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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by a LIGHTBULB EATER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
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This comic is a parody of online quizzes that offer to compare the user's dialect of American English with others around the country. These quizzes generally contain questions about word usage, names for certain objects, and pronunciations that vary between different regions of the US. There are also quizzes about broader English dialects, but this comic focuses on commonly cited differences between American dialects. | This comic is a parody of online quizzes that offer to compare the user's dialect of American English with others around the country. These quizzes generally contain questions about word usage, names for certain objects, and pronunciations that vary between different regions of the US. There are also quizzes about broader English dialects, but this comic focuses on commonly cited differences between American dialects. | ||
− | The earliest quiz of this type to be widely disseminated online was the [http://dialect.redlog.net/ Harvard Dialect Survey], conducted in the early 2000s by Bert Vaux and Scott Golder. The survey created maps of the distribution of various word usage (such as pop/soda/ | + | The earliest quiz of this type to be widely disseminated online was the [http://dialect.redlog.net/ Harvard Dialect Survey], conducted in the early 2000s by Bert Vaux and Scott Golder. The survey created maps of the distribution of various word usage (such as pop/soda/Coke for a fizzy drink) and was a relatively early example of widely shared Internet "viral" content. In 2013, Josh Katz of the New York Times created [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html a new version] based on the Harvard survey, which became the Times' [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/-em-the-new-york-times-em-most-popular-story-of-2013-was-not-an-article/283167/ most popular content of 2013] and spread the idea to many more people. |
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{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable" | {| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable" | ||
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− | |How do you address a group of two or more people? | + | | How do you address a group of two or more people? |
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* A) You | * A) You | ||
* B) Y'all | * B) Y'all | ||
* C) I have not been around two or more people for so long that I can't remember | * C) I have not been around two or more people for so long that I can't remember | ||
− | | Reference to the first question of the Times quiz: "How would you address {{w|You#Informal_plural_forms|a group of two or more people}}?" (with options including "you all", "you guys", "y'all", etc.). Option C | + | | Reference to the first question of the Times quiz: "How would you address {{w|You#Informal_plural_forms|a group of two or more people}}?" (with options including "you all", "you guys", "y'all", etc.). Option C references the significant decrease in human interaction and social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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* A) Rhymes with "Antelope" | * A) Rhymes with "Antelope" | ||
* B) Rhymes with "Develop" | * B) Rhymes with "Develop" | ||
− | | Both the options for this are wrong, making it the first of many quiz questions | + | | Both the options for this are wrong, making it the first of many quiz questions it is impossible to answer correctly. Neither Option A's "PEN-e-lohp" and Option B's "pe-NELL-up" are a typical pronunciation of this name beyond mispronunciations. In English, the only correct way to pronounce this name is "pe-NELL-o-pee," which is not listed. |
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− | Neither Option A's "PEN-e-lohp" | ||
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! 3 | ! 3 | ||
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* B) Agronomy | * B) Agronomy | ||
* C) Cosmetology | * C) Cosmetology | ||
− | | The actual answer is {{w| | + | | The actual answer is {{w|Astronomy}}, which is not listed. {{w|Astrology}} is the pseudo-scientific study that includes horoscopes (often confused with Astronomy due to its similar name), {{w|Agronomy}} ''is'' scientific but instead studies agriculture, and {{w|Cosmetology}} is the study of cosmetics and makeup (with a name close to {{w|Cosmology}}, a branch of Astronomy). |
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| Reference to a question found on some quizzes: "How do you pronounce ''genre''? ZHAHN-ruh, or JAHN-ruh?" | | Reference to a question found on some quizzes: "How do you pronounce ''genre''? ZHAHN-ruh, or JAHN-ruh?" | ||
− | A majority of | + | A majority of English speakers pronounce "genre" as either "'''ZH'''AHN-ruh" (beginning with the "zh" sound found in "trea'''s'''ure") or "'''J'''AHN-ruh" (beginning with the "j" sound in "justice"). Neither of these are listed, and none of the quiz's pronunciation options are common. However, they are close to other, unrelated words: ''Juh-neer'' is the way the second and third syllables of ''engineer'' are are pronounced, and ''Jen-er-uh'' is similar to ''generic'' as well as being a word (genera), the plural of {w|genus}. |
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! 5 | ! 5 | ||
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* A) First syllable | * A) First syllable | ||
* B) Second syllable | * B) Second syllable | ||
− | | "Google" is not generally pronounced with a high-pitched yelp on either syllable | + | | Reference to general questions regarding differences in pronunciation of words. "Google" is not generally pronounced with a high-pitched yelp on either syllable{{Citation needed}}. |
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! 6 | ! 6 | ||
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* A) Gutter pipe | * A) Gutter pipe | ||
* B) Drainpipe | * B) Drainpipe | ||
− | | Reference to a quiz question in the Harvard and Times quizzes, "What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?" Answers included "drinking fountain", "water fountain", and "bubbler". However, the question in this comic implies that | + | | Reference to a quiz question in the Harvard and Times quizzes, "What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?" Answers included "drinking fountain", "water fountain", and "bubbler". However, the question in this comic implies that schoolchildren (or at least the quizmaker) drink out of gutter pipes or drain pipes, which are used to collect rainwater and should not be drank from{{Citation needed}}. |
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! 7 | ! 7 | ||
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* A) Animated give | * A) Animated give | ||
* B) Animated gift | * B) Animated gift | ||
