Does Minnesota English sound different from general American English?
I am Californian and I bumped into this white guy who spoke with what sounded like a foreign accent. I asked him where he was from, he said he was from Minnesota, though he had lived in China for 4 years and other countries for more (he was only in his early 20s). I assumed he had picked up a foreign accent or that his parents were immigrants from East Europe or something.
Today I bumped into another guy, an Asian guy, with the same sort of accent. He was ethnically Chinese, but taking a beginner's Chinese class and said he was 4th generation--all 4 of his grandparents were born and raised in the US. He was also from Minnesota.
Do they really sound that different? I've never heard an accent like this on TV.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I have lived in Minnesota, and I don't think people from there have an accent---In fact, I believe most Americans don't.
I think the first guy picked up a foreign accent, and I don't know about the second guy.
Here's an example of people from Minnesota talking-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr9Gx3MzDGk&feature...
As you can see, except for that main guy who is pretending to talk a bit ghetto, everyone talks normally without an accent.
well if i base myself thinking all those accents of anglo-phones, when american english was develop after they gained their independence from the english,though the languange, origin england, true they speak differently from the original language, but unthinkable that minnesota is america, while england and america are two continents different that i understand, but people when they speak more than one language they are bound to have different accent from the others, since the phonetic pronouciation change by practicing other language, when i speak french i pronounce differently while i speak language