What are your perceptions of each state?

[AliP]

Originally Posted by dissention

Everyone from the northeast has an accent, IMO. Some (like people form Boston) don't pronounce R's very well and empahsize "ah" when there isn't one in a word. Others pronounce words so well that it doesn't seem like they have an accent, but their pronunciations are very sharp and abrupt. Personally, I have a very rich voice and I sound like I'm from England.

I agree. My mom is from New York and everyone out here immediately picks up on her accent even though she hasn't lived there for 35 years.

*****
The thing that bugs me is everyone assumes she is from New York City. Everytime I would tell people I was going to visit New York, they are like 'go see the statue of liberty' or are like "goin' to the Big Appla (they will be trying to copy a New York accent - annoying) or something. Plus, she doesn't have a Brooklyn accent...it's a Buffalo/Rochester accent. There's a difference, I think. People just don't realize that that there is more to New York than just the City. People out here can be soo dumb.

[AliP]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

Well, I live in West Virginia. Here is what I hear a lot:



-"Don't ppl marry their brothers and sisters there?" Just in Southern WV

Yeah, that's what I say I hear the most about West Virginia. LOL. Or that the people live in the mountains, toothless and all!

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by AliP

Yeah, that's what I say I hear the most about West Virginia. LOL. Or that the people live in the mountains, toothless and all!

Well, I do live in the mountains. The tooth thing is kinda true....I have mine, but my neighbors don't.

[GateandGarden]

Originally Posted by pianogirl04

Whenever I tell people I'm from Louisiana, they're always amazed that I don't have a southern accent. My mom's from Michigan but I don't sound like I'm from there either... I have no idea what I sound like! I'd like to think I identify with Texas more than anywhere -- I was born there and I'd love to go back for more than a few days at a time, but from what I've seen, I like it.

I think I'm like you. People ask me what happened to my accent. It only comes out in certain words, and always out of nowhere. I've had people ask me if I'm from New York because I don't sound like other people around here. Of course, these were people who had probably never met someone from New York and had no real concept of what they sounded like.

Hillary

[AliP]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

Girls have big hair (some might, I suppose), drive Mercedes and BMWs (depends on the place but yes, true) walk around with fake nails and coach bags (not me but yes, true).

That is soo funny! Have you seen the MTV special "Real Life - I'm a New Jersey Shore Girl" or something like that?? That's totally how I pictured girls and from New Jersey! I totally picture guys from New Jersey as always having dark hair with wife beater tank tops on and lots of jewelry. Have you seen the the other MTV special where the Italian guy and girl are planning their wedding - and he freaks out when the limo driver is late and screams in the phone - "I'm going to hunt you down and rip your stomach out!" or something like that. I was like people in New Jersey are nutsz!! LOL!

Yeah, but my perception of New Jersey is definitely big hair ladies, very thick accents, very into their ethnicity (if that makes sense) It's like a whole different world out here. For instance, people out here do not care what your ethnic background is. In fact, people don't even know what theirs is. Then when you go back East - people's lives just revolve around whether they are Italian, Polish, Greek etc. Just very different out west.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by dissention

Others pronounce words so well that it doesn't seem like they have an accent, but their pronunciations are very sharp and abrupt. Personally, I have a very rich voice and I sound like I'm from England.

:raises hand:

Me too. I'm not so sure if that's a good thing or if that makes us "fancy pants" elitist's

When you get my mom riled up or laughing maniacally, she sounds like a Jewish woman from the Long Island. However, she grew up 15 minutes from here and has never visited Long Island...go figure

[amber]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

Seriously. I don't think I've ever met anyone from those states..hmmm...hehehe...

I spent my whole life (up until about 7 months ago) in New Mexico - and some of the things I've heard in my travels have been great...

"Oh you're from New MExico? WOW - your English is really good!" um....

"Oh New Mexico - do you travel to the United States often?"

Luckily it's been years since I've had those mishaps - seems people didn't even realize New MExico was a state until recently

Movies tend to perpetuate the New Mexico stereotype something awful...believe it or not it's not just a huge barren land w/ nothing but old saloons, ghost towns and dirt roads...

A movie I LOVE but it always bugs me is Boys on the Side...they make Tucson out to be this total nothing antiquated place - house all secluded in the dessert, the festival they go to and the bar in which Jane works...Tucson is actually a city lol....I don't know things like that bug me...

For the record, I think of Taos, beautiful landscapes, and a fairly large artist/weird spiritual things community...

