# Describe your idiolect **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792 "2026-03-26T18:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/121 "2026-03-31T16:04:15Z")
It used to be that pronouncing the word ‘a’ as ay instead of uh was an indicator of a Catholic school education. I don’t know if that is still the case. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/122 "2026-03-31T16:06:18Z")
Now that you point it out, AI voice synthesis seems a likely explanation. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/123 "2026-03-31T16:09:00Z")
Twelve years of Catholic education from the 80s to early 90s, and never heard that one. We were taught that “the” gets “thee” before words beginning with a vowel sound. In spontaneous speech, though, pronunciation of “a” and “the” were more guided by whether they were being used for emphasis, in which case they’d get the “long” version, or perhaps in hesitant speech (like “I picked up theee…uh…whatchamacallit…thee…channel locks.”) There’s actually a few academic papers on the last phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/124 "2026-03-31T16:13:27Z")
As I said - it may be somewhat archaic. I remember asking my English teacher (in public school) about this phenomenon in the late 70s and this was the explanation she offered then. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/125 "2026-03-31T17:30:20Z")
It may also be a localized affectation. I am really curious if anyone else has ever heard that linguistic nugget. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/126 "2026-03-31T18:09:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do you pronounce cot and caught or Don and Dawn with the same vowel? Of course not. > [@SCAdian](#): > > I do not have the COT/CAUGHT merger, ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/127 "2026-03-31T18:38:53Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > > > I pronounce “on” as “own” and “off” as “awf.” I think it’s more common to hear them with the “ah” vowel. > > I’ve never heard the pronounced “ah”. I use “aw” for both My pronunciation for “on/off” matches @SCAdian ‘s. I also do not have the COT/CAUGHT merger. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/128 "2026-03-31T19:07:39Z")
And just to allay any possible confusion on my non-IPA pronunciation guide, that’s ‘own’ that rhymes with ‘cone’ and ‘bone.’ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/129 "2026-03-31T19:25:01Z")
Interesting. I guess two people without the merger pronounce “on” as “awn.” I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever heard that, but I’m also not entirely sure I’ve ever looked out for it. For me, it’s “on” as in “cot” and “off” as in “caught.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/130 "2026-03-31T19:31:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Interesting. I guess two people without the merger pronounce “on” as “awn.” It’s common in SE Louisiana. Pronouncing _on_ as “ahn” (/an/ ~ /ɑn/) would be a mark of being non-local. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/131 "2026-03-31T21:08:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I guess two people without the merger pronounce “on” as “awn.” Me too - so three, I guess. “On” and “Off” both rhyme with “caught”, not “cot”. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/132 "2026-03-31T21:38:15Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > It used to be that pronouncing the word ‘a’ as ay instead of uh was an indicator of a Catholic school education. I don’t know if that is still the case. In Catholic high school, my debate teacher on a field trip had enough cash for 1 gallon of gas. Pulled into a station and asked the attendant for “ **a** /eɪ/ gallon of gas.” So of course the attendant pumped **8** gallons, to the teacher’s consternation. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/133 "2026-03-31T22:26:03Z")
I just did the NYT test and I got three answers. St. Louis (highway) Jackson MS (cray-ahn) Birmingham AL (lightning bug) I am somewhat amazed. I’ve lived all my life in St. Louis. And for what it’s worth, 12 years of Catholic education. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/134 "2026-03-31T23:23:33Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > New England, according to Babbel’s free quiz. South Carolina, according to Buzzfeed’s. Please link to them so the rest of us can have a go. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/135 "2026-04-01T16:02:45Z")
There are two terms, which are both in the NYT quiz, which, especially in combination, are highly indicative of where I grew up in northeastern Wisconsin: - Bubbler (for a drinking fountain) - Rummage Sale (for a garage sale) But, as I have now lived away from Wisconsin for 37 years, those tend to not show up in my everyday speech anymore. If I choose those in the quiz, it places me in the Milwaukee / Green Bay area. If I choose the terms I typically would use now (“water fountain” and “garage sale”), it puts me more in the Chicago area. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/136 "2026-04-01T16:09:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Rummage Sale (for a garage sale) For most of my life the terms rummage sale, garage sale, and yard sale have been used interchangeably in New Jersey. Garage sale is probably most preferred, but it’s not unusual to see signs for all 3 in the same location on any given day. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/137 "2026-04-01T16:38:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > There are two terms, which are both in the NYT quiz, which … are highly indicative of where I grew up … (my diareses above) On the NYT quiz, there is a single word shibboleth that can pinpoint people to the New Orleans metro area: **[“neutral ground” to mean “median of a major roadway”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_strip#Regional_terminology)**. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/138 "2026-04-01T17:37:47Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > > [@SCAdian](#): > > > > New England, according to Babbel’s free quiz. South Carolina, according to Buzzfeed’s. > > Please link to them so the rest of us can have a go. > **[Dialect Quiz: Can We Guess Where In The U.S. You’re From?](https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/american-accent-quiz)** > > Take our American dialect quiz to see if the way you pronounce things and the words you use can help us guess which U.S. region you’re from. > **[I'm Gonna Ask You 40 Questions — Then I'll Guess Exactly Where You Live](https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewziegler/dialect-quiz)** > > Have you ever told someone to "shut the lights"? And one for our friends across the pond: > **[The Great English Dialect Quiz](https://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/the-great-english-dialect-quiz)** > > Tell us which words and phrases you used when you were growing up, and we'll make our best guess where in the country you're from. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/139 "2026-04-01T17:47:49Z")
I got a laugh out of the Buzzfeed question about wheelbarrows. Since the first thing I saw was the turf I thought it was asking what the greenery was called. It was humorous because my blindness to the wheelbarrow reminded me of the joke about the inobservant cashier/security guard. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792/140 "2026-04-01T18:18:44Z")
Wow. Those were … really off for me. The first one said California. The second said South Carolina. I’m from Chicago. I’ve been told by many others I have a clear Chicago accent. In the first test, one thing that may have confused it is I say “soda,” not “pop.” “Pop” is not universal in Chicago, although it is largely “pop” country. My neighborhood all said “soda.” I will sometimes say “pop,” but I feel it’s always a bit affected when I say it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-idiolect/1028792.md?page=8)