[Rainer.]

I'm a lifetime Pacific Northwester... and i find things like this utterly fascinating.

1. Do the names Paulie and Polly sound the same when you say them?
Yes.
2. What about Holly and Hawley?
Yes.
3. Does the word "new" sound more like "noo" or "nyoo"?
"nyoo"
4. Do "pin" and "pen" sound the same? "Tin" and "ten"?
No.
5. Is the "i" or the "e" more obvious in "friend"?
E
6. When you say "back," is the vowel sound uniform or does it slightly change as though it were two vowels?
Uniform.
7. Does the last "s" in Moses sound the same as the last "s" in "noses"?
Yes.
8. Do you say "y'all"?
On occasion.
9. Can the word "anymore" be used at the beginning of a sentence?
"Anymore cheese and garlic croutons?"
10. Can you use the word "with" without an object? Example: "I'm going to the store; do you want to go with?"
Yes. Often as part of "Come with."
11. Would you use the phrase "and that" in the following way? "He was at work and that, so I didn't bother him."
Probably not.
12. If I said, "I need to put this up," would you assume I was going to hang it on a wall, or put it in a drawer?
Hang it on a wall.
13. T/F - "I'm fixing to eat" makes perfect sense.
Yes, but I'd never say that.
14. Does the first syllable of "salad" ever sound like the word "sell"?
No.
15. Do the words "coin" and "oil" ever seem to have two syllables? Does "coin" ever sound vaguely like "cone"?
Yes, and No.
16. Does "really" ever sound vaguely like "rilly"?
Only when my sister says it.
17. Does "want" ever sound vaguely like "won't"?
No.
18. Is it "ENN-velope" or "AHN-velope"?
ENN.
19. "EE-ther" or "AI-ther" for the word "either"?
EE.
20. "Kitty-corner" or "catty-corner," or "catercorner"?
Kater-corner? Kitty-corner, actually.
21. Do you recognize any of the following pronunciations? "Bah-ree" or "Bah-ruh" for "borrow"; "Meer-ow" or "Meer-uh" for "mirror"; "Own" for "on"; "
Only from my grandparents. No, not out of my mouth.
22. Do "Barry," "berry," and "bury" all sound the same?
All but "bury".
23. Does "God" ever almost rhyme with "add"? What about "on" and "anne"?
No.
24. Do you pronounce the "l" in words like "walk," "talk," "
No.
25. Does the word "wasn't" sometimes sound like the "s" has become a "d"?
No.
26. Do any of these words ever have an accent on the FIRST syllable? Guitar, cement, Thanksgiving, insurance, display, umbrella?
No.
27. Do "hurried" and "worried" ever sound like "hurrid" and "worrid"?
No.
28. Does the word "gas" ever sound sort of like "GAY-uss"?
No. Lol.
29. Does the word "think" ever sound vaguely like "thank"?
No.
30. Does the word "coke" refer to any soda, or only to Coca-cola?
Only Coca-Cola. And cocaine.
31. In the summer, do you see fireflies or lightning bugs?
Neither . I've seen fireflies, though.
32. Does the water come out of the tap, the faucet, or the spigot? Or does it depend on whether it's indoors or outdoors?
My tap water comes out of the faucet.
33. Is it a root beer float or a brown cow?
Root beer float.
34. Are they sneakers, tennis shoes, or gym shoes?
Tennis Shoes.
35. Do men carry billfolds?
No.
36. When you throw something, do you "chunk" or "chuck" it?
Chuck.
37. Say a bucket of water spills. Did it "tump over"?
No.
38. Do you "mash" a button?
I push a button.
39. Does the bathroom contain a "commode"?
No.
40. Does the word "pecan" sound like "puh-CAHN" or "PEE-can," or something else?
puh-CAHN
41. Do "are" and "our" always sound the same, always different, or does it depend?
Always different.
42. Can you make sense of the following words? "Cattywampus," "Wocky-jawed," "Rapscallion"
Wut?

