Does Garrison Keillor have a recognizable Minnesota accent? nt

[raccoon]

[Thor_MN]

1. I don't think he has an accent, which may mean Yes

I grew up on the North Shore of Lake Superior just outside Duluth and he sounds normal to me. But then, lots of actors sound normal, a vague tinge of midwestern accent seems to be what they always teach.

[raccoon]

2. How about Bob Dylan?

"a vague tinge of midwestern accent seems to be what they always teach." I think so too.

[peacetalksforall]

3. No. You can hear for yourself. Exception: When he plays Leftie (the cowboy)

Just listen to one of his programs - http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

Of course, he is the straight man within a team that is fantastic at mimic. Tim Russell does many of them - listen to his George Bush and Kissinger voices.

Hear live shows on NPR - Saturday evenings - mostly 5-7 pm.

He was an English major - works that into the show - pushes books and reading them.

[raccoon]

4. I do listen to him. That dude that does the Bush voice is really good.

I noticed he mentions English majors a lot, but didn't know he was one.

Thanks for the link.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. The REAL rural Minnesota accent on the show was Butch Thompson

of the Butch Thompson Trio, when they were the house band for the program.

[peacetalksforall]

6. They just performed a 25 (30") year anniversary - had all the original

musicians from the early days including Thompson. Agree - Thompson does Minnesota.

But Coleman couldn't talk MN if he tried.

[lorih]

7. MN Accents

Keillor's not from Minnesota and doesn't have a MN accent. Butch Thompson grew up in Stillwater, MN, and Norm Coleman was from New York, so no, he will never have a MN accent. We wouldn't let him leave the state with it after he switched parties as mayor of St. Paul. :-)

[dflprincess]

8. Garrison Keillor was born & raised in Minnesota

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor

[glinda]

9. Coleman is from NY

[glinda]

10. No to many of us but outside the midwest he may appear to. He is very conscious of his speaking.

[Brickbat]

11. No.

[Another Bill C.]

12. I've traveled a lot and

I've found Minnesota to be the only state in the union where the people don't have accents.

[Odin2005]

13. By definition, everyone has an accent.

What people mean by "no accent" is "General American", the standard pronunciation taught to people learning English. Us Minnesotans definitely don't speak General American.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Central_American_English

[dflprincess]

I recall reading that during WWII Midwesterners were the people picked for making announcements

on troop ships because they were the only ones everyone could understand.

Years ago when my family moved back to Minnesota from upstate New York one of my teachers had me sent to the school speech therapist (most humiliating for a 7th grader). The therapist had me read a few lines then said "You lived 'back east', didn't you?" I acknowledged this and she then assured me that she would let my teacher know that I did not have a speech problem, just an accent. All this served to merely confirm my opinion that I had been dragged back to a God-awful backwater on par with Siberia. And to this day, I'd love to know which teacher had, apparently, never heard someone from outside of Minnesota speak.

[dflprincess]

15. delete - dupe

[Odin2005]

14. Not really.But there is no single "Minnesota Accent", anyway.

Us younger speakers around here have a quite distinctive accent, but it has become different than the stereotypical "Minnesota Accent", which today one finds only among people 40 or older.

[dflprincess]

16. I have heard under people under 40 sound like Marge Gunderson in "Fargo"

at least up north.

[pengillian101]

17. Really?

"I have heard under people under 40 sound like Marge Gunderson in "Fargo at least up north."

Wow, that's odd. I have NEVER in my life heard a Marge Gunderson accent and I know lot of folks in MN. Some folks pronounce sauna weird is all I've noticed.

Her character exaggerated the accent WAY too much. I love her acting, but that was way over the top. William H. Macy's accent was just as bad.

Northern MN folks do NOT sound like this. I live here.

[dflprincess]

18. My friend has a cabin near Park Rapids

and I have heard the accent up when I've been up there (not from everyone) & I have heard people who sound just like Marge. It also used to be pretty common around the Willmar area though I haven't been out that way in years.

Where I notice it with a lot of people (in the metro), is the way people will still say "Ja" and drag it out "Jaaa". Though sometimes I think people picked it up from "Fargo".

[pengillian101]

19. Oh that!

It's like how we start most sentences.

It's "ya" like don't cha know?

Not Jaa. What's wrong with that, eh?

Oh crap, I have been chastised and laughed at for beginning sentences with, "YA..."

Ya got me.

[mzmolly]

21. You should hear

both my parents. They sound very typically Minnesotan. :hi:

[mzmolly]

20. Yers, but it's slowed down quite a bit.

It's a Minnesota drawl. ;)