American Accent Quiz- Is it You All or Yawl?

I was born in central Kentucky. My mom is from southeastern Kentucky. My dad is from northern Kentucky and there is a difference in how each of my parents sound when they talk. My mother says her accent gets thicker the closer she gets to her hometown.

When I was in the 4th grade we moved to Pennsylvania. No problems with how I sounded there. In the 6th grade we moved to South Carolina. That’s when my accent woes began. I wasn’t allowed to give out spelling words because my 6th grade teacher said I didn’t talk right. Isn’t that awful? By 7th grade I had mastered drawing out the vowel sounds until I sounded like a true southern belle, but then by 8th grade we were crossing the Mason-Dixon Line again, this time for upstate New York. The southern accent was a disaster. By 9th grade, though, I got rid of it.

Now, most people can’t tell exactly where I’m from since I have some sort of blend of everywhere in my speech patterns. If you wonder what your accent sounds like and if people can place you, here’s an accent quiz on youthink.com. For those of you who are not native English speakers, this is one way to get a look at regional differences in how Americans talk. Remember Willy’s post about sweet tea? That’s the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. My accent? According to the quiz, it’s Midland. Interesting.