[KATSRUS5]

I lived in southern Louisiana my whole life ... just FYI ... I had Nate listen to me for most of these cuz I don't have any idea about which prononuation I use ...

1. Do the names Paulie and Polly sound the same when you say them?
yes

2. What about Holly and Hawley?
yes

3. Does the word "new" sound more like "noo" or "nyoo"?
in between them

4. Do "pin" and "pen" sound the same? "Tin" and "ten"?
pin and pen slightly differtent ... tin and ten the same

5. Is the "i" or the "e" more obvious in "friend"?
e

6. When you say "back," is the vowel sound uniform or does it slightly change as though it were two vowels?
one

7. Does the last "s" in Moses sound the same as the last "s" in "noses"?
yes

8. Do you say "y'all"?
yes

9. Can the word "anymore" be used at the beginning of a sentence?
?! I don't know

10. Can you use the word "with" without an object? Example: "I'm going to the store; do you want to go with?"
yes

11. Would you use the phrase "and that" in the following way? "He was at work and that, so I didn't bother him."
i don't think so

12. If I said, "I need to put this up," would you assume I was going to hang it on a wall, or put it in a drawer?
both ... it depends on what your showing me

13. T/F - "I'm fixing to eat" makes perfect sense.
true

14. Does the first syllable of "salad" ever sound like the word "sell"?
no

15. Do the words "coin" and "oil" ever seem to have two syllables? Does "coin" ever sound vaguely like "cone"?
yes and yes and no

16. Does "really" ever sound vaguely like "rilly"?
no

17. Does "want" ever sound vaguely like "won't"?
no

18. Is it "ENN-velope" or "AHN-velope"?
ahn-velope

19. "EE-ther" or "AI-ther" for the word "either"?
both

20. "Kitty-corner" or "catty-corner," or "catercorner"?
catty-corner

21. Do you recognize any of the following pronunciations? "Bah-ree" or "Bah-ruh" for "borrow"; "Meer-ow" or "Meer-uh" for "mirror"; "Own" for "on"; "
meer-uh

22. Do "Barry," "berry," and "bury" all sound the same?
yes

23. Does "God" ever almost rhyme with "add"? What about "on" and "anne"?
no and no

24. Do you pronounce the "l" in words like "walk," "talk," "
yes

25. Does the word "wasn't" sometimes sound like the "s" has become a "d"?
no

26. Do any of these words ever have an accent on the FIRST syllable? Guitar, cement, Thanksgiving, insurance, display, umbrella?
cement, insurance, umbrells

27. Do "hurried" and "worried" ever sound like "hurrid" and "worrid"?
no

28. Does the word "gas" ever sound sort of like "GAY-uss"?
gas

29. Does the word "think" ever sound vaguely like "thank"?
no

30. Does the word "coke" refer to any soda, or only to Coca-cola?
coke is soda

31. In the summer, do you see fireflies or lightning bugs?
fireflies

32. Does the water come out of the tap, the faucet, or the spigot? Or does it depend on whether it's indoors or outdoors?
faucet

33. Is it a root beer float or a brown cow?
root beer float

34. Are they sneakers, tennis shoes, or gym shoes?
sneakers or tennis shoes ... but mostly tennis shoes

35. Do men carry billfolds?
no

36. When you throw something, do you "chunk" or "chuck" it?
I throw it

37. Say a bucket of water spills. Did it "tump over"?
no

38. Do you "mash" a button?
yes

39. Does the bathroom contain a "commode"?
toilet

40. Does the word "pecan" sound like "puh-CAHN" or "PEE-can," or something else?
puh-cahn

41. Do "are" and "our" always sound the same, always different, or does it depend?
almost the same

42. Can you make sense of the following words? "Cattywampus," "Wocky-jawed," "Rapscallion"
I've heard cattywampus and rapscallion

[KATSRUS5]

These are words Nate finds funny when I talk ...

cardboard: "cord-bord"
room / rum: both are "rum"
Reese's Pieces: "Reesees Peecees"

[Ted Logan]

Wow! These responses are awesome! Thanks so much for participating (and I hope more will answer, too!). I'm pretty surprised more people don't say "nyoo," but the others are shaping up about like I expected. Here, by the way, are my answers. I spent most of my life in Texas, but a few years in Arkansas; my parents are both from rural Arkansas, which will become plain in my answers.

