Interesting, that detailed map appears to put Cleveland right on top of the intersection of at least three different dialects. I can buy that.
I know, right?
roger!!!
When I moved from Cleveland to NYC, I had to learn to differentiate between Mary, Marry and Merry. I also had to say “soda” instead of “pop.” And in NYC “route” sounds like “root,” rather than rhyming with “out.” But 25 years later, when I relocated back here, I had to unlearn all of that. And I’ve never called a jelly doughnut anything but a jelly doughnut.
And they’re really simplifying a “New York” dialect. There’s a huge difference between Brooklyn and the Bronx, and I’ve met people who were born and raised in Manhattan who spoke with a standard Midwest dialect.