Says I don't have an accent. Midlands (PA through IL). Exactly right. A very cunning test.
Although I do have a midwest accent. Such as "warsh", as in wash my car. And "aunt" is pronounced ant (as in Atom or Adam). My kids tease me about it quite often since they were raised out here in the east.
I can relate, as a former "worsh" and "ant" sayer. I have been in CT long enough now that I say Aunt, to which my sister who is still in Nebraska always replies something to the effect that I am hoity toity. And I now say soda, not "pop", which amuses my Nebraska nieces. Though I will always call them rubber bands, not elastics!
True story....when I first moved to CT and started working, the first day I asked my co-workers where the pop machine was. They looked at me like I had three heads and had no idea what I was talking about. Around lunch time, someone had a coke. I pointed to it and said "where did you get the pop?" They all started laughing and said "oh, you mean soda?". I learned quickly!
The biggest argument I ever got into in college was based on regional differences. I mentioned I missed my mother's goulash once. My roommate who was from Minnesota didn't know what I was talking about. I explained it as a one pot meal with ground beef, tomatoes, pasta, corn, onions... to which she said "OH, you mean hot dish!". Neither one of us was willing to back down! Hot dish? Really? But, what do you expect from someone from a state that takes great delight in noshing on lutefisk!
