Monday, May 2, 2005

Test-taking-season blog hiatus & yankee confession If it hasn't been obvious, this blog is on semi-hiatus while I wrap things up at the end of the semester. If you're done with your exams -- or just looking for a way to procrastinate -- keep reading. Perhaps because it's test-giving season, a mailing list I subscribe to back in North Carolina recently posted a "What type of English do you speak?" link to this regional dialect quiz, followed by a lot of "my score was..." discussion. Despite five years in Chapel Hill and one in Knoxville, my Massachusetts and Connecticut roots showed in my results... 55% Yankee 20% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 10% Dixie 0% Midwestern The test didn't mention "cabbage night," which was a disappointment, but probably would have added to my "yankee" score anyhow. I also wanted a "sometime" answer on using "y'all," and another alternative about "cellar" and "basement." (When I was a kid, my house had a cellar; my school had a basement. I don't know what region those are supposed to indicate.) Come to think of it, I also had one "ant" among my "ahnts." On "yankee" itself, Language Log has a detailed explanation, under the heading "It's Yankees All the Way Down." Here's the short form (but follow that link to understand the apple pie reference): For foreigners, a "yankee" is an American. For American southerners, a "yankee" is a northerner. For northerners, a "yankee" is somebody from New England. For New Englanders, a "yankee" is somebody from Vermont. For Vermonters, a "yankee" is somebody who eats apple pie for breakfast. 5:44:34 PM

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