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Languages in Minnesota


Languages in Minnesota

The stereotypical Minnesotan dialect as popularized in the film Fargo is more prevalent in northern (Iron Range) and rural parts of the state than it is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In fact, in the metropolitan area, the accent is rarely noticed by visitors, much less the locals. The dialect is characterized by long vowels and a slight inflection (especially Os as found in the word "boat"). The sing-songy intonation is less common with each generation removed from the Scandinavian ancestors. Typically words ending with 'ag' have a long 'a', eg. the 'a' in 'bag' is similar to the 'a' in 'bake' not 'back'. Other vowels are sometimes affected as well. Native Americans (primarily Ojibwe) have an accent of their own. In addition to a unique dialect, Minnesota also has several phrases and colloquial expressions that can be overheard somewhat frequently. These include:
  • Uff-da (Norwegian exclamation meaning "Off it!" Typically used as a response to surprising or exasperating circumstances.
  • You betcha (You bet/of course)
  • Hot dish (Casserole)
  • Oh yah (Yes)
  • Lutefisk (A traditional Scandinavian food of dried white fish soaked in lye.)
  • Choppers (leather mittens with wool inserts, used for the really cold days)
  • Twenty below (shorthand for 20 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit), or -30'C (without windchill), which is when choppers start becoming necessary)
  • Tuque (Knitted winter hat)
  • Sorels (brand name of preferred winter boots, leather/rubber exterior, felt inserts)
  • boughten (adjective for a store-bought item, as opposed to home-made, as in 'boughten bread')
  • sled (slang term for a snowmobile)
  • popple (aspen or poplar tree, one of the most common trees in northern Minnesota and important part of the logging industry)
  • a forty (40 acres (about 16 hectares), or quarter-mile by quarter-mile of land, a derivative of the Public Land Survey (PLS) system)
  • Acrost (Scandinavian influenced regional pronunciation of "across")
  • Up north (Usually refers to anywhere that is north of the Twin Cities or where the person is at that time. ex.- Up north to Ely [while in Duluth])
  • Parka (A very warm winter coat)
  • Whipping Shitties (Breaking suddenly in an icy parking lot while the steering wheel is turned sharply causing the vehicle to spin)
  • Skol (Originally from the swedish term skål, a common drinking phrase used when clinking glasses together, such as "Cheers", "Salud", or "Chin Chin." Also used in their song for the Minnesota Vikings American football team, "Skol Vikings."
  • Snus (A swedish word for wet snuff, a tobacco variety common in the North)
  • A soft drink is typically called 'pop', rarely soda - even in newspaper advertisements. Much of the time in restaurants, if you ask for a "coke" you will receive a regular Coca-Cola, you will not be asked "What kind?". Sentences frequently end with a preposition, such as "Are you coming with?". If the sentence doesn't end with a preposition, the filler word 'then' may be appended, as in "So how's the car been running then?" Pronouns are dropped when assumed to be understood, "Took the car to the dealer, told me it just needed a new battery". People tend to speak modestly without extra superlatives or direct commands "Most folks turn off their cell phones before church starts, you know." Garrison Keillor, a radio personality and humorist, often plays this up in his "Prairie Home Companion" which takes place in the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, somewhere near St. Cloud. Locals also tend to softly "hum" before saying goodbye in informal conversation. "Bye" is commonly pronounced "mmmbye", with the second syllable much shorter than the first. Expletives are often from Scandinavian backgrounds such as "fitta" (swedish for "cunt") or "knulet" (from the swedish word for "fuck", knulla)

    The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Minnesota


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    Minnesota Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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