Talk Minnesotan
“How to Talk Minnesotan” was a concept made famous by A Prairie Home Companion and Howard Mohr and studied further in books, movies and videos about Minnesota. Learning about the stereotypical accent can be helpful in navigating the Midwest’s vernacular and customs.
Contents
Steps
Speaking With a Minnesota Accent
- Change the pronunciation of the vowel “O” in your speech. Contract the corners of your mouth to form a round shape with your mouth before phrases like “Oh dear” or “Minnes-ohhh-ta” and extend the emphasis on this vowel.
- This is a similarity to Canadian accents in some areas.
- Practice by saying the word “Sound”. While it only has one syllable and can be said quickly, a Minnesotan might say “S-ownd” or “S-ow-und” as a part of regular speech.
- Stress the “I” sound when you are using pronouns. The “I” should be drawn out and spoken with the mouth open and the tongue behind the bottom front teeth. This is also true when using names and words with the letter “y”.
- Practice by saying the word “Why” and drawing out the vowel.
- Pronounce the “r” in words more heavily. For example, the words “are,” “work” and “mother” rely more heavily on the letter “R” in the Minnesota dialect. Stress the “err” sound.
- Try saying the phrase “Oh, dear” to practice the “O” and the “R” together. It can sound like “Oo-ha, De-arr”.
- Use upward inflection. This is often called “Minnesota friendly” because they use an inquisitive tone when speaking with other people. There are several changes in tone throughout a sentence.
- Use the phrase “Oh, that’s interesting”. Although it is a statement and shouldn’t end with an inflection, the Midwestern accent would include an upward inflection with the word “interesting”.
- Employ a Scandinavian twist to the speech. Thanks to a large influx of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Minnesota accent has a sing-song quality, employing inflections and words like “Yah” for “Yes”.
- Try the comic phrase “Ya sure, you betcha” to practice your use of the regional pronunciation.
Learning Minnesotan Phrases
- Recognize that Minnesotans are well known for stringing words together. For example, “Have to” is often “hafta”, while “I’m going to” is “eye-mina” and “what are you” is “what-cha”.
- Follow up any question with “You betcha”. It is a generic, but common reply to questions like “You doing alright?” or “Are you full?”
- Call a soda “pop” when you order at a restaurant. Almost all of Minnesota and most of the Midwest call Coke, Pepsi and other sodas “pop”.
- Refer to expensive products as “spendy”. For example, “I didn’t buy that dress because it was too spendy”.
- Pronounce the word “been” as “ben”. Other like “can” are pronounced with a similar soft “eh” sound.
- Say “goodbye” by saying “Have a nice day”. This phrase and “Nice to meet you” are used to indicate you’d like to depart. You also might want to draw out your goodbye like a true Minnesotan and talk about the weather, sports, and politics. This is known as the "Minnesotan goodbye".
- Get used to some words that are pronounced differently without a general rule. For example, “cash” is sometimes pronounced “caish”. The word “different” is often pronounced with two syllables as “diff-rent”.
- Invite someone to attend something with you by saying “Do you wanna go with?” or “Do you wanna come with?” Although the sentence may end in a preposition, you are likely to sound like a local.
Being “Minnesota Nice”
- Understand the cultural stereotype called “Minnesota nice”. This is the act of being outwardly nice, without conveying your real opinions or emotions. It is often referred to as “passive aggressive” or “enthusiastic neutral” tone because of the friendly inflections while saying something negative.
- Do the “Minnesota wave”. This form of non-verbal communication is used when driving and greeting oncoming cars or pedestrians. You lift your index finger off the steering wheel for a second and set it back down.
- Say, “That’s different” instead of saying you don’t like something. If someone asks your opinion and you want to show a little opinion, “that’s different” will show that you don’t like it, without having to go into detail.
- Don’t look directly at the person. Minnesotans may talk while at a 45-degree angle or while looking out at something else. This is a way of remaining nice, non-confrontational, but not too personal.
- Avoid telling your opinion directly if it may hurt someone’s feelings. It’s better to say “Not bad” than “Not good”.
- Pronounce “Not Bad” as “Naaht Bah-d”.
