Midwestern-ness!

[BigZam]

who was born in the midwest? i was born in Wisconsin. lets all talk like midwesterners!

[Mikomi]

I was born in Indiana. Go corn!!!!

*throws a cheese hat at BigZam*

[Lady Macbeth]

Wisconsin born and bred. Still here.

[agasfas]

I was born and raise in Texas, though I do go up and visit family in Wisconsin every now and then.

[Yojimbo]

Born and raised in Indiana!

[uc pseudonym]

I am from Kansas, which should surprise no one who has read a few of my posts.

lets all talk like midwesterners!

And how, precisely, is that?

[Lady Macbeth]

And how, precisely, is that?

Picking on our accent, perhaps? (I know, I know - Midwesterner's "don't have" an accent. Unfortunately, we do, just like any other regional dialect.)

[bigsleepj]

Can any of you say "job"?

(ducks behind chair)

[termyt]

No secret I'm from oHIo. And I'm not sure what you mean be "talk like midwesterners." The mid-western accent is considered to be the "correct" or at least the "default" accent of the English language.

[TallHobbit86]

I've lived in wisconsin and kansas. great states! (not to imply that any states aren't great ) phrases like "y'all" probably aren't/shouldn't be default american phrases but they're so catchy...

[~Natsumi Lam~]

umm is texas mid-western... i was born there.

~NL~

[uc pseudonym]

Picking on our accent, perhaps? (I know, I know - Midwesterner's "don't have" an accent. Unfortunately, we do, just like any other regional dialect.)

Actually, the inhabitants of some areas of the Midwest technically don't have an accent, in that they use the dictionary pronunciations of all words. Of course, when most people say "accent" they merely mean "people who talk differently than me." And under that definition it is quite true.

Can any of you say "job"?

I must confess, I'm mystified by this one. How can you mispronounce such a simple word? All that comes to mind is a few people who pronounce is "jorb" but none of them are from the Midwest.

[BigZam]

Wisconsin born and bred. Still here.

where in Wisconsin? and how far from Beaver Dam?

[Puritan]

Yay Midwest! I was born in Florida, but have lived in WI for about a decade now. I love it here! As for an accent, well, I sound like most every other midwesterner around here, and they speak pretty standard English. The only people with unusual accents come from heavily German or Scandinavian influenced areas. I have heard things along the lines of "How's dat der fish, der hey? Oh, its good, don't ya think? Ja der hey!" (An actual snipit of conversation from a restauraunt I worked at in high school).

[glitch1501]

i was born in michigan, but i live in florida

[bigsleepj]

I must confess, I'm mystified by this one. How can you mispronounce such a simple word? All that comes to mind is a few people who pronounce is "jorb" but none of them are from the Midwest.

I was off course referring to this but I suspect that the accent in question is highly exagerated.

[termyt]

umm is texas mid-western... i was born there.

~NL~

The actual borders of the mid-west vary depending on who you talk to.

Geographically, if you draw a line between North Dakota and Montana down to Texas and then over to Louisiana and up to Wisconsin - you have the geographic mid-west, which consists mostly of the Louisiana Purchase states. I have seen this as a definition of the mid-west, but it is a less-popular one apparently aimed at making geographic sense of the term and really fails to embody the stereotypical view of the region either from a geographical view or from a cultural view.

If you’re a purist, the mid-west are the states of the western territories - a geographical region that defined the western-most territories of the United States before the Louisiana Purchase. This includes the states Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin along with parts of a few other states.

I personally tend towards the map drawn by the US Census Bureau which adds the eight states directly west of the ones listed above. (See the attached map).

Now, aren't you glad you asked? The fountain of trivia flows.

[GundamGeek]

Wow! The Fountain of Trivia has spoken! Thanks for spelling it out, termyt. I always understood "the midwest" to be defined by the short list you have... And since I was born in Indiana, raised in Illinois and am living in Ohio, I guess I'm about as mid-western as you get! Do some of you guys really consider Texas and Louisiana to be part of the midwest?? Maybe it depends on which side of the country you grew up on as to what would be considered "mid" and "west". I have also found that the further you get from Illinois, the fewer people who can actually pronounce it!

[termyt]

I have also found that the further you get from Illinois, the fewer people who can actually pronounce it!

It's not that we can't. We just don't want to.

[GundamGeek]

hahaha! Sad but true!

[Kawaiikneko]

Born and raised in Ohio. The only "accent" we have here is saying pop instead of soda...

It's pop.

[Sai]

Born and raised in south eastern michigan i guess. We all say "pop" around here too.

[Fireproof]

I'm Minnesotan. And I CAN say job, but just to make you all happy...
JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAEORORAEORB!

[Mikomi]

I've never heard anyone say "jorb" in Indiana. Now "warsh"...that's a whole other story. "Here take these clothes and go warsh them." Seriously..how did the 'r' sneak in there?

[Warrior4Christ]

Born and raised in south eastern michigan i guess. We all say "pop" around here too.

It's a type of music, I say.

What about 'alooominum'?

Also, the mid-west doesn't seem very..... west? It's more mid.

[Kawaiikneko]

Aluminum.. Allow me to consult dictionary.com...

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aluminum

oh yes, that IS how its supposed to be pronounced. Surprise! XD I don't think I drag it out that much though >.>;

and we make fun of people for saying "warsh" around here.

[Warrior4Christ]

[quote="Kawaiikneko"]Aluminum.. Allow me to consult dictionary.com...

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aluminum

oh yes, that IS how its supposed to be pronounced. Surprise! XD I don't think I drag it out that much though >.>]
What happened to aluminium?

*sigh*

Let's go warsh the Porsche.

[termyt]

It's a type of music, I say.

What about 'alooominum'?

Also, the mid-west doesn't seem very..... west? It's more mid.

That's pretty much the American pronounciation, not just a mid-western one.

Since you're an Aussie, I can understand your confusion. How can the "Mid-west" be in the eastern US? It comes from the colonial days. We had 13 original colonies that formed the thirteen original states. Not surprisingly, all thirteen of these states are along the Atlantic coast. Everything else was just territories and wilderness and very much to the west of "civilized" USA.

That may not be a good reason as to why the middle-eastern portion of the US is called the mid-west, but it’s the best we got.

[uc pseudonym]

Born and raised in Ohio. The only "accent" we have here is saying pop instead of soda...

It's pop.

We have quite a variety where I live (though few who use "Coke" universally). Technically, of course, it is probably most correct to say "soda pop" because that is the original name.

What happened to aluminium?

British spelling and pronunciation, really.

[yukinon]

Wait-how exactly do midwesterners talk? I know the stereotypical northern and southern accents, but I never really thought about east coast vs. west coast.