Oh, and for the question about Paulie and Polly, for Midwesterners, the "o" in Polly sounds somewhere between the "a" in "aw" and the "a" in "pal." Midwesterners would probably disagree on that, but that's how a Southern ear hears it.

1. Do the names Paulie and Polly sound the same when you say them?
Yes, and my mother-in-law always thinks I'm saying "Paulie," but I don't know that I've ever said that name.

2. What about Holly and Hawley?
Yes, the same.

3. Does the word "new" sound more like "noo" or "nyoo"?
Nyoo, which seems to be more common among older folks in Arkansas and Texas.

4. Do "pin" and "pen" sound the same? "Tin" and "ten"?
Same; my wife just has to assume that I will never ask her for a pin.

5. Is the "i" or the "e" more obvious in "friend"?
Frind.

6. When you say "back," is the vowel sound uniform or does it slightly change as though it were two vowels?
Uniform. In Chicagoland, some folks say the word almost like "byack" where the "y" is very subtle.

7. Does the last "s" in Moses sound the same as the last "s" in "noses"?
No. Mozes, nozez.

8. Do you say "y'all"?
Yes, and I advocate its use in Bible translations - it solves the pernicious problem of "you" being used for both the 2nd person singular and 2nd person plural (which is particularly problematic in the OT Law, the sermon on the Mount, and Paul's epistles).

9. Can the word "anymore" be used at the beginning of a sentence?
There were actually two phenomena I had in mind here, though beanbag was able to articulate it in a way I couldn't. In Illinois, I have heard sentences like the following:

"Anymore, I can't find a decent mechanic."

"I go to the store twice a week anymore."

In Texas, these statements are either incomprehensible or ridiculous.

10. Can you use the word "with" without an object? Example: "I'm going to the store; do you want to go with?"
This is common in Chicagoland; unheard of in the South.

11. Would you use the phrase "and that" in the following way? "He was at work and that, so I didn't bother him."
This is common in Chicagoland; unheard of in the South.

12. If I said, "I need to put this up," would you assume I was going to hang it on a wall, or put it in a drawer?
Southern assumption: It is being put away, either in a drawer or on a shelf. It would be surprising if the word "up" had a directional content.

In the Midwest: Put it on a wall or a high shelf. It used to confuse Heather when I said, "I need to put this up." She would say, "Why do you need to put it up somewhere? Just put it away."

13. T/F - "I'm fixing to eat" makes perfect sense.
T - though I rarely say it.

14. Does the first syllable of "salad" ever sound like the word "sell"?
No. Some folks in Illinois say "sell-ed" for "salad," which just sounds cool and weird.

15. Do the words "coin" and "oil" ever seem to have two syllables? Does "coin" ever sound vaguely like "cone"?
True story: Some older folks in East Texas say coin almost exactly like the name "Cohen." It's KOH-inn. Oil, for the same people, might be OH-wuhl. Non-southerners often make fun of us for saying "all" or "awl" for oil, but I've never heard that. In East Texas, the single-syllable version of oil is more like halfway between "ool" and "ole." I say "OY-uhl".

16. Does "really" ever sound vaguely like "rilly"?
Almost always.

17. Does "want" ever sound vaguely like "won't"?
Not for me, but it's common in East Texas and Arkansas.

18. Is it "ENN-velope" or "AHN-velope"?
Both.

19. "EE-ther" or "AI-ther" for the word "either"?
Both. Never EE-ther at the beginning of a sentence.

20. "Kitty-corner" or "catty-corner," or "catercorner"?
I grew up with "catty-corner," but now I say "catercorner," which is correct(!!). Illinois folks say "kitty-corner."

