Michigan Accent

[Timize]

Take a look at this guide on this website.

http://www.michigannative.com/ma_pronunciations.shtml

It scares me to think that we actually talk like that. I've never noticed, have any of you guys? I've always thought the correct way to say "crayons" was "cranz." And the silent t's at the end of a word? That's just weird.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

haha, that's great. I say most things properly, but I have carried over a few like the "cranz". I abandoned "pop" .

[GRGridGirl]

haha, that's great. I say most things properly, but I have carried over a few like the "cranz". I abandoned "pop" .

I try never to say "pop" and instead ask for a soda.

"Mom" has to be one of the easiest indicators to the Michigan accent.

[MJLO]

lol Michigan accent, Im pretty midwestern, I tend to say soft drink, instead of pop, but I think that's just because of the industry I work in.

I wouldn't think that Michigan folks talk any different than those of the midwest, with no real accentuation, on any words at all.

[damus]

i'm from CT and I've always said "craynz". I couldn't believe it when people in college didn't know what crayons were. Being from the south, they pronounce them "CRAY-ons" .. to me it just sounds dumb like that

[Veloise]

The author forgot "Eloise." In the same league as Northville or Kalamazoo (i.e. home of a large state-run mental hospital).

Used in a sentence: guy gets on the bus transporting Detroit Thanksgiving Parade marchers from Cobo up to the start. People wearing costumes at 5:30 am on a holday in downtown Detroit. People dressed like trees, clowns, tin soldiers, puppets, clowns, SantaBears, butterflies, clowns, Man in the Yellow Hat, and clowns. Guy takes a look at this scenery, and asks, "is this the bus to Eloise?"

[TenPoundHammer]

As for the accent, I notice that I use many of those "pronounce-eations". (I swear I heard Alex Trebek say "pronounce-eation" on Jeopardy! yesterday, for what it's worth.) As for "cranz", I wonder if this is why Meijer's "house brand" for crayons is called "Cran".

I also notice that I talk kinda fast and slur my words together, doing things like "ta" instead of "to", "yuh" instead of "you", etc.

This reminds me of the comic strip FoxTrot from a couple weeks ago. The mom and younger son were watching TV together, and the mom got ticked because someone on TV said "reelitor" instead of "realtor", to which the son responded "wow, mom, you're going totally nucular about this" just to aggravate her.

[allbusiness]

I spent 15 years in the radio industry and always heard that midwest deejays were the most employable in all markets nationwide, because we had the most "normal" accent -- or no real accent at all.

There are some words we Michiganders say a little differently, but as for accents, we really are supposedly closer to "normal" than anywhere else -- especially when compared to New England, down south or the upper midwest (i.e. Minnesooota).

[dtown]

I abandoned "pop" .

you traitor lol .

ive never heard people say a lot of the stuff on that list, but ive heard some of it.

PS- do yoi ever notice that a lot of people say Meijer's instead of Meijer?

[MJLO]

that's because before they went all big and pretentious, they were the Meijers' family store. Meijer is just from here, alot of us are just old school remember back when it was Fred Meijer's or something to that nature.

[zenstyle]

water = "wadder."

Any place north of Pinconning = "up north."

[MJLO]

I am with you Zen, although I must say, Anyone north of Greenville, I refer to as the "northern folk". (They just get more weird the further you go up, the norther folk scare me) Pinconing naturally falls into that description, because of it's proximity.

[wolverine]

God, and I used to tear my friends from Baltimore up (bawlmore) on their accents. I hope they don't find that list, although I'm postive I don't say 95% of those words like that.

[Allison Slater]

hahaha I say probably a good 50% of them. I think I have a pretty thick Michigander accent.

[GRDadof3]

I seem to remember learning in a media class in college that the Great Lakes/Lower Michigan speech is what newscasters around the country are taught to emulate, because it's so average. Anyone else hear that?

[Trixie]

Amazing that MELK is on the list - that just drives me nuts hearing people pronounce it like that. I grew up here in the mitten state and I've never said it. I seem to be noticing it more and more.

GRDad - I've heard that too. A rather distant relative is a TV anchor and she is the one that told me (and no, not telling who!!)

[Sunlover38]

I think that list is a little over the top but I will admit I say kranz instead of cray - ons . . . .

Michigan is pretty normal . . .it is fun to compare how we say things w/ our neighbors to the North . . .hockey is always a fun one >>

[twoshort]

I seem to remember learning in a media class in college that the Great Lakes/Lower Michigan speech is what newscasters around the country are taught to emulate, because it's so average. Anyone else hear that?

I have heard that as well. And if you think about it, every national news anchor/morning show anchor sounds like us for the most part. Not a lot of southern drawl in national TV.

The author forgot "Eloise." In the same league as Northville or Kalamazoo (i.e. home of a large state-run mental hospital).

Used in a sentence: guy gets on the bus transporting Detroit Thanksgiving Parade marchers from Cobo up to the start. People wearing costumes at 5:30 am on a holday in downtown Detroit. People dressed like trees, clowns, tin soldiers, puppets, clowns, SantaBears, butterflies, clowns, Man in the Yellow Hat, and clowns. Guy takes a look at this scenery, and asks, "is this the bus to Eloise?"

I have no idea what you're trying to say.. What is eloise?

[Veloise]

I have no idea what you're trying to say.. What is eloise?

Guess it's a metro Detroit thing. I've heard people say "send 'em to Kalamazoo" with the same meaning.

As I typed, it was a state-run mental institution. "Is this the bus to Eloise?" is a humorous pejorative statement about people dressed as clo.....aw, ferget it.

[twoshort]

Guess it's a metro Detroit thing. I've heard people say "send 'em to Kalamazoo" with the same meaning.

As I typed, it was a state-run mental institution. "Is this the bus to Eloise?" is a humorous pejorative statement about people dressed as clo.....aw, ferget it.

Perhaps you should have specified that Eloise is the name of a mental institution in Wayne County, 'cuase I didn't know that until I googled it.

[michaelskis]

Holey Wah Yah Know! Day did not even look at dat dem Yoopers! You Betcha, up dare in Naaagaunkneee, Ishhhper-ming, and Hoeon day don

[Rizzo]

For the most part the closest to correct pronuciation of the English language is in the W-SW side of the Midwest. PBS told me that Midwesterners are pretty average and their language usage draws that distinction also.

I slur words like a drunken Irishmen with a Dutch "D" on everything.

[LA Dave]

I loved that site, and immediately recognized the old words: "Pop", "melk", etc.

I think that with the homogenization of American speech due to the nationalization of media, the old regional differences are eroding. You don't hear the real sharp accents from young people that you do from their parents or grandparents. Compare the accents of Ted Kennedy and his kids and you may get my drift.

Here's one for people: Do you ever use, or have heard, the expression "couple, three" as in, "go to Meijer's and pick up a couple, three bottles of melk"?

[Phizzy]

Here's one for people: Do you ever use, or have heard, the expression "couple, three" as in, "go to Meijer's and pick up a couple, three bottles of melk"?

I haven't. I've always thought of "a couple" as meaning two or three. Otherwise, why not just say "two"? (I've also thought of "a few" meaning "around five" and "several" meaning "around seven", but I have had people disagree with me.)

[Rizzo]

Usually a couple isn't just two for me, rather any number more than one and less than five.