception of Martha's Vineyard) are non-rhotic, but this feature is slowly losing ground, especially with the vowel [ɝ]. Further, most accents in this region have not merged the vowels of father and bother, that is, the two do not rhyme, as they do in GenAm. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... The Boston accent is the English dialect not only of the city of Boston, Massachusetts itself but also much of eastern Massachusetts. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,359 sq mi (24,239 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 3. ... “RI” redirects here. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Down East is a New England geographical term that is applied in at least a couple of different ways. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Map of Marthas Vineyard. ... Phonemic differentiation is the phenomenon of a phoneme in a language splitting into two phonemes over time, a process known as a phonemic split. ...

In general, these accents undergo the cot-caught merger, making cot and caught homophonous as /kɒt/. They also have a dwindling group of words with broad A, such as past, half, aunt, can't. Among non-rhotic speakers, the broad A is identical to the sound usually spelled ar, so that past/parsed and aunt/aren't can be homophonous pairs. // Father-bother merger The father-bother merger is a merger of the Early Modern English vowels and that occurs in almost all varieties of North American English (exceptions are accents in Eastern New England (such as the Boston accent) and New York-New Jersey English. ... The trap-bath split is a vowel split that occurs mainly in southern varieties of English English, in the Boston accent, and in the Southern Hemisphere accents (Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English), by which the Early Modern English phoneme was lengthened in certain environments and ultimately merged...

The distinction between the vowels of horse and hoarse is maintained in traditional non-rhotic New England accents as [hɒs] (with the same vowel as cot and caught) vs. [hoəs].

Words that have [ɒɹV] in RP (where V stands for any vowel), such as origin, Florida, horrible, quarrel, warren, borrow, tomorrow, sorry, sorrow, all have [ɒɹV] in eastern New England, unlike GenAm where most have [ɔɹV] (except the last four in the list, which have [ɑɹV] in GenAm as well). Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

The eastern New England accents have not undergone many of the vowel mergers before intervocalic [ɹ] found in General American. For example, many accents in this region preserve the distinction between [ɪəɹ] (as in nearer /nɪəɹə/) and [ɪɹ] (as in mirror /mɪɹə/), as well as the distinction between [ʌɹ] (as in hurry /hʌɹi/) and [ɜ] (as in furry /fɜɹi/).

Like some other east-coast accents as well as AAVE, some accents of eastern New England merge [oɹ] and [ʊɹ], making homophones of pairs like pour/poor, more/moor, tore/tour, cores/Coors etc. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

New York City and northern New Jersey

Main article: New York-New Jersey English New York Dialect is the variety of the English language spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland counties, and all of Long Island. ...

As in Eastern New England, the accents of New York City and northern New Jersey are traditionally non-rhotic. But the vowels of cot ([kɑt]) and caught ([kɔət]) are distinct; the former is distinct from that of cart (/kɑət/) only by being short and monophthongal. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ...

The accent is well attested in American movies and television shows, especially ones about American mobsters. Bugs Bunny and Groucho Marx both had a Brooklyn accent. The accent is often exaggerated, but it still does exist to some degree with many Brooklyn natives. A more contemporary version of this can be found on the popular television show The Sopranos, which is set in Essex County, New Jersey. However, it is important to note that the dialect portrayed on this television show does not apply to citizens of the entire state; it is a particular socio-ethnic accent. Mobsters is a 1991 crime drama detailing the creation of the National Crime Syndicate. ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Julius Henry Marx, AKA Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase and originally broadcast on the HBO network. ...

Mid-Atlantic Region

Northeastern Pennsylvania

The dialect of the Wyoming Valley (including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre) is Northeast Pennsylvania English. A lesser-known Wyoming Valley exists in western New York in Wyoming County, where the valley of Oatka Creek is commonly known as the Wyoming Valley and includes the villages of Wyoming and Warsaw. ... The City of Scranton is the county seat of Lackawanna CountyGR6 in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 76,415 (2003 estimate: 74,320). ... Nickname: The Diamond City Motto: Pattern After Us Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Luzerne Founded Incorporated  Borough  City 1769  1806  1871 Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Leighton (D) Area    - City  7. ... Northeast Pennsylvania English is the local dialect of American English spoken in northeastern Pennsylvania, specifically in the Wyoming Valley area, which includes Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. ...

Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley

Main article: Philadelphia accent

The accent of Philadelphia and nearby parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, is probably the original ancestor of General American. It is one of the few coastal accents that is rhotic, and one of the first to merge the historical [oɹ] of hoarse, mourning with the [ɔɹ] of horse, morning. It also maintains the cot-caught contrast, unlike New England and western Pennsylvania. Nevertheless there are differences between modern Philadelphia speech and General American, some of which will be outlined here. The Philadelphia accent is the accent of English spoken in Philadelphia and extending into Philadelphias suburbs in the Delaware Valley and southern New Jersey. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Official language(s) None Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Area  Ranked 49th  - Total 2,491 sq mi (6,452 km²)  - Width 30 miles (48 km)  - Length 100 miles (161 km)  - % water 21. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... Phonemic differentiation is the phenomenon of a phoneme in a language splitting into two phonemes over time, a process known as a phonemic split. ... // Father-bother merger The father-bother merger is a merger of the Early Modern English vowels and that occurs in almost all varieties of North American English (exceptions are accents in Eastern New England (such as the Boston accent) and New York-New Jersey English. ...

• "Water" is sometimes pronounced /wʊdɚ/, that is, with the vowel of wood
• As in New York-New Jersey English, but unlike General American, words like orange, horrible, etc., are pronounced with [-ɑɹ-]. See English-language vowel changes before historic r: "Tory-torrent merger".
• On is pronounced [ɔn], so that, as in the South and Midland (and unlike New York and the North) it rhymes with dawn rather than don.
• The [oʊ] of goat and boat is fronted, so it is pronounced [ɞʊ], as in the Midland and South.
• The phoneme [æ] undergoes æ-tensing in some words; fewer words have the tense [eə] in Philadelphia than in New York City.
• As in New York City and Boston, there is a three-way distinction between Mary, marry, and merry. A recent development is a merger of the vowel of merry with Murray.
• Canadian raising occurs for [aɪ] (price) but not for /aʊ/ (mouth)
• There is a split of [eɪ] (face) so at the end of a word (for example, day) it sounds like it does in Australia, while in any other position (for example, date) it is pronounced more like [i]. Commonly confused words include eight and eat, snake and sneak, slave and sleeve.
• South Philadelphia has been known for r-dropping, even though it has never been a characteristic of the rest of the region.

New York Dialect is the variety of the English language spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland counties, and all of Long Island. ... The English language has undergone a number of phonological changes before the historic phoneme . ... // Trap-bath split The trap-bath split is a vowel split that occurs mainly in southern varieties of English English (including Received Pronunciation), in the Boston accent, and in the Southern Hemisphere accents (Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English), by which the Early Modern English phoneme was lengthened... The Boston accent is the English dialect not only of the city of Boston, Massachusetts itself but also much of eastern Massachusetts. ... The English language has undergone a number of phonological changes before the historic phoneme . ... Canadian raising is a phonetic phenomenon that occurs in varieties of the English language, especially Canadian English, in which diphthongs are raised before voiceless consonants (e. ...

Baltimore, Maryland

See the separate article on Baltimorese Baltimorese, sometimes phonetically written Bawlmerese or Ballimerese, is a dialect of American English which originated among the white blue-collar residents of working class South and Southeast Baltimore. ...

Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh English has a number of distinctive features. Please refer to that article for more information. Pittsburgh English is a popular term for the dialect of American English spoken by many residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and surrounding Western Pennsylvania. ...

Buffalo, New York

The city of Buffalo has some very distinct patterns in english. Please refer to this article, Buffalo English Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ... Buffalo English, sometimes colloquially referred to as Buffalonian, is the unique variety of English used in and around Buffalo, New York. ...

South

Main article: Southern American English Southern American English as defined by the monophthongization of to before obstruents (Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006:126). ...

• monophthongization of [aɪ] as [aː], for example, most dialects' "I" → "Ah" in the South.
• Coastal Southern speech (also some East Coast) is non-rhotic.
• [e] and [i] merged before nasal consonants, for example "Wendy" becomes "Windy", "pen" becomes "pin", and so forth.
• Unlike most American English, but like British English, [j] (the y sound) is retained before [u] after the consonants [t], [d], [θ], [s], [z], [n], and [l].
• In the Deep South, vowels tend to take the hard sound more often, for example, "on" and "own" are similar; "can't" and "ain't" and "glass" and "face" also might rhyme.
• Some verbs have alternate meanings not found in other regions. For example, 'cut' the light off, or 'mash' the buttons

A monophthong (in Greek μονόφθογγος = single note) is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation; compare diphthong. ... // Weak vowel merger The weak vowel merger (or Lennon-Lenin merger) is a phonemic merger of (schwa) with unstressed (sometimes written as ) in certain dialects of English. ... A nasal consonant is produced when the velum—that fleshy part of the palate near the back—is lowered, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. ... // H-cluster reductions The h-cluster reductions are various consonant reductions that have occurred in the history of English involving consonant clusters beginning with /h/ that have lost the /h/ in certain dialects. ...