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by AliP

That is soo funny! Have you seen the MTV special "Real Life - I'm a New Jersey Shore Girl" or something like that?? That's totally how I pictured girls and from New Jersey! I totally picture guys from New Jersey as always having dark hair with wife beater tank tops on and lots of jewelry. Have you seen the the other MTV special where the Italian guy and girl are planning their wedding - and he freaks out when the limo driver is late and screams in the phone - "I'm going to hunt you down and rip your stomach out!" or something like that. I was like people in New Jersey are nutsz!! LOL!

Yeah, but my perception of New Jersey is definitely big hair ladies, very thick accents, very into their ethnicity (if that makes sense) It's like a whole different world out here. For instance, people out here do not care what your ethnic background is. In fact, people don't even know what theirs is. Then when you go back East - people's lives just revolve around whether they are Italian, Polish, Greek etc. Just very different out west.

Yes and I shook my head in despair. Those? were girls from North Jersey That's another thing about this state. North Jersey and South Jersey have their similarities but they also have their differences as I think Lisa can attest to as well. Most of the farm land is way down south and the industrial is partly south (around the city) but mainly central and northern New Jersey (around NYC). You can definately tell a North Jersey girl from a South Jersey girl (accents aside). The place they filmed I'm A Jersey Shore Girl AND the bride/groom fighting was in Northern NJ. Same for Room Raiders and most of the Made shows (MTV brings their crews in from NYC and they film mainly up north). I always think they find the biggest morons from the state and put them on television and then people think, "WTF?!?." Not everyone in North Jersey is like that but sadly, some people are. South Jersey certainly has their fill of odd people as well We have snobs, rednecks (they're called pineys because they live near the Pine Barrens), total hicks, farmers (Vineland) yuppies (Cherry Hill), workaholics, alcoholics, drug addicts (Camden), etc.

In New Jersey people are very Jewish and very Italian (there are other nationalities here as well but as far as Italians and Jews are concerned, we're it ) and yes, everyone is incredibly proud to throw it around. I think it's our location. Most people that live here have come from a city at one point or another where back years ago after emmigrating here, people seperated into their groups in the big cities and that's just the way it was. Today you still see the same activity in the city but many suburban communities have become melting pots. You're right though...it's a HUGE North East thing

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by amber

For the record, I think of Taos, beautiful landscapes, and a fairly large artist/weird spiritual things community...

You and I must share a brain because that's exactly what I think of too. That and lots of really fabulous stones in bracelets and necklaces...very Navajo. I love it.

[amber]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

You and I must share a brain because that's exactly what I think of too. That and lots of really fabulous stones in bracelets and necklaces...very Navajo. I love it.

I've always wanted to vacation there, or retire there, or something. But if we are sharing a brain, that explains a lot, from my perspective And i think I owe you an apology

On a different note, i'm suprised no one has "attacked" Cali yet. I guess NJ had enough fodder to keep everyone occupied And by the way, Jersey sounds a bit nicer than i always thought it was...

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by amber

I've always wanted to vacation there, or retire there, or something. But if we are sharing a brain, that explains a lot, from my perspective And i think I owe you an apology

On a different note, i'm suprised no one has "attacked" Cali yet. I guess NJ had enough fodder to keep everyone occupied And by the way, Jersey sounds a bit nicer than i always thought it was...

No apology necessary I plan on finishing my college education in California but I think people get the wrong impression of the state. With shows like Laguna Beach and The O.C., it's not hard to figure out why. However, it does, after all, consist of more than "Hollywood." Meredith (Merf) was actually surprised by New Jersey. It's really not as bad as I make it out to be but yes, it's crazy and we're all really hyper and "GO GO GO!" up here. Fast-paced.

[amber]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

No apology necessary I plan on finishing my college education in California but I think people get the wrong impression the state. With shows like Laguna Beach and The O.C., it's not hard to figure out why. However, it does, after all, consist of more than "Hollywood." Meredith (Merf) was actually surprised by New Jersey. It's really not as bad as I make it out to be but yes, it's crazy and we're all really hyper and "GO GO GO!" up here. Fast-paced.

Sounds fun. Actually, it would be nice to meet other italian people.. Like the ones i see in movies...

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally Posted by amber

Sounds fun. Actually, it would be nice to meet other italian people.. Like the ones i see in movies...

There are definitely some around here

[amber]

Originally Posted by GardenStateGirlie

There are definitely some around here

Woohoo! My whole life, i was thinking, there's no one around here like me...with a weird "yelling family", talking loud craziness..."where's my people?!"

[wondergirl9847]

My mom told me that when she was a kid, she used to go to New York to visit some of our family. The kids up there always use to ask her if she had an oil well in her backyard and if they rode horses everywhere. LMAO!!

Yes, in Texas, we all have oil wells, ride horses everywhere, and say ya'll all the time....wait, that last one is true. Hee!!

Howdy, ya'll!