21. Do you recognize any of the following pronunciations? "Bah-ree" or "Bah-ruh" for "borrow"; "Meer-ow" or "Meer-uh" for "mirror"; "Own" for "on"; "
True story: At a church where I worked in East Texas, they had plaques that said, "All the mirrows in this church were donated by John Murphy." I recognize all these (obviously), but I don't use them. "Own" for "on" seems common in rural Arkansas.

22. Do "Barry," "berry," and "bury" all sound the same?
Barry and berry are the same; bury is like "burry." I think I get that from my Arkansas heritage.

23. Does "God" ever almost rhyme with "add"? What about "on" and "anne"?
No, but Chicagoans sound like this to me

24. Do you pronounce the "l" in words like "walk," "talk," "
Yes, and it drives my wife CRAZY. Apparently, it's only common in parts of the South.

25. Does the word "wasn't" sometimes sound like the "s" has become a "d"?
Yes - it sounds like wuddn.

26. Do any of these words ever have an accent on the FIRST syllable? Guitar, cement, Thanksgiving, insurance, display, umbrella?
All these are common; I only use THANKSgiving (all the time), INsurance (My dad is in the INsurance business; he sells inSURance), DISplay (DISplay as a noun, disPLAY as a verb).

27. Do "hurried" and "worried" ever sound like "hurrid" and "worrid"?
Only for my grandfather and Johnny Cash.

28. Does the word "gas" ever sound sort of like "GAY-uss"?
Only among people in Kilgore.

29. Does the word "think" ever sound vaguely like "thank"?
Only when I'm in Longview; even in Houston, this disappeared in my voice.

30. Does the word "coke" refer to any soda, or only to Coca-cola?
In Texas: Any soda. In Chicago: Any soda, so that I can annoy silly people who say "pop."

31. In the summer, do you see fireflies or lightning bugs?
Lightning bugs. They look like flying, glowing sunflower seeds.

32. Does the water come out of the tap, the faucet, or the spigot? Or does it depend on whether it's indoors or outdoors?
True story: Faucet in the house; tap is an alternate name for the KITCHEN sink. Spigot outside.

33. Is it a root beer float or a brown cow?
Float. I had never heard of a brown cow till I moved to Illinois.

34. Are they sneakers, tennis shoes, or gym shoes?
Not gym shoes. I usually say sneakers, but that's uncommon in these parts.

35. Do men carry billfolds?
Yes, or wallets.

36. When you throw something, do you "chunk" or "chuck" it?
Chunk. Chuck is a name.

37. Say a bucket of water spills. Did it "tump over"?
When I was a kid, this was common. No adult ever said it.

38. Do you "mash" a button?
No, but my childhood friends did.

39. Does the bathroom contain a "commode"?
Yes.

40. Does the word "pecan" sound like "puh-CAHN" or "PEE-can," or something else?
Puh-CAHN. I never heard PEE-can till I moved to Illinois.

41. Do "are" and "our" always sound the same, always different, or does it depend?
Depends. Our usually sounds like "hour."

42. Can you make sense of the following words? "Cattywampus," "Wocky-jawed," "Rapscallion"[/QUOTE]
"Cattywampus" describes an item that's messed up. "Wocky-jawed" describes an item that's askew. A "rapscallion" is a mischievous child.

[bravesfan007]

I'm a little late to the party, but here's mile compilation. I'm from southwest Virginia near the Tennessee line. I've been raised in these mountains and yet I supposedly do not have an accent like most everyone else. Sometimes the fact that I am from this region slips out. Without further ado:

1. Do the names Paulie and Polly sound the same when you say them? No
2. What about Holly and Hawley? No
3. Does the word "new" sound more like "noo" or "nyoo"? “noo”
4. Do "pin" and "pen" sound the same? "Tin" and "ten"? Depends
5. Is the "i" or the "e" more obvious in "friend"? e
6. When you say "back," is the vowel sound uniform or does it slightly change as though it were two vowels? Change
7. Does the last "s" in Moses sound the same as the last "s" in "noses"? Yes
8. Do you say "y'all"? Absolutely
9. Can the word "anymore" be used at the beginning of a sentence? No
10. Can you use the word "with" without an object? Example: "I'm going to the store; do you want to go with?" No
11. Would you use the phrase "and that" in the following way? "He was at work and that, so I didn't bother him." No
12. If I said, "I need to put this up," would you assume I was going to hang it on a wall, or put it in a drawer? Yet again, it depends upon what it is.
13. T/F - "I'm fixing to eat" makes perfect sense. True
14. Does the first syllable of "salad" ever sound like the word "sell"? No
15. Do the words "coin" and "oil" ever seem to have two syllables? Does "coin" ever sound vaguely like "cone"? No and no
16. Does "really" ever sound vaguely like "rilly"? Yes
17. Does "want" ever sound vaguely like "won't"? Yes
18. Is it "ENN-velope" or "AHN-velope"? Depends
19. "EE-ther" or "AI-ther" for the word "either"? Depends upon what comes out.
20. "Kitty-corner" or "catty-corner," or "catercorner"? catty
21. Do you recognize any of the following pronunciations? "Bah-ree" or "Bah-ruh" for "borrow"; "Meer-ow" or "Meer-uh" for "mirror"; "Own" for "on"; I recognize them all
22. Do "Barry," "berry," and "bury" all sound the same? More often than not, yes.
23. Does "God" ever almost rhyme with "add"? What about "on" and "anne"? No.
24. Do you pronounce the "l" in words like "walk," "talk," Yes
25. Does the word "wasn't" sometimes sound like the "s" has become a "d"? No.
26. Do any of these words ever have an accent on the FIRST syllable? Guitar, cement, Thanksgiving, insurance, display, umbrella? Yes
27. Do "hurried" and "worried" ever sound like "hurrid" and "worrid"? Rarely
28. Does the word "gas" ever sound sort of like "GAY-uss"? No
29. Does the word "think" ever sound vaguely like "thank"? Not from me, but I hear it.
30. Does the word "coke" refer to any soda, or only to Coca-cola? Only Coca-Cola
31. In the summer, do you see fireflies or lightning bugs? Both
32. Does the water come out of the tap, the faucet, or the spigot? Or does it depend on whether it's indoors or outdoors? Faucet indoors and spigot outdoors.
33. Is it a root beer float or a brown cow? Float
34. Are they sneakers, tennis shoes, or gym shoes? Sneakers and tennis shoes.
35. Do men carry billfolds? Yes, and wallets
36. When you throw something, do you "chunk" or "chuck" it? 95% of the time I chuck it
37. Say a bucket of water spills. Did it "tump over"? No
38. Do you "mash" a button? Sometimes people, but I typically press.
39. Does the bathroom contain a "commode"? Yes also known as a toilet.
40. Does the word "pecan" sound like "puh-CAHN" or "PEE-can," or something else? Depends upon who I ask. I typically say “puh-Cahn”.
41. Do "are" and "our" always sound the same, always different, or does it depend? Always different coming from me.
42. Can you make sense of the following words? "Cattywampus," "Wocky-jawed," "Rapscallion" Nope

[Pre-Ex-Girlfriend]

I'd like to amend my answer to number 34. I realized I probably say "runners" more than I say "sneakers" "gym shoes" or "tennis shoes."

Also, I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. This is very interesting.

[tlj009]

I'd like to amend my answer to number 34. I realized I probably say "runners" more than I say "sneakers" "gym shoes" or "tennis shoes."

Also, I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. This is very interesting.

I am sure that I am the only person who has even heard of tennis floppers. If you ever start referring to your shoes that way, it is time for you to get new shoes. And before anyone asks, duct tape is not an adequate fix for your shoes at that point.

[Art]

For reference, Northern California born and raised, but every way of saying everything listed here, I have heard. And even more. I went to school with people from all over the world, and I love to travel. This is awesome.