New Orleans

While including such characteristics of the Southern U.S. English as using "y'all" for second person plural, the New Orleans accent is so unlike the rest of the South and so similar to that of New York City that New Orleanians traveling in other parts of the USA are often mistaken for New Yorkers. Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ...

Many pronunciations are surprisingly similar to that found in New York City and northern New Jersey, presumably arising from a similar mix of immigrants. Parallels include the split of the historic short-a class into tense [eə] and lax [æ] versions, as well as pronunciation of cot and caught as [kɑt] and [kɔt]. The stereotypical New York curl-coil merger of "toity-toid street" (33rd Street) used to be a common New Orleans feature, though it has mostly receded today. New York Dialect is the variety of the English language spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland counties, and all of Long Island. ... // Trap-bath split The trap-bath split is a vowel split that occurs mainly in southern varieties of English English (including Received Pronunciation), in the Boston accent, and in the Southern Hemisphere accents (Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English), by which the Early Modern English phoneme was lengthened... // Phonological history of the low front vowels æ-tensing Bad-lad split Trap-bath split Phonological history of the low back vowels Main article: Phonological history of the low back vowels Father-bother merger Lot-cloth split Cot-caught merger Phonological history of the high back vowels Foot-goose merger and...

Perhaps the most distinctive New Orleans accent is locally nicknamed "yat", from a traditional greeting "Where y'at" ("Where are you at?", meaning "How are you?"). One of the most detailed phonetic depictions of an extreme "yat" accent of the early 20th century is found in the speech of the character Krazy Kat in the comic strip of the same name by George Herriman. While such extreme "yat" accents are no longer so common in the city, they can still be found in parts of Mid-City and the 9th ward, as well as in St. Bernard Parish, just east of New Orleans. Krazy Kat is a comic strip created by George Herriman that appeared in U.S. newspapers between 1913 and 1944. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... George Herriman and some of his fans. ... The 9th ward is a highly distinctive region in New Orleans, Louisiana that is located in the eastern downriver portion of the city. ... St. ...

The novel A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is generally considered the best depiction of New Orleans accents in literature. A Confederacy of Dunces is a novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the authors suicide. ... John Kennedy Toole (December 17, 1937 – March 26, 1969) was an American novelist, from New Orleans, Louisiana, best known for his novel A Confederacy of Dunces. ...

Acadiana

English speakers in this specific region of southwest Louisiana (also referred to as Cajun country) have carried over many words and phrases from the colonial French (i.e. Newfoundland, Nova Scotia) due to the eviction and resettlement of early French colonials by the British. A number of people in this area speak a variety of Cajun French, although the number has been declining in recent years. Cajun French is one of three varieties or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes. ...

Central and South Florida

The speech used in the urban and coastal areas of Central and South Florida (everything south of and including Orlando) is noticeable for not being a typical southern accent, because a large proportion of the inhabitants of the area are either natives of the Northeast (and therefore speakers of accents like New York-New Jersey English) or else native Spanish speakers (predominantly from Cuba.) The accents heard in some parts of this region, especially in older communities such as Aventura, Boca Raton, or West Palm Beach, are that of the typical New Yorker. However the southern dialect is still predominantly spoken in the rural and inland areas of Central and South Florida. Location of metropolitan area in the state of Florida Major cities Miami, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida West Palm Beach, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 15,896 km² (6,137 mi²) 2,621 km² (1,011 mi²) 16. ... New York Dialect is the variety of the English language spoken by most European Americans in New York City and much of its metropolitan area including Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland counties, and all of Long Island. ... Location in Miami-Dade and the state of Florida. ... Boca Raton is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ... West Palm Beach is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. ...

In Miami, a unique accent, commonly called the "Miami accent", is widely spoken. It developed by second- or third-generation Hispanics whose first language was English. It is very similar to accents in the Northeast, but contains a rhythm and pronunciation heavily influenced by Spanish. However, a Miami accent is not Spanish-accented English, as many Miami residents who are not Hispanic or do not speak Spanish speak with the Miami accent as well. Although many Miami natives will deny that they have an accent, those outside South Florida will identify a unique accent spoken by Miami residents.

