WATER ICE VS. ITALIAN ICE

What Are Some Differences?

• Pronunciation of caramel
• Saying soda or pop
• The pronunciation of aunt
• Whether one says you guys or y'all
• Pronunciation of pecan

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

• Because most pronunciation and word choices were based on region the notion that linguistics are determined by nurture rather than nature is supported
• Harvard conducted a dialect study that determined where test participants were most likely from based on the words they used or pronunciations of certain words.

How the Test Works

• When the study was originally conducted by Bert Vaux and Scott Golder, over 350,000 survey responses to certain words and pronunciations were cataloged to pinpoint where certain pronunciation's location was.
• When someone else takes the test his or hers responses are cataloged with the region where the word or pronunciation is most commonly used when the survey was first taken.
• My own responses determined I was most likely from the northeast around Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York, I was born in Philadelphia and lived in Pennsylvania until I was 9.
• Had language been shaped by nature i would use a lot of words from Virginia, because my Mother has lived most of her life in Fred Vegas.

Take the Test Yourself

• Study can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-ma...