Mormon Accent


Snow
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm sorry, but a lot of you are sounding like a bunch of snobs in this thread, and I don't just mean the Utah bashing. I've also lived in Memphis and Pittsburgh and Oregon and people all spoke differently in each place. So what. When I lived in France it was the same thing, people bragging about their area speaking the most pure French and putting down other regions and how they talked. It was a bunch of crap there too. We are all different and we all speak differently. Diversity and variety is what makes things interesting. I'll admit that I do struggle with correcting my own kids here in Utah for not saying the 't' in mountain or fountain or Layton. Oh well...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 71
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm sorry, but a lot of you are sounding like a bunch of snobs in this thread, and I don't just mean the Utah bashing. I've also lived in Memphis and Pittsburgh and Oregon and people all spoke differently in each place. So what. When I lived in France it was the same thing, people bragging about their area speaking the most pure French and putting down other regions and how they talked. It was a bunch of crap there too. We are all different and we all speak differently. Diversity and variety is what makes things interesting. I'll admit that I do struggle with correcting my own kids here in Utah for not saying the 't' in mountain or fountain or Layton. Oh well...

Actually this is all being done in fun and not putting down anyone at all. I haven't taken this at all to be a bunch of snobs putting down the way others talk. We all talk "funny" if you get right down to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but a lot of you are sounding like a bunch of snobs in this thread, and I don't just mean the Utah bashing. I've also lived in Memphis and Pittsburgh and Oregon and people all spoke differently in each place. So what. When I lived in France it was the same thing, people bragging about their area speaking the most pure French and putting down other regions and how they talked. It was a bunch of crap there too. We are all different and we all speak differently. Diversity and variety is what makes things interesting. I'll admit that I do struggle with correcting my own kids here in Utah for not saying the 't' in mountain or fountain or Layton. Oh well...

its all being done in fun......fun fun fun.....:D:D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not trying to be snobbish, just seeing the humor in different speech patterns. Probably enough quirkiness in every area to go around.

One of the more humorous things I ran into was on my mission in Japan. There was a couple that attended BYU when they were younger, and when they spoke english, they did it with a Utah twang.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I visited Kentucky I went to a restaurant where this young female waitress attempted to take my order. She spoke english, some sort of U.S regional accent, but I couldn't identify any words that she spoke: let alone vowel sounds and consonants. I was pretty floored by the experience and it gave me a lot of respect for the diversity that people cope with seamlessly and that makes up the U.S.

My mum had an open door policy to Morman mishys and always chatted with them. My sister and I would try to divert one into talking with us cause they had such neat accents ; ) . Mostly about basketball and family, if we could get them to talk to us, and I'm sure it was mostly to be helpful and to allow Mum to chat without 'the kids interrupting' or being distracted about what we were up to and because we were annoyingly persistent. They were soft spoken. And tolerant of bratty kids : P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MY mother-in-law pronounces it "Wushington" with a short U sound. Weird, huh?

Somehow john doe you have quoted what I said but showing Iggy as having said it. hahaha About the Woishington. That's how my mom used to say it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I visited Kentucky I went to a restaurant where this young female waitress attempted to take my order. She spoke english, some sort of U.S regional accent, but I couldn't identify any words that she spoke: let alone vowel sounds and consonants. I was pretty floored by the experience and it gave me a lot of respect for the diversity that people cope with seamlessly and that makes up the U.S.

I have trouble understanding some accents, also. I do better if it is 'face-to-face', though.

When I get a heavily accented customer rep. on the phone, I will, after a few attempts at conversation, have to hang up and call again. It can be frustrating. Probably for them, also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a clip of Ed Smart (father of Elizabeth Smart).

He has a version of what I am talking about although his is a bit effeminate sounding.

YouTube - Ed Smart

Church historian Richard Turley also has "the voice," but I could not find a video of him. When he was interviewed last September about MMM, I remember wondering if those from across the country, who know nothing of "the accent," thought he was the most boring person on the planet.

Another person whose voice grates on me is Terryl Givens. He has the modulated conference speaker tone, but also a gravely undertone that sounds as if his throat is perpetually full of phlegm.

It makes me want to throw water at my television!

This is a link to lds.org that has a video of Givens.

And yes, I am being totally catty, but I am finding this cathartic. Plus, you know I'm right! :P

Elphaba

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Instead of an army brat, I was raised as a NASA brat. I have lived in Southern California, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Lousiana, Alaska, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. I also have spent time in Mexico. I have a mishmash accent. People have asked me where I live because they can't tell from my accent. Sometimes my accent is southern, sometimes californian, sometimes spanish. Just depends on my moods. I like to mix things up.

So welcome to Idaho, I live by a crick, in a grande casa, and I like to eat catfish and hush puppies. Y'all come back, ya hear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty standard Willamette Valley -- Oregon -- accent:

Terri Irwin, widow of Steve Irwin.