Inland North

Main article: Inland Northern American English

A distinctive speech pattern is centered on the Great Lakes region. This is the Inland North dialect - the "standard Midwestern" speech that was the basis for General American in the mid-20th Century, though it has been recently modified by the northern cities vowel shift. The Inland North Dialect of American English was the standard Midwestern speech that was the basis for General American in the mid-20th Century, though it has been recently modified by the northern cities vowel shift. ... The Great Lakes from space The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Three isoglosses identifying the NCVS. In the brown areas is more retracted than . ...

This area consists of western New York State (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse), parts of Michigan's Lower Peninsula (Detroit, Ann Arbor, etc.), Cleveland, Chicago, Gary, and Southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Racine). NY redirects here. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ... Nickname: Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Government [1]  - Mayor Robert Duffy (D) Area  - City  37. ... Nickname: The Salt City Location of Syracuse within the state of New York Coordinates: City Government  - Mayor Matthew Driscoll Area  - City 66. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... “Gary” redirects here. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

• By the Northern cities vowel shift, cad, cod, cawed, Ked, and cut are pronounced [keəd], [kad], [kɑd], [kʌd], and [kɔt], respectively.
• The starting point of /aʊ/ (for example, mouse, down) is pronounced noticeably in the back of the mouth ([mɑʊs], [dɑʊn]), while /aɪ/ (mice, dine) is much further front: ([maɪs], [daɪn]). Standard American diphthongal glide /ɪ/ and word- or morph-final /ɪ/ are pronounced as a shortened /i/.
• The long-o of "bone" and "goat" is rounded and pronounced far back.
• The word "on" rhymes with "don," not with "dawn."
• Canadian raising is found in areas close to the Canadian border.

Three isoglosses identifying the NCVS. In the brown areas is more retracted than . ... Canadian raising is a phonetic phenomenon that occurs in varieties of the English language, especially Canadian English, in which diphthongs are raised before voiceless consonants (e. ...

The Midland

West of the Appalachian Mountains begins the broad zone of what is generally called "Midland" speech. This is divided into two discrete subdivisions, the North Midland that begins north of the Ohio River valley area, and the South Midland speech; sometimes the former is designated simply Midland and the latter is reckoned as Highland Southern. The North Midland speech continues to expand westward until it becomes the closely related speech of California, although in the immediate San Francisco area the speech more closely resembles that of the mid-Atlantic region. Appalachians in North Carolina The Appalachian Mountains (French: les Appalaches) are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. ... Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of California. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

The South Midland dialect follows the Ohio River in a generally southwesterly direction, moves across Arkansas and Oklahoma west of the Mississippi, and peters out in West Texas. It is a version of the Midland speech that has assimilated some coastal Southern forms, most noticeably the loss of the diphthong [ɑɪ], , which becomes [ɑː], and the second person plural pronoun "you-all" or "y'all." Unlike Coastal Southern, however, South Midland is a rhotic dialect, pronouncing /r/ wherever it has historically occurred. Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,898 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... The dry plains of West Texas, have often been divided up into tracks of land divided by barbed wire fences. ...

Midland dialects cover of the larger parts of Ohio, Indiana, and central Illinois which are not in the Inland North, as well as Missouri, southern Iowa, northern Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska where it begins to blend into the West, and extends into extreme southern parts of Michigan's lower peninsula.[1]

• In some areas, words like "roof" and "root" get the vowel of "book" and "hoof"
• People who pronounce "don" and "dawn" differently pronounce "on" to rhyme with "dawn" and not "don"
• St. Louis has a distinctive accent, see the section on it below.
• South Indiana has a distinctive accent, locally known as the "Hoosier Twang"

South Midlands speech is characterized by: Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country United States State Missouri County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... A Hoosier is a resident or native of the U.S. state of Indiana, but used as a slang term for redneck in other parts of the country, especially in Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas. ...

• monophthongization of as [aː], for example, most dialects' "I" → "Ah" in the South.
• raising of initial vowel of [au] to [æu]; the initial vowel is often lengthened and prolonged, yielding [æːw].
• nasalization of vowels, esp. diphthongs, before [n].
• raising of [æ] to [e]; can't → cain't, etc.
• Unlike most American English, but like British English, glides ([j], the y sound) are inserted before [u] after the consonants [t], [d], [θ], [s], [z], [n], and [l]; that is to say, yod dropping does not occur.
• South Midlands speech is rhotic. This is the principal feature that distinguishes South Midland speech from the non-rhotic coastal Southern varieties.

