Forums » Smalltalk » Which English?

I was considering putting this into the games forum, but it seems more appropriate as a topic of discussion. If it's better off in forum games though, please move it?

There's a site called "Games With Words" that has some neat quizzes and stuff about the English language. Based on a series of questions that you answer in this test, it makes three guesses for your English dialect, and three guesses for your native language. The results are interesting, especially for us non-native English people. And by submitting some additional information at the end of the test, you help further their algorithm!

http://www.gameswithwords.org/WhichEnglish/

My results:

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. American (standard)
2. Canadian
3. Singaporean

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. English
2. Dutch
3. Spanish

Which, quite honestly, is just plain cool. To illustrate, my native languages are Dutch and German (although technically it includes a dialect, it's not a language of its own in this study, but keep in mind I speak Limburgs dialect too) and I've had the most exposure to American English.

What's funny about it is that I was taught British English in high school and had a fitting accent for years, but lost it somewhere during my mid-teens once I spoke more and more to Americans. I've visited the UK once in my life, but I never went to the US or lived in another country.

What are your results? What do you think about them?

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. Canadian
2. Singaporean
3. American (Standard)

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. Portuguese
2. English
3. Spanish

I don't know how to feel about it hehe but I'll tell you this much they're right on my native language well at least on the 3rd one.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. Australian
2. Singaporean
3. American (Standard)

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. Italian
2. English
3. Spanish

Lol, they were dead wrong in the native languages (I'm portuguese ) although I do speak standard english (Okay, I actually have developed an english accent over the years, and lost my american one, Go figure.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. American (Standard)
2. US Black Vernacular / Ebonics
3. Canadian
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. English
2. Russian
3. German

I think it's funny that they thought I can speak better Jive than I can Canadian. Eh?

... I hang out with more people of Spanish and European descent than anything else. Go figure.

Top three for me...

1. American (Standard) ((Understandable))
2. Canadian ((Understandable))
3. US Black Vernacular / Ebonics ((Really dude, really?))

And the guesses on my native language...
1. English ((Understandable))
2. Russian ((Say what?))
3. Portuguese ((Say what? x2))

This thing confuses me, the American is a given and I do hang out with a lot of Canadians and love their culture... But don't take this as being racist/biased - But Ebonics?!!? My vernacular is flawless.

Keep in mind that this is an algorithm that bases its results on what it learns from its participants. There's a chance it's just off.

Also, language changes a lot and small things slip into our way of speaking and writing all the time! If you're exposed to a certain way of speaking long enough you'll eventually incorporate (parts of) it into your daily speech, often without noticing. I keep saying things in Dutch that only make sense in (American) English because of this.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:
1. American (Standard)
2. Canadian
3. Singaporean

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:
1. English
2. German
3. Dutch

Point taken. ^^'

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:
1. American (Standard)
2. Canadian
3. US Black Vernacular / Ebonics

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:
1. English
2. German
3. Dutch

It is correct on my first English dialect, though I'm not sure where it gained 2 or 3 from. I'm terribly Southern in my accent and manner of speech.

It got my native language right though. I wish I knew German or Dutch. Those weren't language opportunities in my schools. :C On a side note, it'd be interesting if they showed this around school classrooms. Maybe it'd teach people to stop and proofread their stuff.

First thing first, I have trouble with this, because a lot of the questions I can see relating to ABV also apply to Newfoundland English. Second, I literally took my grammar final a month a go, why would you make me take it again, Sanne!?

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. Canadian
2. Singaporean
3. American (Standard)
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. English
2. Russian
3. Spanish

As for the native language guesses, all of my Linguistics classes have been taught by native Russians, so take what you will from that.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:
1. Welsh (UK)
2. Canadian
3. Australian

Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:
1. Portuguese
2. English
3. Finnish

Interesting...

I got 1. American(standard)
2. Canadian
3. Irish (southern)
as the dialects I use.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. US Black Vernacular / Ebonics
2. American (Standard)
3. Singaporean
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. English
2. Finnish
3. German


Hahaha, okay. I may speak a little like the first guess, but only when I'm silly. I often type how I speak.

This was cute and fun though!

Neat!

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:?
1. Canadian
2. South African
3. American (Standard)
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:?
1. English
2. Russian
3. Dutch
- See more at: http://www.gameswithwords.org/WhichEnglish/done.php#sthash.Hb0v72LV.dpuf

It's right on both first counts. I'm not sure where the South African influence is coming from, unless Maritime Canadian English is somewhat similar to SA English?
...I don't know if they have a seperate entry for Maritime English, to be honest. Could see 'em having Newfoundland English for sure (because ye gods is it ever weird in the scheme of things), but MCE is a little more moderate and more closely related to 'normal' Canadian, I guess.

Russian and Dutch, though, I ain't got nothing there. :p

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:?

1. Welsh (UK)
2. Singaporean
3. Australian
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:?

1. Spanish
2. Finnish
3. English

I'm an English speaking Australian, (excluding learning Indonesian? I guess?) So these results are highly amusing.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. South African
2. Australian
3. English (UK)
Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. Finnish
2. Spanish
3. German

Well... Didn't expect that at all! My native country is Belgium, so I expected to have heavy Dutch or heavy French influences, but apparently I do not. I can see the Australian and English accents, though. Australian because I grew up watching a lot of Australian kids shows they didn't dub over in Dutch, and in school we've been drilled to speak as British as possible. But a South African accent? I don't even know what that sounds like. Well, probably like me, I guess, durr

Actually South African English sounds pretty close to British English. There are a few minor differences and most of those stem from Dutch influence. Or at least that is what I've come to understand from my Dad, he lived in South Africa for a while when he was younger.

Our top three guesses for your English dialect:

1. American (Standard)
2. Singaporean
3. Canadian


Our top three guesses for your native (first) language:

1. English
2. Italian
3. German

My native language is actually dutch!