− | | Reference to the "{{w|Gif}}" pronunciation debate, with people split between pronouncing it "gif" (with the hard | + | | Reference to the "{{w|Gif}}" pronunciation debate, with people split between pronouncing it "gif" (with the hard G sound in "girl") or "jif" (with the soft G sound in "giraffe"). |
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* A) What? | * A) What? | ||
* B) Lawn buddies | * B) Lawn buddies | ||
− | | | + | | Reference to a question in the Harvard and Times quizzes: "What do you call the {{w|Armadillidiidae|small gray bug}} that curls up into a ball when it’s touched?" (options include "roly-poly," "pill-bug", "potato bug", "doodle bug", etc.). However, there are no common "baseball-sized garden bugs".{{Citation needed}} May also be a reference to what "potato bug" means to people in the eastern part of the United States and {{w|Jerusalem cricket|what it means}} to people in the western part of the United States. |
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! 9 | ! 9 | ||
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* D) Fauxguides | * D) Fauxguides | ||
* E) Delaware lines | * E) Delaware lines | ||
− | | Reference to the fact that some quiz questions ask about road features, such as "verge/berm/parking strip/curb strip" and "roundabout/traffic circle | + | | Reference to the fact that some quiz questions ask about road features, such as "verge/berm/parking strip/curb strip" and "roundabout/traffic circle". However, these particular road lines, if they have ever been made, aren't common enough to warrant different names. |
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+ | This also may just be a dig at Delaware. | ||
Misleading lines on the road were also mentioned in [[1958: Self-Driving Issues]]. | Misleading lines on the road were also mentioned in [[1958: Self-Driving Issues]]. | ||
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* A) Uranus | * A) Uranus | ||
* B) Neptune | * B) Neptune | ||
− | | This question references | + | | This question references the two common pronunciations of Uranus: "UR-ah-nus" and "Ur-AY-nus" (which sounds like the phrase "Your anus", a favorite joke of little kids). It also references the fact that Uranus and Neptune are both blue-ish colored planets in the outer solar system and are often confused by people who don't know much about them. Neither Uranus nor Neptune are green, however. |
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| What do you call this tool? | | What do you call this tool? | ||
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+ | (image of a claw hammer) | ||
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* A) Banger | * A) Banger | ||
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| The only name most people would ever call this tool is a "hammer". | | The only name most people would ever call this tool is a "hammer". | ||
− | The last two options reference options in many quiz questions along the lines of "I'm familiar with this but have no specific word for it" and "I am not familiar with this" (such as on the pill-bug/roly-poly question | + | The last two options reference options in many quiz questions along the lines of "I'm familiar with this but have no specific word for it" and "I am not familiar with this" (such as on the pill-bug/roly-poly question). These may appear as options to questions that ask about something that might not exist everywhere, or something which many may not have a word for (for example, some areas of the United States have a name for "sunshowers," while most don't). However, it's a bit absurd for these options to be present for this question (and this question alone), as most users would be expected to know what a hammer is. |
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* B) A longwich | * B) A longwich | ||
* C) A salad hot dog | * C) A salad hot dog | ||
− | | Reference to a common dialect quiz question: "What do you call a {{w|Submarine sandwich|long sandwich}}?" with options typically including "sub", "hoagie", "hero", etc. | + | | Reference to a common dialect quiz question: "What do you call a {{w|Submarine sandwich|long sandwich}}?" with options typically including "sub", "hoagie", "hero", etc. |
− | + | The hot dog answer could refer to the common online discussion: "Is a hot dog a sandwich?" | |
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* C) I've never looked in my attic | * C) I've never looked in my attic | ||
| Another reference to the frequent appearance of quiz questions asking what users call various creepy crawlies. | | Another reference to the frequent appearance of quiz questions asking what users call various creepy crawlies. | ||
− | + | This question may be referencing the fact that spiders often live in attics, but Randall's creature doesn't seem to be quite the same as a normal spider since they usually aren't scaly and don't eat lightbulbs.{{Citation needed}} | |
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! Title Text | ! Title Text | ||
| colspan=2 | Do you make a distinction between shallots, scallops, and scallions? If you use all three words, do they all have different meanings, all the same, or are two the same and one different? | | colspan=2 | Do you make a distinction between shallots, scallops, and scallions? If you use all three words, do they all have different meanings, all the same, or are two the same and one different? | ||
− | | Phrased similarly to questions like | + | | Phrased similarly to questions like, on the Times quiz, "How do you pronounce the words Mary, merry, and marry?" Options included "all three are pronounced the same", "all three are pronounced differently," or all three combinations of two being the same and one different. |
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− | {{w|Scallops}} are invertebrate marine animals similar to oysters and clams, frequently harvested for food | + | {{w|Shallots}} and {{w|scallions}} are both types of onions (the former somewhat resembling garlic cloves, the latter being long green/white stalks also called spring onions). {{w|Scallops}} (either pronounced |
+ | ''skollops'' or ''skallops'') are invertebrate marine animals similar to oysters and clams, frequently harvested for food (also what potato fritters are called in some regions of the UK and Australia). The three sound somewhat similar, but are quite different. | ||
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[Box with title at the top] | [Box with title at the top] | ||
− | : | + | :Dialect Quiz |
[Smaller subtitle underneath] | [Smaller subtitle underneath] | ||
:Compare answers with your friends! | :Compare answers with your friends! | ||
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*The xkcd Twitter account posted a [https://twitter.com/xkcd/status/1316484953480323072 series of Twitter polls] asking the questions in this comic. | *The xkcd Twitter account posted a [https://twitter.com/xkcd/status/1316484953480323072 series of Twitter polls] asking the questions in this comic. | ||
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*Shallots, scallops, and scallions ran against each other in [[1529: Bracket]] | *Shallots, scallops, and scallions ran against each other in [[1529: Bracket]] | ||