I do believe most conference speakers must take a class on monotone delivery offered by Ben Stein. However, not all Utah residents are boring speakers -- I have a friend who is a teacher in Salt Lake (devout Mormon too) and he is animated, has excellent delivery skills and can captivate an audience. These people realy do exist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are times when (and this is a terrible thing to admit) I wish they wouldn't let the little kids give their testimonies in F&T meetings...I confess that listening to the same sing-songy recitation drives me nuts (or at least nuttier than normal).

This, of course, is where the Mormon Accent begins...but at least they could wait until they had it down right before letting the kids out in public!

(okay, this was meant as a bit of "making fun" of some of our traditions and processes. For those of you with no sense of humor, I do not advocate stifling anyone's desire to share their testimony at any opportunity.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about Arkansas?

How do you say "Kansas"?

So, why does the word "Kansas" change just because the letters "ar" were added to the beginning?

Why is it pronounced AR-KEN-SAW?

It should be AR-KANSAS.

Hey Palerider, just add that to that list of things that bug me! :huh::eek::lol:

Oh, and by the way mischievous...is pronounced miss-che-vous...

NOT miss-chee-vee-ous.

There is NO "i" after the letter "v" but people still say it as if there is...LOL

I think language is interesting. I do not observe the way people pronounce things as a means to vault myself above them...I merely find it interesting and puzzling how things got started.

At what point did somebody pronounce the word "mischievous" wrong? Then, others (not really paying attention to how it is spelled) have repeated the error, never realizing their mistake.

I think that is fascinating. I don't think it places me above anybody else, but I do wonder if people were made aware of their error if they would then change how they say the word? If not, then that is their choice. The world won't end because somebody pronounces a word wrong. But we all have our preferences, our likes and dislikes. I do not like celery. I also do not like that we say AR-KEN-SAW instead of AR-KANSAS.

That does not make me a snob...it just means that I spend WAY too much time obsessing over something that I am never gonna change. Oh well.

Asi es la vida. (That's life)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Username-Removed

1) Missouri

Miz-UR-ah

2) Oregon

Or-e-Gun

Speaking of Oregon, nearly every city is about somehere else ...

1) Salem

2) Albany

3) Portland (which won over Boston by a coin flip)

4) Ontario

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) Missouri

Miz-UR-ah

2) Oregon

Or-e-Gun

Speaking of Oregon, nearly every city is about somehere else ...

1) Salem

2) Albany

3) Portland (which won over Boston by a coin flip)

4) Ontario

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

True, except for Noti and Brothers.

Here's some city names that I suppose the ACLU hasn't gotten around yet to sue over since they are based on Biblical names:

Joseph

St. Paul

Salem

Goshen

Lebanon

Nimrod

Damascus

Then there's a city that Al Sharpton isn't probably aware of yet:

White City

And let us also ponder the very non-politically correct state song of Oregon

Land of the Empire Builders, Land of the Golden West;

Conquered and held by free men, Fairest and the best.

On-ward and upward ever, Forward and on, and on;

Hail to thee, Land of the Heroes, My Oregon.

Land of the rose and sunshine, Land of the summer's breeze;

Laden with health and vigor, Fresh from the western seas.

Blest by the blood of martyrs, Land of the setting sun;

Hail to thee, Land of Promise, My Oregon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, this is wierd ....

Was born and raised in the Corvallis/Albany area. :P

Lived in Springfield for a bit, but too ... (ahem) weird... for me. :huh:

Lived in Lake Oswego, loved it - But I didnt live on the lake. Also lived in Vancouver WA for a while (which was a lot like Grants Pass or Medford) in many respects :rolleyes:

Of course, I would never live in Seattle. :eek:

I live in Vancouver and I always say, "Vancouver is to Portland as Kearns is to Salt Lake." LOL. I really don't like Vancouver. I don't even have my kids go to school over here. I truck them to Portland everyday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to live in Vancouver, Wa., and I know Portlanders have a strange way of Pronouncing "Willamette" and "Couch". The accent in Willamette is on 'am', and Couch is pronounced "kooch"(of course this a just on the street in downtown Portland)...These are some ways to detect out of towners.

Don't forget how they say "Aloha" here. Even Lake Oswego catches the tourists. It's pronounced "A-lo-uhh" not "A-lo-ha" and "Os-wee-go" not "Os-way-go."
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mom has the worst Utah accent. I love to tease her about shopping at the "star," riding a "harse" and eating "carn on the cob." :lol:

This reminds me of a joke my dad used to make about Utah accents. People from Utah throw the apple "car" out the "core" window and and go fishing in the "crick". :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Username-Removed

Don't forget how they say "Aloha" here. Even Lake Oswego catches the tourists. It's pronounced "A-lo-uhh" not "A-lo-ha" and "Os-wee-go" not "Os-way-go."

:)

Personnaly I loved living in Vancouver Washington. I always felt it was a suburb of Portland. No income tax, and just travel to Oregon (1 mile away) and no sales tax! LOL - Id love to move back!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share