Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 08:55:16 -0700 From: Joanne Feierman Subject: regional differences I would like to identify regional speech differences (pronunciation and words that mean different things in different places) that would be helpful for business people who travel throughout the US to know about. I am particularly interested in miscommunication, confusion, or embarrassment that speech differences might cause the traveling exec or sales person. I would also like to learn about "language etiquette" in various parts of the country. Here's an example of the latter that I love. My son, a real New Yorker we could, of course, have fun describing what a real New Yorker is vs. an unreal New Yorker, but that's another matter), kept telling how different things were in the Midwest during his freshman year at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). When pressed for specifics, he explained, "Well here when someone is talking, you have to wait until that person is done talking before you start talking. If you just jump in, the whole conversation stops and everyone just looks at you." Any references or examples will be greatly appreciated.