Waffle-Talk

Again, imma mutt. I was born in Libertyville, IL, but I've lived in Raleigh, NC since I was one-and-a-half years old. My parents were both born and raised in Chicago, IL.

Many people have problems telling exactly where I'm from. Most Northerners can tell I'm from the South. The strength of my "Southern accent" varies depending on my social setting. Many southerns pick up on the subtle Northern influence on my speech from my parents.

When I'm around people with a thicker southern accent, I unconsciously talk more southern. Yes Ma'am, yes sir, dropping the "g" off of words n' such. I don't really see this as being chameleon.... it's just another part of who I am. I was raised around people who used "ma'am" and "sir" to show respect and as a kid I picked it up.

When I'm around Northerners my Southern accent fades a bit, at least the more identifying aspects of it. However, "y'all" tends to stick with me. I'm rather fond of that word for some reason.

I like the way I talk. A lot. I believe the way I speak is unique to me. It feels like a good mix between stereotypical educated speech, and interesting character. 

Sometimes I feel like a bit of an oddball because of the way I speak. I don't really feel like I fit into a specific "dialect." But then again, I've never been much of a conformist.

Because I've studied a lot of languages, I've picked up an even greater understanding of dialects outside of American colloquialisms.

Dialects are not unique to America. My first German teacher spoke with a Southern German accent. My second German teacher had a very harsh Northern German accent. They spoke very differently. I kind of miss hearing the southern German accent. My first German teacher was the first teacher I ever thought was hot. Sie war SEHR schon (there's an umlaut over the "o" but I can't type it in).

I'm really tired and too lazy to relate this to waffles right now. Sorry :(