Language Quiz

[bhskittykatt]

I took it a few days ago. It gave me Fresno, Honolulu, and I can't remember the third, but it was in California. It got me on the west coast, at least.

[Dentarthurdent]

The first time I tried this, it gave me Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, and Spokane.
Second time I got Grand Rapids, Rockford, IL, and Spokane. I took it twice to see if the questions changed. They did, but only a few of them.

I'm from Grand Rapids (born there, went to college there, it was where we went when we went "to town" when I was a kid).

I've never been to any of the others, except I was in Milwaukee during an unfortunate interstate shutdown once. When your dad says he's going to drive you home around the lake (to avoid bridge toll, I guess?) and you're going to go through Chicago in July in a Geo Metro with no a/c, a hyperactive brother, and a dog...yer gonna have a bad time. Especially when the key breaks off in the ignition.

[TawnyMyst]

Being from the frozen north I'd figure I'd see what it gave someone who's never lived in the states. I got Montgomerry, Durham and Detroit. Not sure what they even have in common.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, apparently I'm from North Jersey (I'm not; I'm from Central). My most similar cities are Newark/Paterson, Jersey City, and Yonkers (which is in NY).

I laughed at the little "your last answer shows this" map after the question about traffic circles. I said "circle" and the entire map was blue (least similar) except for central/southern New Jersey which was orange-red. "Mischief night" seems to be pretty specific to NJ, too.

And I wasn't sure how to answer "What do you call a big road on which you drive relatively fast?" As a general term, I'd say highway but "Parkway" and "Turnpike" mean very specific things in New Jersey.

[Greenday]

Well, apparently I'm from North Jersey (I'm not; I'm from Central). My most similar cities are Newark/Paterson, Jersey City, and Yonkers (which is in NY).

I laughed at the little "your last answer shows this" map after the question about traffic circles. I said "circle" and the entire map was blue (least similar) except for central/southern New Jersey which was orange-red. "Mischief night" seems to be pretty specific to NJ, too.

And I wasn't sure how to answer "What do you call a big road on which you drive relatively fast?" As a general term, I'd say highway but "Parkway" and "Turnpike" mean very specific things in New Jersey.

Outside of Central Jersey, most people don't even know it exists and people from North/South Jerseys laugh at us. It's not a shocker the test doesn't acknowledge it.

Circles forever. I'll have to ask people down here what they call it now that I moved to South Jersey.

And a highway is the generic term. Parkway is THE Parkway. And a Turnpike is a specific highway that takes out through a state. There's only one so it doesn't fit the definition.

[Chromatix]

In Britain, a "turnpike" is an obsolete term which refers to an obsolete method of funding road repairs. Basically, a turnpike is a tollgate, and the tolls were collected by the government-authorised regional organisations who were tasked with maintaining the roads. Frequently the tollgate would be on a natural bottleneck such as a bridge, to reduce evasion.

Likewise, "highway" is an obsolete term for a main road, which historically overlapped semantically with the turnpike road system. It's still current in other countries, but not in Britain, except in certain phrases derived from its original meaning. The new main roads built since WW1 are known as "trunk roads" or "A-roads" (green signs, 60mph, any traffic allowed but unwise for cyclists) and "motorways" (blue signs, hard shoulder, 70mph, no learner drivers, minimum 45mph capable vehicles). Note however that not all A-roads are actually trunk roads - in remote areas there are even A-roads that are single-track with passing places!

Then a "parkway" is not a road at all, but a transport hub on the outskirts of a city, usually designed to keep cars out of the city centre and are therefore provided with extensive car parks. Also known as "park and ride". Some railway stations have "Parkway" as part of their name for this reason.

Finally the ring-shaped junction is called a "roundabout". No two ways about it.

[Cazzi]

This Brit got Yonkers, Jersey City & New York.... and a few new words in the vocabulary

[BookstoreEscapee]

In Britain, a "turnpike" is an obsolete term which refers to an obsolete method of funding road repairs. Basically, a turnpike is a tollgate, and the tolls were collected by the government-authorised regional organisations who were tasked with maintaining the roads. Frequently the tollgate would be on a natural bottleneck such as a bridge, to reduce evasion.

Well, the NJ Turnpike is a toll road so presumably that's where it comes from. There's also the PA Turnpike that I'm familiar with; there are several other states with big toll roads call "Turnpike."

Outside of Central Jersey, most people don't even know it exists and people from North/South Jerseys laugh at us. It's not a shocker the test doesn't acknowledge it.

Yeah, I know Where in Jersey are you now?

[JustaCashier]

I got Seattle (my lifetime city), Rochester, NY, and one other New York State/East Coast City that I don't recall.

I have historically called the beverage either "pop", or "soda pop", and only very occasionally "soda". However, after hanging out with folks in recent years that call it "soda", have found that I use that term more often than before.

I've also heard "the devil beating his wife", but don't really recall hearing any of the other terms, although some, such as "sun shower" seem to make logical sense. I've always either said; "Hey! It's raining and the sun is shining too!" or, presuming the person I'm talking to is already quite aware that the sun is out; "Hey! It's raining!"

Mike

[BookstoreEscapee]

I've also heard "the devil beating his wife", but don't really recall hearing any of the other terms, although some, such as "sun shower" seem to make logical sense. I've always either said; "Hey! It's raining and the sun is shining too!" or, presuming the person I'm talking to is already quite aware that the sun is out; "Hey! It's raining!"

Mike

I've heard the term sunshower but I don't use it myself. There were a few other questions where I had the same thought.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

This Canadian got San fransisco, Fremont and San Jose. 3 cities I have never been to in a state I have never been to. Other than a specific hit in that area (??) my most similar are Alaska (very dark) a strip across the whole north getting darker as you head east a small hit in southern Florida, which all make sense and a small area in the south on the Gulf of Mexico (I think it's Louisiana) which I don't understand at all.

[Kit-Ginevra]

I got Baltimore-Paterson NJ and NYC.Seems Jersey is the land of the Brits. My ex was from upstate NY(hello Kennedy,Randolph and Jamestown ) and she loved my accent.People recognize it's me,but they have a time placing it.
Having been in New Zealand and then South West England,Liverpool and Manchester,Birmingham and Black Country,my accent changes slightly depending where I go.

[DaisyQueen]

This is so freaky. Pegs me in Lincoln/Omaha which is exactly right. It's watching me!!! (Slowly puts on tin foil hat).

[Kit-Ginevra]

Well.... cowboy jeans...check... check shirt...check... ear of corn stuck behind ear...check... chomping on corncob pipe... check... yep it knows...

[Kit-Ginevra]

Just sayin'