Okay, "totally differently" is a huge exaggeration, but it is interesting to see how pronunciations and turns of phrase differ regionally in the US, and speculate on why. I also found myself trying to answer the questions before I read the map key; there were some odd places where I didn't match either California or Colorado.
(h/t +James D.)
22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other
Small lobsters are tearing this nation apart.
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When I moved to Wisconsin (from Wyoming) people kept asking about my accent. I couldn't hear any difference.
I once had a woman insist to me that I had a Pittsburgh accent, which was odd, because at the time I'd never lived outside of California. Of course, we were in Houston, so perhaps her ear was a bit affected.
I have learned to recognize some of the local jargon. The first time someone asked me if there was a "bubbler" near, I had no idea what they were talking about.
I always assocated "bubbler" with a particular type of water fountain (the kind that sort of, well, bubbles water straight up an inch or so, as opposed to something inscribing an arc). But it's not a term I've heard around me that much.
Lets grab a coke and hunt us some crawdads.
+The Bruce, Mile High did you mean a soda, or a pop? 😉
+Dan Eastwood, my family always used it generically. Orange Nehi, Foster's Root beer, Pepsi, they were all a "coke." 😉
I generally use soda now. And I no longer hunt crawdads. 😉
I'm one of the people to home "cray-ahn" and "cray-awn" would be pronounced the same. I heard on "A Way with Words" that it's common in California. A caller was talking about the difference in pronunciation between "Erin" and "Aaron," which surprised me. One of the hosts said that "Don" and "Dawn" are pronounced differently by a large segment of the population. I try, but I can't make them sound different!
I want to tell the mapmaker that I have never heard anyone in Western New York refer to a crayfish as a “crawdad” unless they were attempting to speak Southern. The only exception would be a reference to a now defunct restaurant named Crawdaddy’s. He also left out “youse guys,” but I still found it extremely interesting. Thanks!
I can make those word pairs sound differently, but I'm not sure I actually say them differently in normal circumstances. I believe I pronounce "Aaron" with a more flat tone (like "map" or "mat") while Erin comes out more like "air". Hmmm — "marriage" can be pronounced both ways, too.