How to talk Minnesotan

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/09/19/how-to-talk-minnesotan.html

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For sure, still a very useful guide for visitors, even to the Twin Cities. You bet. Oh, and when you depart, don’t forget to practice your long goodbye.

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That video was not too bad. Not too bad at all.

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Yep, Sounds about right.

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Can we just change the spelling of Minnesota to Minnesoda?

In 32 years of living in the Northern Plains/Midwest, I’ve never heard that ‘t’ pronounced by anyone.

Even when we say ‘Minnesotan’ the ‘t’ isn’t pronounced. instead its a glottal stop, and so its pronounced Minneso’n

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This explains so much about my friend’s dad who grew up in Minnesota.

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Are you really, really, really sure? Cause that’s a verrrrry long thread you’re proposing to pull – what with all the offbeat spellings in all of the world’s languages. It would take centuries (sorry: “sencherees”) to fix everything. And by then, there would be a new wave of bad spellings to be fixed…

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Bad spellings?

Making orthography match phonetics might make it quite a bit easier for people to pick up English.

Except for everyone in Boston. But fack doze gize enneeway

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I haven’t lived there in over 20 years, but still and forever will say it “Minnesoda.”

Shorter, I completely concur with @Antares14. You bet.

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Bad spellings? Or bad pronunciations?

Hey, now, you try pronouncing words crisply when it’s 20 below zero and your jaw is nearly frozen shut. It’s worse at -30, don’chano?

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As a Scandinavian I can’t say I don’t recognize this.

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But we (we Americans) never pronounce those things like t’s. They’re all flaps (as in “butter”). (They’re not d’s. They’re much closer to the way most languages pronounce r.)

But I’ll agree wth you that English spelling is a sick joke.

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Ya, sure, you betcha!

Dear Lord, that was scarily familiar. Are we sure Minnesota isn’t spiritually Canadian? I mean, really, really sure?

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There’s a general midwestern pessimism, I’ve noticed, but the further north you go, the deeper the pessimism goes. Sometimes I think it’s not too good, but then I realize I can’t complain, because it could be worse.

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No wonder the finnish people migrated there in flocks, early 20th century. Very homey attitudes.

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There are too many variations. Every country and region would have different spelling and make it harder to learn.

Yeah. Could be worse :stuck_out_tongue:

When Reagan was president, the running joke in the Twin Cities was that we could just secede to Canada since most of the downtown real estate was already owned by Canadians. :upside_down_face: Also, after a couple pints, people from Toronto can’t tell I’m not one of 'em. :smirk:

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