I’ve had quite a tour of this half of the United States so far this summer, as far east as the Outer Banks of North Carolina as far west as Elgin, Illinois, as far south as Atlanta and as far north as Holland, Michigan. What blows me away, even more so than my own travel skills (I’ve taken more public transportation in the last month than I knew existed in this country) is the difference in the way people talk.
Within fifteen minutes of meeting people during training in Illinois, and getting ever worse the more time I spent with my Michiganian friends, I was pronouncing my “O”s the long way, as in the way someone from Minnesota says “Minnesota” (on a semi-related note, if you ever want a laugh, get a Minnesotan to say “diaper bag). It’s like the pronunciation is contagious, and I incorporate it so fast and so strongly that as late as this Thursday evening, ten days after I’d left Holland, Lydia told me to “stop saying [my] ‘o”s like that,” without me even so much as mentioning that I’d noticed myself doing it.
Another experience with a Michigander (yes, that’s also another correct demonym) brought local accents and phrases to my attention, but this time the other way around. Sarah W.1 made fun of my for saying “y’all.” Of course, I made fun of her right back for being unable to pronounce it. Being a typical northerner she said it closer to “yoll,” which is quite a difference: the apostrophe is both necessary and distinguishable to anyone on this side of the Mason-Dixon.
In many countries, certain areas are totally isolated, whether simply from each other or from everywhere. In the United States, where we functionally have one language (though we do not and should not have an “official” language), it seems strange that that single language can change so much from place to place. Not so strange, you might say, with the size and diversity of the United States. But everyone watches the same T.V.
That’s really what boggles my mind. While it’s understandable that most non-natives wouldn’t guess the proper pronunciation of Moyock2, because there’s not much reason to hear the word. But it’s mind-boggling that nobody in Wisconsin can actually say “Wisconsin.” Of course, they’d say nobody outside Wisconsin can say “Wisconsin,” but I say the majority rules. (I’m joking, but you get the point).
Once in a while I’ll catch myself saying a long “I” in true southern fashion. I don’t mind it so much (or here in North Carolina, “I don’t miiiiiind,” or in Mississippi, “I don’t maaaaaand,”) when I’m here, but I try to force myself to say it correctly so I don’t sound like a redneck when I’m outside of my redneck hometown (despite giving a tutorial a fortnight ago about the usage of “you, y’all and all y’all”). I would think, though, that since you don’t hear national newscasters saying “Tonaaaaaght’s top story…” that everyone would catch themselves after a while and slowly morph their language into a more accent-neutral English.
Language, though, tends to be a jealously-defended personal aspect that we tie to our own personalities. For instance, I’ve grown up in the south, and look how I defended my own use of the contraction “y’all,” (wow, that turned into a great example- it’s almost like I thought of it beforehand). I wanted to say to Sarah “Don’t you listen to rap?”, knowing that she was thinking “People really say “y’all” in real life?”, which just goes to further both points, that we hang on to our local language idiosyncrasies (“we” meaning east coast rappers in this example, and thus not necessarily being inclusive of me), but also that technology, specifically mass media, ought to neutralize that, though it only does it to the extent that you can point to it in defense. Despite the connotations of southern accents, hip-hop slang, and mid-westerners’ inability to speak at all3 regional accents persist, and both boggle my mind (or bottle it) and entertain.
1As opposed to other Sara(h)s that are a part of my life: A., B., C., C., D., F., G., H., M., M., M., O., T. or mom.
2It’s mo?j?k, if you were wondering, or MO-yock if you can’t read IPA symbols or your computer isn’t displaying these.
3Just kidding.4
4And then, not really.