A monophthong (in Greek μονόφθογγος = single note) is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation; compare diphthong. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

North Central American English

(Northern Iowa, Minnesota (esp. rural), Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota) Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ...

Main article: North Central American English

• As in most North American accents, [ɒ] is merged with [ɑ], so that father rhymes with bother.
• Canadian raising: see section on Canada.
• "roof", "book", and "root" all use the same vowel [ʊ]); "root" and "roof" may be pronounced as rhyming with "scoot," however
• Use of German/Scandinavian "ja", pronounced as either /jaː/ or /jæː/, as an affirmative filler or emphatic; Standard U.S. English "yes" is used in formal settings to answer questions and to start an explanation.
• The word "school" has two syllables, pronounced: "Skoo-ehl".
• Tendency towards a "sing-songy" intonation (the area's earliest European settlers were primarily Scandinavian, and this has influenced the local dialect). More recently, this has been reinforced by an influx of Asians, most of whom speak tonal languages. In urban Minnesota, this variation of NCAE is referred to as "Minnewegian," a portmanteau of Minnesota and Norwegian.
• For a stereotypical example, refer to the movie Fargo. For a more moderate example, Garrison Keillor speaks with a typical Minnesota accent. Accents in the Twin Cities will sound like other midwestern urban centers, and are similar to Milwaukee and Chicago (though the accent is more noticeable in Twin Cities residents born prior to 1950, which had more rural area influences, than those born in the 1980's, which had more influences via television, popular music, and other forms of popular culture). People from other parts of Wisconsin can usually recognize that a person is from the Milwaukee area and vice-versa.
• final /t/ is replaced in the speech of most individuals by /ʔ/, including after nasals, to the extent that a clearly enunciated "can" /kæːn/ in otherwise rapid speech is likely to be confused with "can't." ("Can" is normally pronounced as /kən/, or even with the vowel reduced to a syllabification of the /n/ itself, while "can't" is normally pronounced /kæ̃ːʔ/.)
• collapse of /ð/ with /d/ and /θ/ with /t/: a humorous example would be:
  • • "Yozef? Are you done cleaning da barn?"
    • "No, but it's about two turds [two thirds] done."
• This phoneme collapse is far more prevalent in rural areas. This characteristic is likely due to the large immigrant population (in most cases notably less than a century removed from "the old country"), comprised in great part of speakers of Germanic, Slavic and Finnic languages. One notable exception, giving weight to this theory, is that it is peculiarly absent on Washington Island, in Wisconsin, in the very heart of the prevalence of this trait. Washington Island is home to the most homogeneous Icelander (over 90% of the population) immigrant community in the U.S., and unlike most non-English Germanic languages, the Icelandic language differentiates between the phonemes /ð/ and /d/ and between /θ/ and /t/.
• Older speakers in the region may merge /w/ and/v/ making well sound like vell.
• Perhaps to a greater degree than other parts of the United States, standard American English pronunciation is replacing the regional accent, probably because there is less cultural identity wrapped up in the language than elsewhere

This regional variety has been much popularized, in somewhat satirical fashion, by the popular music group "Da Yoopers" (From "Yooper", a person from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), singing such songs as Second Week Of Deer Camp, Grandpa Got Run Over By A Beer Truck and Rusty Chevrolet. In addition, it has also been satirized in the form of Coach Z, a character on the Homestar Runner web site, and in numerous skits and sketches by the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Canadian raising is a phonetic phenomenon that occurs in varieties of the English language, especially Canadian English, in which diphthongs are raised before voiceless consonants (e. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Fargo is a 1996 dramatic and dark comedy film created by Joel and Ethan Coen. ... Garrison Keillor (born Gary Edward Keillor on August 7, 1942) is an American author, humorist, columnist, musician, satirist, and radio personality. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... A syllable (Ancient Greek: ) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. ... Washington is a town located in Door County, Wisconsin. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Icelandic (íslenska) is a North Germanic language spoken in Iceland. ... Da Yoopers are a travelling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, a town located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ... Yooper May Refer to : - Yooper dialect : The Dialect of English Speech used By The People of Upper Michigan - The Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Its People (Yoopers) - Da Yoopers, A Band From That Area This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share... The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Coach Z is a fictional character in the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. ... It has been suggested that World of Homestar Runner, Bubs, Coach Z, Homsar, The King of Town, Marzipan (Homestar Runner), Pom Pom (Homestar Runner), Homestar Runner (character), Strong Bad, Strong Mad, Strong Sad, The Cheat (Homestar Runner), The Poopsmith, and Trogdor be merged into this article or section. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ...

