# Dialect Quiz & Survey **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532 "2013-09-10T22:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/1 "2013-09-10T22:58:19Z")
The recent threads involving ethnicity maps and pronunciations by region made me look up [http://spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/DialectMap/](http://spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/DialectMap/) where I found a link to [http://spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/DialectQuiz/](http://spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/DialectQuiz/) I took the 25-question version and here are my results: Most Similar Cities 1 Metairie LA 34.2 2 New Orleans LA 34.1 3 Baton Rouge LA 33.6 4 Lafayette LA 32.9 5 Mobile AL 31.7 Least Similar Cities 1 Green Bay WI 18.4 2 Syracuse NY 18.5 3 Buffalo NY 18.6 4 Joliet IL 18.7 5 Rochester NY 18.9 I found this amusing since I live in Nashville and spent my early years in Central Alabama. Do you find your answers worth sharing? ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/2 "2013-09-10T23:30:49Z")
I live in California, and I don’t find my answers worth sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/3 "2013-09-10T23:34:48Z")
Yikes! I’ve lived most of my life in Chicago, but I must spend too much time watching TV and movies. My “most similar” cities are all in California! Most Similar Cities 1 Palmdale CA 34.3 2 Santa Clarita CA 33.9 3 Oxnard CA 33.7 4 Thousand Oaks CA 33.6 5 Torrance CA 33.5 ``` Least Similar Cities ``` 1 Mesquite TX 22.0 2 Dayton OH 22.4 3 Toledo OH 22.4 4 Abilene TX 22.5 5 Fort Wayne IN 22.8 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/4 "2013-09-10T23:34:50Z")
I don’t match up with anyone very well it seems. I’m a lifelong Kansan but all the cities closest to me are in Massachusetts. 1 Boston MA 18.9 2 Plymouth MA 18.0 3 Lowell MA 17.9 4 Springfield MA 17.7 5 Worcester MA 17.4 The cities that are least similiar are all in Texas. I may try the longer test later, but as of this moment the server is overloaded and it told me to try again. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/5 "2013-09-10T23:41:53Z")
Most Similar Cities 1 Lubbock TX 2 Amarillo TX 3 Abilene TX 4 Wichita Falls TX 5 Shreveport LA Least Similar Cities 1 Joliet IL 2 Naperville IL 3 Antioch CA 4 Concord CA 5 Aurora IL Odd. I’m not from Texas, and have never spent much time there. Air Force Basic at Lackland AFB, and a couple of short trips to Houston for baseball/Astro World 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/6 "2013-09-10T23:42:47Z")
Most Similar Cities 1 Newark NJ 42.5 2 Elizabeth NJ 41.7 3 Plymouth MA 40.1 4 Yonkers NY 39.5 5 New York NY 39.5 ``` Least Similar Cities ``` 1 Flint MI 24.6 2 Grand Rapids MI 26.1 3 Buffalo NY 26.3 4 Minneapolis MN 26.3 5 Spokane WA 26.4 Live in Virginia, by my mom was from Newark, NJ and my father from Long Island. Guess that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/7 "2013-09-10T23:44:11Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I found this amusing since I live in Nashville and spent my early years in Central Alabama. Native Southern Californian. Most similar region is New England. Most Similar Cities Providence RI 25.1 Plymouth MA 25.0 Lowell MA 24.1 Manchester NH 23.8 Worcester MA 23.6 Least Similar Cities Baton Rouge LA 12.3 Oklahoma City OK 12.6 New Orleans LA 12.7 Fremont CA 12.7 Metairie LA 12.8 ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/8 "2013-09-10T23:50:17Z")
I’ve lived in west central Indiana all my life, and these are my results: Most Similar Cities Metairie LA 35.6 New Orleans LA 35.5 Baton Rouge LA 35.0 Lafayette LA 34.4 Montgomery AL 34.3 Least Similar Cities Worcester MA 16.2 Providence RI 16.9 Manchester NH 17.8 Lowell MA 17.9 Plymouth MA 18.8 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/9 "2013-09-10T23:51:06Z")
So… Pretty much the opposite of me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/10 "2013-09-10T23:58:24Z")
😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/11 "2013-09-11T00:09:19Z")
It was a terrible quiz. My most similar were Milwaukee and 4 towns in CA not one of which I have ever been to. The least similar were all in the near midwest (3 in OH, one IN, and Buffalo). The last time I took such a quiz the answer was “You are as Philly as cheese steak” If not, maybe Baltimore. Well, I spent the first 26 years of my life in Philly, so they got that right. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/12 "2013-09-11T00:49:16Z")
Most Similar Cities 1 Newark NJ 31.8 2 Elizabeth NJ 30.4 3 New York NY 29.9 4 Montgomery AL 29.6 5 Yonkers NY 29.6 I am skeptical of these results. I grew up in Detroit. I have never been to NJ or Alabama. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/13 "2013-09-11T01:07:23Z")
Most Similar Cities 1 Sioux Falls SD 26.5 2 Grand Rapids MI 25.7 3 Green Bay WI 25.6 4 Rockford IL 25.3 5 Milwaukee WI. 25.0 I guess this is correct. I grew up in The northern suburbs of Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/14 "2013-09-11T01:10:58Z")
A lifelong resident of central and northern Indiana, the quiz has solidly placed me in the Carolinas. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/15 "2013-09-11T01:12:19Z")
My most likely was the upper midwest, especially Michigan. Least likely was southern pennsylvania. Where I lived until I was 12, western NY, was around the middle, and Florida, where I’ve been since, was a low probability. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/16 "2013-09-11T01:24:01Z")
Basically, I lived in southern MI as a kid, northeastern IL as a teenager, and then central IA for a few years before joining the Navy. **Most Similar Cities** 1 Milwaukee WI 40.8 2 Green Bay WI 40.5 3 Madison WI 37.6 4 Grand Rapids MI 35.9 5 Flint MI 35.7 **Least Similar Cities** 1 Philadelphia PA 19.9 2 Allentown PA 22.0 3 Boston MA 24.6 4 Lowell MA 25.0 5 Springfield MA 25.6 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/17 "2013-09-11T01:56:17Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > A lifelong resident of central and northern Indiana, the quiz has solidly placed me in the Carolinas. I’ve taken, maybe, three of this type of quiz over the years. Their conclusions always seemed to me to be incorrect. Now, this one is on dialect and not accent; but I don’t think I speak significantly differently from other Southern Californians. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/18 "2013-09-11T02:45:37Z")
For what it’s worth I decided to try the 140 question version. Twice. Both times the thing just crapped out before I was halfway through. They must not have been prepared for a number of us to be hitting their server all at once. I may try one more time at some odd hour to see if there’s any difference in how they place me, but right now I feel that it’s been a waste of time. I’ve been to New Orleans and I know I don’t talk that way! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/19 "2013-09-11T03:02:44Z")
Most Similar Cities 1 Milwaukee WI 31.6 2 Green Bay WI 30.7 3 Madison WI 30.3 4 Fort Collins CO 29.7 5 Lakewood CO 29.1 Which is interesting because I’ve never lived anywhere near Wisconsin or Colorado. Least Similar Cities 1 Birmingham AL 17.4 2 New Orleans LA 17.7 3 Metaire LA 17.8 4 Baton Rouge LA 18.3 5 Clarksville TN 18.4 Also interesting, because out of all the cities on the list, the closest one to anywhere I’ve ever lived was Clarksville, TN. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532/20 "2013-09-11T03:38:00Z")
My dialect is midway between educated Australian and received standard British English. I don’t think the survey copes well with that: it thinks I come from Appalachia, and gives: Most Similar Cities 1 Lexington KY 32.4 2 Birmingham AL 32.4 3 Huntsville AL 32.0 4 Montgomery AL 31.9 5 Chattanooga TN 31.5 Least Similar Cities 1 Worcester MA 19.1 2 Plymouth MA 19.3 3 Providence RI 19.4 4 Lowell MA 19.6 5 Boston MA 19.7 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialect-quiz-survey/668532.md?page=2)