Ohio talk · Languages in Ohio
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Languages in Ohio
Languages in Ohio
Despite what you may have heard, Ohio is very diverse with regional dialects. In the middle of the state, especially Dayton and Columbus, many people speak what is commonly known as General American Dialect, or Standard Midwestern Dialect. Around Cleveland and Toledo people speak with what is known as the Northern Cities Vowel shift of same dialect, sounding way more like a Chicagoan (think Da Bears from Saturday Night Live for a really exaggerated example).
In the Amish Country between Cleveland and Columbus English is actually a second language for the Amish populations with Pennsylvania Dutch, their first. Pretty much all Amish speak English outside of the home but with a distinct accent.
In inner cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus there are hundreds of thousands of African-Americans who speak what is called Black English Vernacular. As you move South and Southeast, you may encounter those who speak Southern American English-- especially in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. White non Appalachian populations in the Greater Cincinnati area have a slight dialect differences influenced by their heavily German population with a few local colloquialisms like “Pony Keg” for Convenience Store, and using “Please?” instead of “What?” when asking someone to repeat themselves.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Ohio
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Ohio - updated Apr 2024
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WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Ohio 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.