And if you have a really practiced ear, you can pin down the part of the state. I knew someone once who could peg where in North Carolina someone was from to within about 30 miles. Even today, with more mobility and the neutralizing effects of television, a western NC accent sounds nothing like an eastern NC one.

I don't get a chance to speak to many Eastern Carolinians, but I can definitely tell North from South Carolina accents.

I confuse people, because I've spent about 2/3 of my life in the North (Peoria, IL, where I got accused of having a Wisconsin accent), and 1/3 of my life in the South (Charlotte, NC). Add into that the fact that I'm just as likely to slip into a British accent or Scottish Brogue (albeit a bad one), and I stump even the most finely tuned ear.

You should really confuse them and throw in some true Down East High Tider brogue.

Anyone who has never heard it really needs to watch this. It's not the same as a Coastal Plains Eastern NC accent.

Very interesting!

Soda or pop? Coo-pon or cyu-pon? Maps reveal how America speaks:
http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/201...peaks#comments

And here are all 122 maps! You can select a map and a particular city to find out how a specific region speaks:
http://spark-1590165977.us-west-2.el...tz/SurveyMaps/

This is absolutely fascinating! There's one I love that I can't mention on here because it pretty much immediately identifies what state I'm from, but it completely describes us :)

Hm, now I'm curious..

I did love the 'Aunt' one. Now I know the reason why ever since I left New England, everyone looks at me funny when I say it :)

I find several interesting as I don't say the word like the map indicates I should Coupon specifically is a good example. I've always pronounced it like "cute" white the map says Louisiana does not. Wonder where I got that from?

That infamous mixing pot of New Orleans is where you get that.

But if you look at the map, New Orleans is super bright red like everyone says Coopon. Apparently they didn't ask the right people. ;)

I do find it interesting that the map for the drive-thru liquor store question (#118) could almost be mistaken for a map depicting the liberal vs. conservative states - with the red and blue being the opposite, of course.

Just saying :)

While we didn't have drive through daiquiri shops in Baton Rouge, I LOVED them in Monroe and Shreveport!

I just saw my first drive-thru daiquiri stand last summer!

I've been told I pronounce "bag" in a very unique way. I think it sounds completely normal to my ear, but everyone else finds humor in it. Looking at the map for bag, I don't say it like either of those options. Hmmm.

I was hoping to find a map regarding the word "both" - for some reason, I throw an L in the middle of it so it sounds more like the word "bowl" with a -th at the end.

Apparently I'm just weird :p

Do they have a map for Probably? I pronounce it "prolly". I know that's not right, but I say it anyway.

I found one map where I can actually explain the *really* odd geography for it:

#3. How do you pronounce the first syllable in "Bowie Knife". The areas of the country that pronounce the first syllable like "Boo" are either in
Texas (James Bowie who the knife is named for died at the Alamo and he pronounced is own name "Boo-ie")
or around Washington DC. (there is a large suburb of Washington DC (Bowie, Maryland) pronounced "Boo-ie")