Michigan 6

Listen to Michigan 6, a woman from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: N/A

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 1955

PLACE OF BIRTH: Detroit, Michigan

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Caucasian

OCCUPATION: actor

EDUCATION: N/A

AREA(S) OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

She has lived in the Detroit area her entire life.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH: N/A

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Cynthia Blaise

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

So Michael and I were gonna go see “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and, um, he had wanted to see this movie for a really long time but we couldn’t get in ‘cause it was really popular; it’s when it first came out and it was sold out the first couple of times we met. We went, so we finally were gonna see it on the Sunday afternoon — this really sunny outside — it was a beautiful day and we were late and it was my fault and [pause], so Michael was mad at me because we were late. And, um, so we get to the theatre and everybody’s already in the theater ‘cause the movie’s started. So we walk inside, and in that movie there is no light coming from the, the screen in the very beginning of it, so we ‘re standing in the in the main aisle in just complete darkness in a pretty full movie theater. So I think “Oh God just make it work (you know) then he won’t be mad at me.” So I grab his hand and then what then start down this row, and I get down this row and I just s-sat down; I felt behind me, and I didn’t think any-anyth-anything of it, and I just sat down squarely sat down on someone in the dark so I — I just leaped [laughing] to my feet, and I’m shoving him back out of the row back — back and trying to be quiet because the movie is started so I don’t want to make any — you know scene of which of course I am and I’m just pushing him back — “go back go back” [laughing] so we get to, um, back in the aisle and I say to him, “You lead.” So he’s leading, and I’m holding onto his hand for dear life  because I don’t want to sit on anyone else or fall on anyone else. So we — he finds a row, and we go down this row, and I lose his hand, so now I’m all by myself and I’m terrified. So I, I feel behind me and there is no one sitting in the seat so I sit down and I, I  know if I tell him that I just sat on someone in the dark, he’ll think it’s really funny and won’t be mad at me anymore. So I — so I say — I jus — I grab his arm and I hold it. I — I — go s — I sit sideways in the seat and I hold his arm up against my chest, and I get really close to his ear and I say, “Michael [laughs], you can’t believe what I just did. I just sat on some someone in dark; can you believe it?” And he just go really stiff and he didn’t answer me. And I [laughs] thought, “Come on, this is really funny; how can you be so mad just because we we’re late?” So I thought, well it’s because he doesn’t understand, so I, um, told him again so I got closer so I — I s — I’m still sitting sideways in the seat; I hold onto his arm again, and I get right into his ear just right into his ear and I say “Michael look. just listen, don’t be — I just [laughs] sat on someone. I just sat on someone in the dark. Is that funny? Can you believe I just did that?” And he just got really stiff again and didn’t respond and I thought, “You know, whatever.” So I sat in my chair just regular. and I was gonna to watch the movie and I put my hand on his — on his leg, and I feel skin and hair, and I realize Michael’s wearing blue jeans and I’m sitting next to a complete stranger in the movie theater.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Rick Lipton

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 31/07/2008

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY:

This middle-aged actress has lived in the Detroit area all of her life. She demonstrates the dark Michigan “r” in the following words: “arch, dark, started, arm, terrified, hair, whatever” and “understood.” Listen for the distinctive placement of the open front vowel in “sat, hand,” and “answer.” The characteristic Michigan diphthong adaptations are evident in “late” and “Michael.” Finally, the “honest” vowel in “on” and “respond” move to a front vowel.

COMMENTARY BY: Cynthia Blaise

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.
• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.
• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.
• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

 

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.