When I was younger, I went with a sister in law to visit her family in Louisiana for a week. I swear I didn't even know half of what some people were even saying. I felt like I was in a different country. (However, I may would feel the same way in New Jersey........)
I do the same thing and I grew up in the heart of the Midwest. Probably from my year living in the Tidewater area of Old Virginny. It was probably a reaction to being constantly told I "talk funny" with my Hoosier accent.
Sorry, i've never heard of a Canadian pronounce words like that in that way, including myself, maybe they picked up some kind of their own. .
@Micki Pembroke - just to let you know that Ike is no longer with us, he passed on to the big ranch in the sky Miss him ….
It took a while for me to adjust to New Zealand expressions and accent when I was living there and the Scotish influence was obvious and delightful. Aussies were garbled.
@Mary Robi My wife, too, is a Hoosier, grew up NW of Ft. Wayne. Away from there 40 years now, she still reverts to talking "Hoosier" when she visits there (like now), and talking to her while she's there, the difference in speech is notable. I have known folks from all over, but only a Hoosier could be heard to say the sound "eesh" in every word having "ish", such as "feesh", "transmeesion", "wash the "deeshes" ". Or, "my car needs "fixed"." Frank
I used to have a coworker who was from Illinois. He'd always say things like, "I'm headed for lunch, wanna go with??" He never said "with" who.
Actually, that's more a speech pattern of Hoosiers who have Kentucky roots, in my experience. The true "Hoosierism" is adding an 'r' to things, i.e. "warsh" the car or complaining about the politicians in "Warshington". My mother tried to strain that "r" out of us with varying results. Also, there's pronouncing "route" as "root".