St. Louis and vicinity

• Some St. Louisans (probably born earlier than 1960) tend to merge the [ɔɹ] sound as in for with the [ɑɹ] sound of far. Interstates 40 and 44, are thus farty and farty-far. Similarly, "corn" is pronounced [kɑɹn]. This accent is otherwise a typical north Midland accent.
• Some younger speakers are picking up the Northern cities vowel shift heard in Chicago, eastern Wisconsin, and much of Michigan, Northeast Ohio and New York State. This vowel shift causes words like cat /kæt/ to become more like [kɛt] and talent /tælənt/ to be more like /tʲælənt/ or /tʲɛlənt/.
• Since this is in the Midland, "on" rhymes with "dawn," and the Northern cities vowel shift makes this more noticeable here than in the rest of the Midland.
• Some speakers, usually older generations, pronounce words like measure as /ˈmeɪʒ.ɚ/, and wash as /wɔɹʃ/, for example, /ˈwɔrʃ.ɪŋ.tən/ for Washington.
• Some speakers, again older speakers more than the younger generations, mispronounce mostaccioli as /mʌskɑtʃoliː/. This seems ironic, with the presence of The Hill.
• Words such as "oil" and "joint" are commonly pronounced awyul and jawynt, particularly among older speakers within the city and immediate suburbs.
• The phoneme[ð] is often substituted with [d], especially among the white working-class urban populace. For instance, "Get in that car over there" sounds like "Get in dat car over dere." This speech characteristic is common in most large old cities of the East and Midwest, reinforcing St. Louis's cultural evolution alongside other northern industrial urban centers.

Three isoglosses identifying the NCVS. In the brown areas is more retracted than . ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are nicknames for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland in Ohio. ... NY redirects here. ... Three isoglosses identifying the NCVS. In the brown areas is more retracted than . ... . ...

West

California

Main article: California English

Some characteristics of California English include: California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of California. ...

• Raising of the front vowels [æ, ɪ] to [e, i] before [ŋ], so that sang and sing are pronounced [seŋ, siŋ]
• Fronting of the back vowels [oʊ, u] to [ɵʊ, ʉ]. The [ʉ] may trigger palatalization of a preceding consonant, so that a phrase like too cool is pronounced [t^jʉ k^jʉl], a pronunciation jocularly spelled tew kewl, especially on the Internet and in instant messenger services.
• Particularly among young female speakers, high rise terminals in non-question sentences, and laryngealization or "creaky voice" of words in phrase-final position.

Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ...

Utah

Main article: Utah English

The regional dialect of Utah is often jocularly referred to as "Utahnics". Utah English, sometimes humorously referred to as Utahnics, is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of Utah. ...

• The merger of [oʊ] and [ʊ] to [ʊ] before [ɫ], making pairs like the following homophonous:
  • bowl / bull
  • foal / full
  • foley / fully
  • Folsom / fulsome
  • poll, pole / pull
  • polar / puller
• diphthongization of [ɛ] as [ɛɪ]: "egg" and "leg" pronounced "ayg" and "layg", "leisure" and "pleasure" pronounced "layzhur" and "playzhur."
• in some cases, "ar" and "or" are reversed: "I was barn in a born" (I was born in a barn).
• shortening of some words from several syllables to one or two: "coral" as "crall", "probably" to "probly" or "prolly."
• Merger of /Ar/ and /Or/ by some speakers so that far and for, card and cord etc. are homonyms.
• the use of "fer" in certain expressions, such as "fer cute", meaning "cute" or "fer ignernt": "stupid."
• due to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, unique euphemisms: "oh my heck" and "gol."

Look up Homophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (also gliding vowel) (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds, or with two tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...

References

• Rainey, Virginia, (2004) Insiders' Guide: Salt Lake City (4th ed.), The Globe Pequot Press, ISBN 0-7627-2836-1
• Article about "Utahnics"

Hawaii

See main article Hawaiian English. Hawaiian English is the standard of the English language as used in the State of Hawaii, and is—along with the Hawaiian language—an official language of the state. ...