Minnesota Slang (Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester: home, authority, to relocate)

[MSMCGirl]

Originally Posted by west336

Why hasn't this been mentioned yet?!

Will you borrow me some money?

YES! "will you borrow me your book?". Oh my.

And I agree that people say "crap" a lot.

Oh and "pop"! I REFUSE to call "SODA" that! It's SODA not "POP" (I'm from California). The word "pop" sounds even worse with a Minnesota accent ("paaaaap")

Another thing I hear a lot is "oh jeez"....

[ceeb4]

Originally Posted by MSMCGirl

Oh and "pop"! I REFUSE to call "SODA" that! It's SODA not "POP" (I'm from California). The word "pop" sounds even worse with a Minnesota accent ("paaaaap")

This reminds of when I first moved to NY. I asked the grocery clerk something about soda & she didn't understand my question (I'm thinking now it was because of my southern accent). So, I thought..well maybe they don't call it soda here maybe its pop, so I asked the same question using the word pop and she proceeded to tell me "Lady, we call it soda here, not pop!" (very sarcastically I might add). I then replied, "But did you know what I meant?" She said, "well yes" and I said "Well I guess it doesn't really matter then does it?"

[mkmb]

Originally Posted by MSMCGirl

YES! "will you borrow me your book?". Oh my.

And I agree that people say "crap" a lot.

Oh and "pop"! I REFUSE to call "SODA" that! It's SODA not "POP" (I'm from California). The word "pop" sounds even worse with a Minnesota accent ("paaaaap")

Another thing I hear a lot is "oh jeez"....

So true!

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by MSMCGirl

Oh and "pop"! I REFUSE to call "SODA" that! It's SODA not "POP" (I'm from California). The word "pop" sounds even worse with a Minnesota accent ("paaaaap")

That's a Twin Cities accent, and it's more Wisconsin than Minnesota -- pretty much identical to what you'd hear in Milwaukee, Madison, or even Chicago (but not Marshall, Duluth or Bemidji). It's called the Northern Cities Shift, and it stretches from Western New York to the Twin Cities, and also includes northern Ohio, Michigan, northern Illinois, and Wisconsin, but not Minnesota (outside of the Cities). I'm from Michigan, and I never noticed it until I moved away, but now it stands out to me. I've mostly purged it from my speech, but it still comes out sometimes.

http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/20...owelshift.html

[uptown_urbanist]

I don't usually use the word "pop" (grew up hearing and using both, and then switched to entirely "soda" while living in soda states), but now I wince when I hear myself say "paaap." I don't (think!) I have much of the vowel shift thing going on, but in certain words it just comes out. I like the idea of regional accents and slang (or any other lingering examples of how not everything in this country has been totally homogenized), but oh, do I hate the way the word pop sounds. And I grew up here!

I do, however, LOVE the game "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck," and don't know why it hasn't spread to other states. It's much more fun than boring old goose -- you can get creative with the adjectives (plaid duck, maroon duck, sparkly duck, magenta duck), and get tricky slipping "gray" in the mix.

[Radical_Car]

"Soda pop"
I use that sometimes

[west336]

Why is the "northern" accent so hated? I kinda like it, at least, in its less stronger forms. When I hear "paap" for pop, or "siad" for sad, I feel comfortable and social. Conversely, if I hear "soda" for pop, or "soddd" for sad, I feel like I'm on another planet! Of all the regional accents in this country, I find the slight/moderate forms of the Northern and Southern accents somewhat appealing, while I find the rest of the accents somewhat unappealing....especially Northeast and West Coast.

BTW, "Northern" includes cities from Pittsburgh to Chicago to Minneapolis, and points North for the most part (Columbus, Indy or St. Louis are "battle fields" to me).

P.S. I use "soda pop" myself now that I'm in Ohio, because I have no idea what to say!

[AGuyFromCleveland18]

Originally Posted by west336

Why is the "northern" accent so hated? I kinda like it, at least, in its less stronger forms. When I hear "paap" for pop, or "siad" for sad, I feel comfortable and social. Conversely, if I hear "soda" for pop, or "soddd" for sad, I feel like I'm on another planet! Of all the regional accents in this country, I find the slight/moderate forms of the Northern and Southern accents somewhat appealing, while I find the rest of the accents somewhat unappealing....especially Northeast and West Coast.

BTW, "Northern" includes cities from Pittsburgh to Chicago to Minneapolis, and points North for the most part (Columbus, Indy or St. Louis are "battle fields" to me).

P.S. I use "soda pop" myself now that I'm in Ohio, because I have no idea what to say!

I think you like what you get used to. I find the way Minnesotans pronounce their O's to be like nails on a chalkboard, and "beg" for "bag" gets to me a little too, but that northern vowel shift I like because I'm used to it, and it's comforting. It's a very natural thing, it's how people throughout history knew they were with their "clan".

Oh, and fyi Clevelanders say pop

[light_shimmer]

Originally Posted by danielle_pal

Oh for cute! Awww sure. Oh yaaa.

haha. I catch myself using any combo of these a LOT

Oh for cryin out loud
Oh for pete's sake
Oh for the love of...


and when I'm super annoyed, it's

Oh for F***'s Sake!!

All pronounce as O-fer, of course

I've lived in rural northern MN most of my life, and even I notice the way I say things a lot. Especially if I'm mad, or have been drinking a bit. Sometimes, I'll be talking on the phone with relatives in other states and I can REALLY hear it. When I've lived other places ( like California or Texas) I'll play the bumpkin and deepen it slightly....it's fun to watch people's reactions. I always got a kick out of the Texans though...

"Ya'll talk funny up there!"

[northstar22]

"Ooooo-fer . . ." is definitely a Minnesotan thing. You don't hear that anywhere else except MN and the Dakotas, possibly Manitoba.

I'm guessing everyone talking about the Northern Cities Shift accent is from the Twin Cities, or places very near the Cities (Northfield, etc.). You don't hear that accent in most areas of the state, where people tend to sound more Canadian or Western.

Ohio is a "pop" state. Clevelanders have an almost identical accent / dialect as Twin Cities residents. The Shift stretches all the way from Syracuse, New York to Minneapolis, passing through Rochester (NY), Buffalo (NY), Cleveland, Toledo, lower Michigan, NW Indiana, Chicago and Wisconsin before ending in the Cities metro area. It's not a Minnesota accent at all.