# How Yankee are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754 "2005-03-03T14:09:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/21 "2005-03-03T16:33:35Z")
“11% (Yankee). Wow. Your Yankee score is in the top 20 percentile!” That’s about right. I grew up in Gettysburg PA. My great-great-[great?]-uncle was in the PA Infantry during the Cival War and my great-whatever grandfather and relatives hid his town’s horses when he heard that the Confederates under Lee were marching North. I’ve never lived in the South and remain ever-vigilant in case they want to Rise Again. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/22 "2005-03-03T16:45:04Z")
I’d never heard the proper term for “frontage roads” before I went to Texas, where they would have signs for them using that term. I’ve never even been to the Western Great Lakes region, where it says it is common (unless eastern Ohio counts.) So I’d say, bunk as well, although my score of 43% Yankee is pretty accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/23 "2005-03-03T17:35:32Z")
At 14%, my score was in the top 20 Yankee percentile, which makes sense because I’ve never lived anywhere but New England. I was surprised to see a reference to “cabbage night” - I didn’t think anyone outside of New England had even \*heard \*of that. Wicked odd. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/24 "2005-03-03T18:10:07Z")
100% Yankee, I reckon. I’ve never lived outside of Indiana, which was on the blue side during the, um, that war in the 1860’s. You know, that one. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/25 "2005-03-03T18:36:23Z")
65% (Dixie). Just under the Mason-Dixon Line Yeah, right. I’ve never even _been_ south of the Mason-Dixon Line, let alone lived there. The quiz doesn’t seem to take Westerners much into account. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/26 "2005-03-03T18:56:54Z")
83% (Dixie). Did you have any Confederate ancestors? Worked for me pretty well. I lived in WA state for 3 years. Excluding that time, I’ve lived in the South all my live. (wonder what the other 17% is?) ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/27 "2005-03-03T18:57:19Z")
49% Yankee and I have never lived in the South! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/28 "2005-03-03T19:00:39Z")
17% (Yankee) Top 20 percentile. Bronxite born and bred. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/29 "2005-03-03T19:04:36Z")
> [@Jaade](#): > > 83% (Dixie). Did you have any Confederate ancestors? > > Worked for me pretty well. I lived in WA state for 3 years. Excluding that time, I’ve lived in the South all my live. (wonder what the other 17% is?) Ohh, I figured it out. When I change the answer about the service roads from feeder (I did live in Houston for five years…and they say this is a term pretty much local to Houston) to access roads then I get to 100% (Dixie). Is General Lee your father? Huh…strange way to calculate. Isn’t Houston still part of the South? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/30 "2005-03-03T19:05:48Z")
63% Dixie. While I did grow up in Virginia (mostly), A) it was north Virginia, a different beast entirely from Dixieland, and B) some of those terms I’ve heard and used interchangeably. I rather doubt I would pass as Dixie-bred at a social event. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/31 "2005-03-03T19:08:55Z")
> [@Jaade](#): > > Huh…strange way to calculate. Isn’t Houston still part of the South? 😕 I’m thinking the folks what wrote this thing don’t know as much as they think they know. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/32 "2005-03-03T19:09:42Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Let’s see. I was born in Queens, NY. Grew up in Queens and Long Island. For all but 4 years of my life (thanks Uncle Sam), I’ve lived in Queens or Long Island. My father was born in Manhattan, my mother moved there when she was 10ish.\* > > “52% (Dixie). Just above the Mason-Dixon Line” > > Not a very good test. > > \*From South Carolina, so that may partially explain the score. My score exactly, and I agree not a good test. I did live in the South, but in the heart of Cajun country. Lots of stuff they claim to be Southern are New Yorkese. Garage/yard saies are car porch sales in Louisiana (Cajun for carport.) They claim hero is a Maine term - that was the only term for that sandwich I knew when I was growing up. Poo on them. I is 100% Yankee. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/33 "2005-03-03T19:12:35Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > This test has no veracity. I came to that conclusion when they told me a “hero sandwich” was only available in Maine. Heroes (“subs” to most of the rest of the country) are what you get in _New York City_. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/34 "2005-03-03T19:14:19Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > My score exactly, and I agree not a good test. I did live in the South, but in the heart of Cajun country. Lots of stuff they claim to be Southern are New Yorkese. Garage/yard saies are car porch sales in Louisiana (Cajun for carport.) > > They claim hero is a Maine term - that was the only term for that sandwich I knew when I was growing up. > > Poo on them. I is 100% Yankee. It’s a yard sale in the rest of the South. > [@iampunha](#): > > I’m thinking the folks what wrote this thing don’t know as much as they think they know. Hi cutie! I agree. They didn’t even ask what we call the things you push around in a grocery store. I can’t probably tell every one of you what you really are by that alone. Grocery cart or buggy? ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/35 "2005-03-03T19:18:40Z")
50% (Yankee). Barely into the Yankee category. Odd. I’ve lived in Illinois all my life and I’ve only been to the south once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/36 "2005-03-03T19:25:10Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I registered as 70% (Dixie), just under the Mason-Dixon Line. > > Which is odd, considering I’ve spent most of my life in New Jersey, and the rest of it in either Massachusetts or Maine. > > Huh. I’ve lived in Massachusetts and Maine and have spent the past 22 years in Jersey. I wonder if we are related. I scored 45% Yankee. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/37 "2005-03-03T20:27:12Z")
58% (Dixie). Just above the Mason-Dixon Line I find this interesting since most of my answers seemed to favor “All of the US” or some such. I spent my formative years in Maryland and never considered myself a southerner. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/38 "2005-03-03T21:54:59Z")
12% (Yankee). Wow. Your Yankee score is in the top 20 percentile! ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/39 "2005-03-03T22:03:59Z")
Just barely Yankee, 42%. I grew up in California, with bits of the south and mid-west from my Dad’s side. So I use all the words for pillbugs and none of them for frontage roads (that’s just that road over there, next to the highway). For what the test was designed to do, I guess that makes sense. ---
**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 3, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754/40 "2005-03-03T22:08:40Z")
50% Yankee, though I’ve lived only in the New Orelans suburbs and central Mississippi all my life. My speech is a suburbanized version of New Orleans vernacular, which is a “port city” accent akin to Brooklynese. Rural Southernisms didn’t make it into my speech. BTW, on the last question of that test. It’s not a pill bug, sow bug, or roly-poly. Its a **doodlebug**! Heck, “doodlebug” is even used on the Nick Jr. cartoon _Ms. Spider_. Is “doodlebug” not well-known nationwide? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-yankee-are-you/292754.md?page=3)