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“Michigander Slang Words”
The Michigan Accent “Michigander Slang Words”
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Michigan Slang/Colloquialisms:
“The Mitten” The State of Michigan “The U.P.” The Upper Peninsula “Up North” Where you go if you're traveling within Michigan
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In Michigan we…. ...go tuh the store, not "to" it.
...usta' have jobs in Detroit, not "used to" ...go huntin' in the wuds, not the "woods" ...get our tires slashed for driving a Tie-ota, not a Toyota. ...say er' not "or." ...feel like we're ki-nuh like Minnesotans, not "kind of."
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Michiganders like to save time...
We talk really fast here, so in order to do so, we do something similar to what the French call a liaison and elision. This is basically a way to mash up words in order to make pronunciation easier and faster.
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"Well, how am I supposed to say it?"
This comes out sounding like, "Well, how my spose'ta' sayit'?"
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Ja-eat? Did you eat?
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Yuh guys you guys
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Look at it! check this out!
Lookit! Look at it! check this out!
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Secretariah State Secretary of state
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Where? We end many sentences in prepositions such as “at”
Where at? Where? We end many sentences in prepositions such as “at”
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Grranrapids Grand Rapids
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AK-cidih accident
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aeh Narbor Ann Arbor
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Ashfault Asphalt
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bolth both
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Char-LOTT Charlotte
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Ciddy city
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cloze clothes
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CAHL-yum column
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COMF-terbul comfortable
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Cahngriss congress
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C’Meer Come Here
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Cranz crayons
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crick creek
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Deeah or Dayaahd Dad
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DiTROI Detroit
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drownded drowned
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Eeeevs Traaaf eavestrough
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FI-yerr Fire
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FREVer Forever
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Frigerraider Refrigerator
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GoverMit Government
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grage garage
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GROSHries groceries
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Haahkee hockey
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Hunnerd Hundred
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I-munna I’m going to..
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KI-nuh kind of
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LayKEERie Lake Erie
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Lie-berry Library
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liVONEya Livonia
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maahm mom
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Melk milk
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Mier or meer mirror
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muskeeda mosquito
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NUKE-yuller nuclear
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Pah-neeack Pontiac
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pahp pop
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pellow pillow
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reeelatur realtor
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ruff roof
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seckit second
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tempachur temperature
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thenks thanks
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vanella vanilla
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weeken weekend
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winzerr Windsor, (Canada)
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yuh you
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The Michigan Accent: The letter "A" The long "e" sound The letter "t"
as in "car" is a kind of light ee-yeah or ēă sound. Crayons are "crans" Dad is dēăd The long "e" sound like the "i" in "mirror" is a bit longer and really nasally. Also, we don't waste our time with the "or" in "mirror", so it's just "meer." The letter "t" If the letter "t" occurs in the middle of a word, it has a "d" sound. City is pronounced "ciddy"
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The Michigan Accent: Glottal Stop "Ah"
This is when your voice kind of stops in the middle of a word and then starts again. In Michigan, we like to do glottal stops at the end of our words, which is kind of like a last bit of forced breath. When we say Detroit, we don't say the "t" sound at the end. We say “Detroi” and then a bit of forced breath. "kitten" or "button", there is a glottal stop without the t sound actually being pronounced kitten = kih'ihn, button = buh'ton "Ah" is drawn out, as in “faahh-ther” for father and “maahm” for mom. After school, you go to "haahckey" practice. Chicago is "Chic-aah-go" not "Chi-caw-go"
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