Regional Sayings: Say These 9 Words and We'll Tell You Where You Grew Up | Hacker News Reader

Regional Sayings: Say These 9 Words and We'll Tell You Where You Grew Up

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20 pointssherilm18 comments

Shame that it's US-centric. New World English has a fascinating continuum of region dialects and syncretism. For example just over the border in Western Canada, a sticker you put on a car is pronounced 'deck-al' instead of 'dee-cal'. That one is a dead giveaway for someone from AB or BC.

In southern New England we pronounce that "bumpah stickah".

One I've heard a few Canadians pronounce differently is either "California" or "Pennsylvania" with an extra syllable. So, where an American would say the "nia" syllable like "nya", a Canadian would say "Cal-i-for-knee-a"

I still wish I knew why this particular difference exists

Still, useful to see if these types or other types of patterns might exist in other areas of the world.

For example, studying the written english of anyone, globally, based on certain phrases you can usually narrow down where they have spent some or a major part of their formative years.

I still have yet to here anybody in Canada pronounce about as "a-boot".

Yeah.

More Zee/Zed types of differences between Canada and the US.

Americans pronounce Canada in the cutest way with an extra drawl in the ann part.

That's Newphie exclusive innit?

Grew up on the border between "trash can" and "garbage can". The former is indoors, the latter is outdoors.

When I said the word "garbage" in front of some british people they laughed and said it was such an "american" word. They had fun wrapping their mouths around the word. I guess they take their rubbish to the tip in a bin.

> they take their rubbish to the tip in a bin

No, no, no. The bin lorry takes it. :)

I only need 5: Aaron earned an iron urn.

Edited it

I love these things because I grew up all over the US and use terms from different places in a way that's inconsistent and hard to place. Once I did a quiz and it was really totally off.

The way the south ends after Orlando always cracks me up. Growing up in Broward it felt like all my friends parents were lat am immigrants or ex new yorkers

As someone who’s not from the US but learned the language mostly from listening to americans it’s funny how my answers are all over the place here.

Now I’m wondering if I’m the only one who grew up calling a semi / tractor trailer a “Mack truck”.

I'd just like for someone to tell me where the next "reckuhd sale" will be.

i know where i grew up

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