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May 24, 2013
May 22, 2013
John Thorne:
They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star
The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation
David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church
May 10, 2013
Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be
May 8, 2013
Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas
Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate
Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility
May 6, 2013
May 3, 2013
Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine
April 29, 2013
Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust
Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?
Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA
April 26, 2013
Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
April 24, 2013
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Jewish World Review
Speaking of accents
By
Randy A. Salas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
(MCT) How do you talk? Or do you pronounce it tawk or tock? The way Americans pronounce words tells a lot about where they live and grew up. Try these quizzes to see if they confirm what you think you already know about your accent.www.memegen.net/view/show/2313 Thomas (Xavier) Kun's "What American accent do you have?" quiz became an Internet sensation quickly after he created it in October. On blogs and in posts at sites such as Snopes.com and Fark.com, people enthusiastically shared quiz results showing what American accent they have. Months later, that quiz is still the most popular feature at the original site, GoToQuiz (www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have). There's only one problem: Kun doesn't want you to take it; he wants you to try the revised version, which is linked above. "I suppose it's great that the first quiz is still taking over the world like it is," he wrote in his MySpace blog (www.myspace.com/tomkun83), "but I want the other quiz to take off because it doesn't give as many wrong answers as the first one." Both quizzes ask if you pronounce words such as "cot" and "caught" the same or differently. But the more-extensive second test adds more questions and more detailed results. My test: The original quiz pegged my accent as being Inland North, which includes Minnesota, but I grew up in Orlando and my pronunciation of the quiz words hasn't changed since I moved to Minneapolis. On the fine-tuned test, my accent was described as being Northern, which includes Inland North but also western New England, closer to my parents' home state of Rhode Island.www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.htmlAre you a Rebel or a Yankee? AlphaDictionary's quiz tackles that question by asking about words common to a region to determine how they affect your speech. So it's not just how you pronounce words, but which ones you use in the first place. For example, what do you call carbonated drink? In Minnesota, "pop" is the preferred word, according to the quiz and my experience. But I've always used "soda," which the test says is common in the Northeast, where my parents and older siblings grew up. After each multiple-choice question, the site gives you immediate details about your answer. Once you complete the quiz, you're given an overall score of Yankeetude. Then, if you dare, you can follow the link to the Advanced Rebel-Yankee Test.My test: When I responded that I pronounce "caramel" as either the two-syllable "car-ml" or the three-syllable "car-a-mel," the test's immediate response was, "Make up your mind." Funny. My overall score: "52 percent Dixie. Barely in Dixie." I did move to Minneapolis more than 16 years ago.Further explorationIf you'd like to learn more about the way you speak, the most compelling additional resource is George Mason University's Speech Accent Archive (accent.gmu.edu), which lets you actually hear how native and non-native English speakers from different areas sound as they read the same paragraph. You can even browse the audio samples by clicking on various regions on a world map. Those wanting more can try Evolution Publishing's English Dialect Links (www.evolpub.com/Americandialects/EngDialLnx.html) and the University of Kansas' International Dialects of English Archive (web.ku.edu/idea). They'll fill you in on what it's all about. Or do you pronounce it aboht?
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Randy A. Salas is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Do you have a favorite Web site or a question about how to find something on the Internet? Send a note by clicking here.
Previously:
In the news
AnsaThat finds its answer
On top of the world
Another day, another dollar
Prank you very much
How much is enough?
Sound off
Readers have questions, concerns
Quick, give me a word
Driving you crazy
The joy of Bob Ross
Online goes prime time
You don't need to know this
Remembering the creator of Scooby-Doo
Do-it-yourself art
‘Leave me alone!’
Special deliveries
Weight-loss journeys
Daily routines
Working without a map
Just you watch!
New year, new diet
Your mail answered
Chatting: Central characters
Wonders never cease
Secret messages
For your consideration
Freaky food forays
Best of 2006 online
Missed marketing
H.G. Wells’ legacy endures
A quest for dragons
E-mails you've sent
In the news
It's free!
Websites that help you find books that are right for you
Coping with illness
Some serious face time
Some serious face time
In reply to your e-mail ...
Turn your handwriting into a computer-based font that will allow you to churn out homespun greetings
Music for everyone
'Elusive planet' can be viewed clearly from Earth with the naked eye
Central characters
E-mail @ 35
Idle chatter
Funny money
Classic artwork in motion
For an unusual Thanksgiving
Your slip is showing
Best of the worst
Test your mind power
Remain anonymous
© 2007, Star Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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