Y'all, you all, or you guys? Dialect maps showcase America's many linguistic divides

A North Carolina State University doctoral student's fascination with differences in U.S. dialects led him to create over 100 maps that show the colorful ways in which American English diverges

Do you call a long sandwich of cold cuts a sub, a hoagie, or a hero? A slew of new maps prove how you answer this, and a load of other questions, can betray where in America you come from.

The regional differences in America are apparent to anyone who has traveled even a state or two from their home, but some differences in dialect aren’t as obvious—or as well known—as others.

But North Carolina State University doctoral student in statistics took the data compiled from 120-question survey by Cambridge professor Dr. Bert Vaux that asked American’s questions like how they pronounce ‘lawyer’ or ‘crayon’ or what exactly they call that cold cut sandwich and turned it all into fascinating maps that show just how dialectically divided the country really is.

How ya'll doin'? North Carolina State University Ph.D. student Joshua Katz created over 100 maps using data about regional American dialect differences. How do you describe groups of two or more?

Cole-d shoulder: Can you just call coleslaw slaw? Again, the north and south are divided. And in the south, you put 'slaw' on your sandwiches (and even, in some places, on your hot dogs)

Sticky issue: Caramel has two A's, but do you pronounce them both? only if you live in the south and east coast

Katz was kind enough to share several of these maps with Business Insider , and those interested can peruse a great many others, as Katz has also made all 100+ maps available online .

The most obvious example of where American regions part ways dialectically is in, to use the survey’s verbiage, ‘what word(s) they use to address a group of two or more people?’

Axe to grinder: While most of America says 'Sub' for a long cold cut sandwich, some say hoagie, hero, or even--though it's managed to stay off this map--grinder

How do I pronounce thee? Cambridge researcher Dr. Bert Vaux, on whose data Katz based his maps, found that Americans pronounce 'pecan' in one of four ways, depending on where they come from

Moving to the City: New Yorkers, and MTV reality show fans, may take issue with this, but 'the City' apparently also means Chicago or Boston

Is your name Ben? If so, Wisconsin may be a confusing place because in the Badger State, your name rhymes with 'been.' Other ways to pronounce it include 'bin' in most other country and 'bean' in British tourist destinations

If your answer is ‘ya’ll,’ then chances are very good you were raised south of the Mason-Dixon line. Other responses included ‘you all,’ used mostly in Kentucky and a chunk of central Florida, and you guys, which is basically used everywhere else.

Not included in the map is the uniquely Pittsburgh alternative ‘yinz guys.’

Just say PJs: Nearly following the 'Ya'll Line' is the pajama line. Southerners and a few folks in the northeast call their jammies 'puh-jaaahmas' while the rest of the country prefers their nightwear to be 'puh-jam-uhs'

Or is it parkway? Debate rages about whether that 'big road you drive fast on' is a freeway or a highway, with westcoasters leading toward freeway

Is your lawyer loyal? Regardless, if the first syllables of the words sound the same to you, you're probably not from the south, where lawyer rhymes with callyer

Mary me Merry and we'll be Marry: If you hear this sentence and it makes sense, you're like most of America. But in some regions, people pronounce each word differently

A less obvious example is the word ‘caramel.’ Though sweet, preference for how to pronounce the sugary treat seems to create a bitter divide according to Katz’s map. Travelers to Montana be warned: the state reported the most who pronounce it ‘carm-uhl,’ without the second ‘a.’

Crayon jewels: 'Cray-un,' 'cray-awn,' 'cran,' or 'crown,' they all mean crayon

Fifty fifty: About half the country calls the eggy dressing man-aise, while the others prefer the extra zip in the middle, calling it may-uh-naise

Circular logic: Only in New England are rotaries more than those volunteer retirees with tents at fairs--they're traffic circles in most of the country, while Utah calls them roundabouts

Other questions include the perennial favorite ‘pop’ or ‘soda,’ how to pronounce ‘pecan,’ and the question that will annoy every Louisianan who reads the maps, ‘What do you call the miniature lobster the one finds in lakes and streams?’

Dying dialect? Only Rhode Islanders and folks from half of Wisconsin seem to use the rare colloquialism of 'bubbler' when referring to drinking fountains. Or are they water fountains?

What gives soda its pop? Long an indicator of one's Midwestern roots, a 'sweetened carbonated beverage' is probably a 'pop' if you're from the Plains states but a soda if you're from the coasts

What's stuck in your crawfish: Those from New Orleans, where the tiny lobsters are a delicacy, might take issue with the alternatives 'crayfish' and 'crawdad'

David Booey? If the spelling and pronunciation of the rock star's name have never added up for you, you're from Texas or a town called Bowie, pronounced Booey, outside Washington, DC

Katz’s interest in creating these maps seems to personal. He is, after all, a statistician not a linguist by trade and he’d love to work with Dr. Vaux on another project sometime.

‘I’ve always found variations in dialect fascinating ,’ he told the NC State University blog The Abstract . ‘Language says so much about who a person is. To me, dialect is a badge of pride – it’s something that says, “This is who I am; this is where I come from.”’

Suuuurup: Most of the country opts for the pronunciation 'sirup' but others put 'searup' on their pancakes (or are they flapjacks?)

What if I'm playing racquetball?: The term tennis shoes describes rubber-soled athletic shoes to most Americans. But In the northeast, where they're more often called 'sneakers'

We have no idea: Respondents outside eastern Virginia seemed confused when asked what they call drive-thru liquor stores. But residents of the region call them 'brew thrus' Violent weather? When its raining, but the sun is still shining, a small area in the deep south refers to the phenomenon as 'the devil beating his wife'



