Dialects

So, I've recently come to realize that if I hang around a person long enough, I start talking like them. It's not something I do purposely; it just happens. I have some kind of predisposition to picking up people's dialects.

I first realized it a couple years ago when I starting religiously watching The Nanny with Fran Drescher. At that time, I was simultaneously becoming a huge fan of Barbra Streisand. Of course I listened to her music, but more importantly watched her films, thus picking up on her manner of speaking. Two Jewish women, one from Queens, the other from Brooklyn. Oy. There was no turning back.

I also have noticed that when I say any word with an "o" in it, it always turns into an "oooo," like I'm from Chicago or Minnesota or somewhere up there. That, I believe, started with Christine Ebersole, who is from Winnetka, north of Chicago. I've seen her on Broadway and in concert 3 times, and also have watched her in interviews. It was inevitable that I'd pick up on that.

In the last couple months, I've been hanging out a lot with two of my friends from the Cleveland area. I think out of all the dialects I have picked up on, I use this one the most. Although, I do become a Jewish New Yorker quite often.

Everyone's always asking me, "Where the hell are you FROM, Meagan?" You'd never be able to tell by the way I speak. I find it quite hilarious actually. I guess I'm a Jewish girl from New York, a Chicagoan/Minnesotan, and a Clevelander all rolled in to one. I can't wait to see what else I'm going to add to that list. Maybe British. I've always wanted to be British.

And on that note, check out this video and this quiz