[kemcnyc]

This is so funny. I grew up in Michigan and never thought I had an accent. After college, I moved to NYC and people would comment on my accent and ask where I was from. I thought they were crazy, just like your friends' reactions. Now that I've lived in New York for the past 13 years, I do notice the accent from Michigan (on other people) and I can usually pinpoint it. My husband said I get an accent when I'm on the phone with people from Michigan!

[Lyzzacious]

This is really interesting to me. As a child I went from living in Akron, OH for 4 years (from birth), then I lived in the middle of the mountains in PA for 5 years, and then moved to MI. When I first moved there people were constantly picking out my accent, saying I sounded funny, but after about 6 years of living there I'd very become much more 'native' in my accent, though people still pick me out saying I sound different. I had a very excellent choir director tell us that in MI, we tend to make our words and our vowels 'wider' than most people. This is where we get aaaehksent (that's how I would spell it if I were going by phonetics) and 'weee,' etc. You don't really find accents that have taller pronunciations, just narrower... The wider the pronunciation, the more nasal it sounds. I've been in Iowa for 2 weeks (for school), and I tell ya, I can tell who's not from Iowa! They don't sound WAY different but they definitely have a much narrower way of speaking.

for example, I say speeeeeeking, ow my gawsh, POHnee (pony), hoarse (horse), dawg, caaht, awnt/aant, grammah, grampah, mawm, daad, etc. VERY wide.

I like how I talk, though, so I don't care.

[J'aimeDesVilles]

Nobody ever seems to think that they have an accent. Mostly we all do. I would say the Michigan accent is slight compared to most southern and north-eastern accents.

It is funny. I was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area and never noticed the accent too much. Twenty years ago I moved to the Detroit area and noticed a bit of an accent. It has a blend of Ontarian and Wisconsin accents.
Now when I go back to Ohio I really notice the Ohio accent and Cleveland accent (there is a difference between the two). Ohioans have a funny way of stressing the vowels. I would say the Ohio accent is like a cross between a Pittsburg accent, a WVa/Kentucky accent and a Mid-western accent.

I think all the American accents sound a bit uncultured or uneducated compared to most foreign especially European accents. But perhaps it is just the novelty versus common factor.

[michigan83]

I think all the American accents sound a bit uncultured or uneducated compared to most foreign especially European accents. But perhaps it is just the novelty versus common factor.

I'm pretty sure that's an idea that's been drilled into our heads by hollywood, TV, etc. I don't think an accent carries that much weight.

[misweetdream]

I'm Chicago born and raised. While living in CA an Asian woman overheard me speaking and asked if I was from Sweden.

You're right. Accents don't make any difference.

[jackhitts]

Just to add my two cents: I moved to Michigan right at the start of high school and immediately noticed the accent. My school-mates scoffed and said they didn't.

I didn't think about it for a while but when I went to college (in Michigan, mind you), I noticed that I had developed it myself. I consider myself a Michigander now and I doubt I'll be losing the accent. Plus, now that I've graduated and have started my life elsewhere (Missouri currently-still Midwest, but TOTALLY different accent) I see it as a point of pride. I play it up just to make it clear: I am from the Northern Midwest and I scoff at your pseudo-hillbilly, sorta Midwestern accents. Ha!

[jeanniepep]

I was just thinking about this thread a few weeks ago! Did any of you guys watch Top Chef in the first few weeks? There was a female chef (contestant) from the Ann Arbor area named Eve - she also owns a restaurant in A2 called "Eve" - and she had the flattest vowels EVER!!! To me she didn't even sound like anyone I know in Michigan, she actually sounded like people I have met who are from Pittsburgh. BUT she had a very pronounced accent and it made me wonder: Do I sound like that? Cuz it was not very melodious!

BTW she's off the show now, got eliminated in week 2. So, if you want to hear her you'll have to find it online (now don't everybody rush to the computer at once).