Illinois Accents (Chicago, Decatur, Des Plaines: vs., moving to, metro)

[linicx]

Each region has its own unique accent that is influenced by its residents and their own unique ancestors. The accent of the Orthodox Jew is as different as the Georgia Peach as is the Texas cowboy as is the New Mexico native.

The accesnt has its rroots in Dutch, German, Hebrew, UK English, Italian, Mexican, Farsi, Canadian, Australian, Greek, Swedish, Norweigan, African, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Cuban, and every other lamguage of the world..

When you add it all up the output = regioal dialect or the accent you speak about. Diction classes might take the soft southern out of your voice, but it will be conscious effort on your part to do it. Why bother, it's your unique regional sound.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Drover

I don't know where you get the idea that Chicago, Wisconsin or Boston do not have specific, strong accents. When I moved from Chicago to Pittsburgh, people could tell instantly that I was from Chicago, or at the very least, they could tell that I was from the upper Midwest. I got comments about my accent all the time; the minute I opened my mouth and said one single sentence it was obvious to everyone within earshot that I was not from around there. And a Wisconsin accent is even thicker. As for Boston... their accent is so distinct that some people think Barbara Walters has a friggin' speech impediment ("how come that woman can't pronounce her R's??") when in fact all she has is an unmoderated Boston accent. Hell, the Chicago and Boston accents are distinct enough that SNL has parodied both of them (
"Superfans," aka "Da Bears" for the Chicago accent and
"This is Baba Wawa" for the Boston accent).

Here's a
Budweiser commercial that parodies the Wisconsin accent, which is pretty similar to a Chicago accent.

Not everyone has a strong accent. An uppity Park Avenue lady in New York once told me how shocked she was that I "didn't have an accent being from Wisconsin". I pointed out that my younger sister and brother had one, having spent more time in small towns. Neither of my parents do, however. And I've met people from cosmopolitan areas of the south that have very very weak accents. It's often a matter of class and education, but obviously not always. There are many blue bloods in New York that sound like Donald Trump, and there are many small town folks who sound like Brian Williams or Tom Brokaw.

Here's where midwesterners will always stumble into an accent, regardless of how faint it may be:

1. The "ag" sound, as in "bag" or "agriculture". Midwesterners tend to hit a hard long "a" sound.

2. Moving a short "o" closer to a short "a", as in "Oh my gah-od".

3. Hitting the long "o" just a little too hard in words like "toast" or "coast".

[Bernie157]

I am new to this forum and have only read to the top of page 3 of this thread, so might be a little premature in posting. I am from Philadelphia originally (but my alleged accent is not the point of my post!) and am married for 40 years to a farm girl from rural west-central Illinois (Pike County).

I believe that her accent and that of her family are nearly non-existent. The only thing was that when I first met her (in the Washington, DC area), I thought she was saying that her last name was Barry, when it was actually Berry. Of course she says that with my Philly accent, I am pronouncing Berry as Bury.

However, this thread mentioned near the beginning the "northern cities shift accent". I want to know if this is what I am hearing when I hear people from northern Illinois and Wisconsin when they pronounce their states as Ellinois and Wescansin and other words in a similar fashion. In other words, all the short vowels in stressed syllables are pronounced other than as they should be in "normal English" as I learned it.

Bernie in CT

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Bernie157

However, this thread mentioned near the beginning the "northern cities shift accent". I want to know if this is what I am hearing when I hear people from northern Illinois and Wisconsin when they pronounce their states as Ellinois and Wescansin and other words in a similar fashion.

Nobody from northern Illinois pronounces it "Ellenois" though it tends a little more toward that pronunciation as you head south.

And nobody anywhere in Wisconsin pronounces it with an "e" in it. In fact as a former Wisconsin resident it always seemed to me that that's the way most of the rest of the country pronounces it, which drives me nuts. I've also noticed most people outside the northern Midwest stress the first two syllables equally (pronouncing WEH-SCON-sin) when the emphasis is supposed to be on the second syllable only, and with no "E" (wih-SCON-sin).

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Drover

Nobody from northern Illinois pronounces it "Ellenois" though it tends a little more toward that pronunciation as you head south

At least they dont pronounce the "s" like many out-of-staters do.

Ugh.

[Bernie157]

Originally Posted by Drover

Nobody from northern Illinois pronounces it "Ellenois" though it tends a little more toward that pronunciation as you head south.

And nobody anywhere in Wisconsin pronounces it with an "e" in it. In fact as a former Wisconsin resident it always seemed to me that that's the way most of the rest of the country pronounces it, which drives me nuts. I've also noticed most people outside the northern Midwest stress the first two syllables equally (pronouncing WEH-SCON-sin) when the emphasis is supposed to be on the second syllable only, and with no "E" (wih-SCON-sin).

Since my first post a little while ago, I was pointed to an article containing a section on the Northern Cities Shift. Among other things -- including confirmation that the NCS shifts all the short vowels to sound different than the rest of the US -- it stated that virtually all Midwesterners of different dialects just do not recognize their own dialect and consider themselves unaccented, but everyone else HAS an accent. This article was written in the context of professional linguists who study the NCS and other accents and dialects.

Bernie in CT

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

At least they dont pronounce the "s" like many out-of-staters do.

Ugh.

That is mainly true in the southern states that border IL.

[CarolL]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

That is mainly true in the southern states that border IL.

I lived in CT for a couple of years and have relatives in MA; lots of New Englanders pronounce it "Illinoyz."

So irritating... Actually, tho, it's French, so wouldn't it be "Illi-nwa"? Maybe that's how I'll start saying it.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by CarolL

I lived in CT for a couple of years and have relatives in MA; lots of New Englanders pronounce it "Illinoyz."

So irritating... Actually, tho, it's French, so wouldn't it be "Illi-nwa"? Maybe that's how I'll start saying it.

I studied French from elementary school through college. Sometimes, as a joke, I'll say "Illi-nwa". The fractured French of the midwest is funny. Not just Illinois, but Des Plaines (should be roughly, Deh Plan), Papillion, Nebraska is pronounce Pa PIL yun when it should be Pap ee OHN, etc. A lot of non-Illinoisans pronounce it "Illinoise", and I have heard "Ellinoy" from many midwesterners including some Chicagoans.

[j33]

I've been hearing 'Ellinoy' more and more often. I find it a bit of an amusing pronunciation personally.