'Syrup,' 'Florida,' 'Coupon' Among Most Mixed Pronounced Words in Wayne

Some say "tomato" some say "tomato" ... like "tom-ah-toe."

The way we pronounce words is largely a result of how they were pronounced to us when we were young and learning, but it also depends on where in the country we live, as shown by new data maps created by Josh Katz of the North Carolina State University Department of Statistics based on a dialect survey out of Harvard University.

The maps depict shaded color differences for different areas in which words, like "poem," "lawyer," and "pecan" are pronounced differently. Data is further broken down by many major cities throughout America.

What do you clip from the paper when you want a good deal? About 21 percent of Wayne residents prounounce coupon like "cyoopon" while 78 percent use the traditional pronounciation as if it were spelled "coopon."

Only half of Wayne residents say they "ogle" a person when they look at them longingly, while 21 percent say "oggle," (rhymes with "boggle") when they have a crush, according to the data. About 17 percent say "oogle" and 8.6 percent do not use a word for the feeling at all.

Pronouncing "Florida" is mixed in Wayne. About 29 percent say the word as if the beginning rhymes with "sore," like "flore-i-da," according to the data, while 34.4 percent make an "ah" sound in the beginning like "flah-rida." Some, about 13 percent, make a sound that rhymes with "saw," as in "flaw-ri-da," and only 2.4 percent pronounce the beginning like "flow," as in "flow-ri-da."

The word "syrup" is another tricky one. In Wayne, about 22 percent pronounce the beginning of the word like "sir" while 52 percent say it like "sear-up," the data shows. About 25 percent pronounce the word like "sih-rup."

For 19 percent of Wayners, pronunciation of the word "thespian" rhymes with "lesbian."

Researchers not only studied dialect for the study, but phraseology as well. In Wayne, residents predominantly say they "mow the lawn" (68 percent) as opposed to "cutting the grass" (15 percent). The majority of the country describes this activity as "mowing the lawn."

The night before Halloween is most commonly called "mischief night" in Wayne, whereas it is called "devil's night" elsewhere in the country. When the air gets cool and little bumps form on the skin, 90 percent of Wayne residents call this "goose bumps" while only 10 percent call it "goose pimples."

Fighting over the front seat of a car is also called different things in Wayne, with about 61 percent calling "shotgun." About 22 percent call "dibs" on the seat and 13 percent do not use a specific word for the action.

With the summer barbecue season in full swing, only 33 percent of Wayne residents find it acceptable to abbreviate the word "coleslaw" to just slaw. About 50 percent said the word should not be called "slaw" and 10 percent said it is acceptable, but may refer to other types of slaws in addition to the cabbage mix.

What word do you find is commonly pronounced different elsewhere? Tell us in the comments.