# Do Southerners really speak like this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-southerners-really-speak-like-this/620299>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 29, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-southerners-really-speak-like-this/620299 "2012-04-29T04:27:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-southerners-really-speak-like-this/620299/41 "2012-05-01T18:07:38Z")

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> [@TheFifthYear](#):
>
> What’s funny is that when I read that, it struck me as wrong, but the two states I had in mind (Illinois and New York) are, in fact, smaller than GA. Also, I found two listings of states by area, one that had Wisconsin ahead of Georgia and one that had it just behind. Not sure what accounts for the difference.

Using data from [this table](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area), Wisconsin is larger than Georgia in total area, but smaller in land area. (Some of Wisconsin’s territory extends into the Great Lakes.)

But **Michigan** beats all the other states east of the Mississippi, if we go by total area.

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**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-southerners-really-speak-like-this/620299/42 "2012-05-02T09:31:12Z")

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> [@hibernicus](#):
>
> Let me just clarify what you seem to be saying here: you travelled abroad, and foreigners that you met while abroad knew that you had a Georgia accent as opposed to, say, a Texas accent? I think that merits a sceptical eyebrow: :dubious:

The stereotypical Texan talks with a “cowboy” accent.  
Many foreigners mimicking an American will use the cowboy accent, but no one has  
told me that I have that accent.

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**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-southerners-really-speak-like-this/620299/43 "2012-05-02T14:59:02Z")

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> [@Bytegeist](#):
>
> But **Michigan** beats all the other states east of the Mississippi, if we go by total area.

But, using your table, if you go by land area, Georgia is larger than Michigan.

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