1. Do the names Paulie and Polly sound the same when you say them?
Not quite. Close.
2. What about Holly and Hawley?
Not at all.
3. Does the word "new" sound more like "noo" or "nyoo"?
Gnu. (noo)
4. Do "pin" and "pen" sound the same? "Tin" and "ten"?
Not at all.
5. Is the "i" or the "e" more obvious in "friend"?
E
6. When you say "back," is the vowel sound uniform or does it slightly change as though it were two vowels?
Uniform.
7. Does the last "s" in Moses sound the same as the last "s" in "noses"?
Nope. I wonder why?
8. Do you say "y'all"?
I do, but very consciously. It is not a regular part of my natural speech.
9. Can the word "anymore" be used at the beginning of a sentence?
No.
10. Can you use the word "with" without an object? Example: "I'm going to the store; do you want to go with?"
Do. Not. Like.
11. Would you use the phrase "and that" in the following way? "He was at work and that, so I didn't bother him."
Negative.
12. If I said, "I need to put this up," would you assume I was going to hang it on a wall, or put it in a drawer?
Depends on the object. Could be either.
13. T/F - "I'm fixing to eat" makes perfect sense.
Only because I have known people who say stuff like that.
14. Does the first syllable of "salad" ever sound like the word "sell"?
No.
15. Do the words "coin" and "oil" ever seem to have two syllables? Does "coin" ever sound vaguely like "cone"?
No to coin, yes to oil, no to cone.
16. Does "really" ever sound vaguely like "rilly"?
Yes, unfortunately.
17. Does "want" ever sound vaguely like "won't"?
No.
18. Is it "ENN-velope" or "AHN-velope"?
Enn.
19. "EE-ther" or "AI-ther" for the word "either"?
I have not decided yet. It changes.
20. "Kitty-corner" or "catty-corner," or "catercorner"?
None of the above.
21. Do you recognize any of the following pronunciations? "Bah-ree" or "Bah-ruh" for "borrow"; "Meer-ow" or "Meer-uh" for "mirror"; "Own" for "on"; "
Nope.
22. Do "Barry," "berry," and "bury" all sound the same?
A slight difference in Bury. Otherwise yes.
23. Does "God" ever almost rhyme with "add"? What about "on" and "anne"?
No.
24. Do you pronounce the "l" in words like "walk," "talk,"
No.
25. Does the word "wasn't" sometimes sound like the "s" has become a "d"?
No. My dad does that. Drives me crazy.
26. Do any of these words ever have an accent on the FIRST syllable? Guitar, cement, Thanksgiving, insurance, display, umbrella? Nope.
27. Do "hurried" and "worried" ever sound like "hurrid" and "worrid"?
No
28. Does the word "gas" ever sound sort of like "GAY-uss"?
No.
29. Does the word "think" ever sound vaguely like "thank"?
Nope.
30. Does the word "coke" refer to any soda, or only to Coca-cola?
Coca-Cola. Trade names are used, and the generic word is soda.
31. In the summer, do you see fireflies or lightning bugs?
*sigh* No. But if I were to see them, they would be fireflies.
32. Does the water come out of the tap, the faucet, or the spigot? Or does it depend on whether it's indoors or outdoors?
Faucet, and occasionally tap. If it is outside, it might be a spigot.
33. Is it a root beer float or a brown cow?
RBF.
34. Are they sneakers, tennis shoes, or gym shoes?
Sneaks.
35. Do men carry billfolds?
Wallets.
36. When you throw something, do you "chunk" or "chuck" it?
Chuck.
37. Say a bucket of water spills. Did it "tump over"?
No.
38. Do you "mash" a button?
I don't, but I hear it said.
39. Does the bathroom contain a "commode"?
Negative.
40. Does the word "pecan" sound like "puh-CAHN" or "PEE-can," or something else?
I still haven't figured that one out. PEE-cahn is probably my most common, or pee-CAHN.
41. Do "are" and "our" always sound the same, always different, or does it depend?
If I am paying attention to the way I speak, very different.
42. Can you make sense of the following words? "Cattywampus," "Wocky-jawed," "Rapscallion
First and third, yes. Not Wocky-jawed. I use Cattywampus fairly often.