New York City Metro Area Language Survey
Hello and thank you for stopping by. The purpose of this survey is to assist with ongoing linguistic research at the City University of New York on changes in the speech patterns of people in the New York City metropolitan area. The survey is completely anonymous and you are free to stop at any time. Should you have any questions about the survey or the results, please contact Professor Cecelia Cutler at Ccutler@.gc.cuny.edu. Anyone can take the survey, but the questions are designed for people who were raised in the New York City metropolitan area. 

Please feel free to forward this survey to others who you think would be interested in participating. Thank you for your participation!
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Year of birth (four digit) e.g., 1953 *
Did you spend your childhood and adolescence in the NYC metro area: *
Borough(s) or town where you spent most of your childhood: age 0-12
Zip code(s) where you spent age 0-12?
Name of elementary school(s) you attended
Name of middle school(s) you attended
Name of high school(s) you attended
Gender
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Ethnicity *
Mother's first language *
Father's first language *
Mother's place of birth *
Father's place of birth *
Language(s) spoken in your home when you were growing up
Think about whether you pronounce the following word pairs in ALL CAPS the same or differently.
Emily CAUGHT the ball.  A small bed is called a COT.
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A boy named OTTO. Another word for car is AUTO.
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A nickname for Molly is MOLL. You shop at the MALL.
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Cats have cute PAWS. They hit the PAUSE button.
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The boy’s name is DON. The girl’s name is DAWN.
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The SAUCE was delicious. The SOURCE of the problem.
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They didn’t believe in GOD. The GUARD went off duty.
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We used to play kick the CAN. He said yes, I CAN!
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HALF of my coffee spilled. The recipe says to HALVE the pears.
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He READ it yesterday. Kids should READ everyday.
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Obey the LAW.  Folk LORE.
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He’s from KOREA. He has a CAREER.
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It’s really DARK. Down by the DOCK.
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NYTimes.COM She stayed CALM.
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MARY vs. MERRY
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MERRY vs. MARRY
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MARY vs. MARRY
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How do you say the first vowel sound in ORANGE?
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How would you address a group of two or more people? (choose all that apply)
How do you pronounce the first syllable in COMPASS?
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How do you pronounce CARAMEL?
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How do you pronounce Dekalb (as in Dekalb Ave.)?
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How do you normally say WEREN’T?
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How do you pronounce the first syllable of SCHERMERHORN?
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What do you call the #4, 5, and 6 subway line? (mark all that apply)
What do you call the A, C, and E subway line? (mark all that apply)
When you go to Manhattan from a different town or borough, what do you say? (mark all that apply)
Read the following sentence to yourself and place extra stress on the word BEEN. What does this sentence mean to you?:               "She BEEN married."
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What do you call the portable container that people (typically women) use to carry money, keys, make up, etc.?
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In order to ride the subway,  you need...
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Where do you put your groceries at the supermarket? In a...
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Which of the following expressions sounds most familiar to you?
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Which pronunciation of ASK is most common in the community where you grew up?
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Which sounds more familiar to you?
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The following celebrities were all raised in the NYC area. Rate how “New York” they sound to you.  Skip the question if you don't know the person.
Danny Devito
Not very "New York
Very "New York"
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Rosie Perez
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Burt Lancaster
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Robert DeNiro
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Bernie Sanders
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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NAS
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Donald Trump
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Whoopie Goldberg
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Humphrey Bogart
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Lucy Liu
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Marisa Tomei
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Larry David
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Christopher Walken
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Spike Lee
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Ben Stiller
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Fran Drescher
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Jay Z
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Neil deGrasse Tyson
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Rosario Dawson
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Al Pacino
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Cardi B
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Niki Minaj
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Lin-Manuel Miranda
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Lil’ Kim
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Timothée Chalamet
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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Jerry Seinfeld
Not very "New York"
Very "New York"
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How would you rate the New York City metropolitan area way of talking?
Loud
Restrained
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Rude
Polite
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Pushy
Unassuming
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Annoying
Pleasant
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Aggressive
Laid-back
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Impatient
Easy going
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Hip
Unfashionable
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Threatening
Non-threatening
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Assertive
Meek
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Authentic
Phoney
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Whiney
Uncomplaining
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Nasal
Not nasal
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Cool
Corny
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Angry
Good-humored
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Blunt
Tactful
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Sexy
Unattractive
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Read each statement and mark the degree to which you agree or disagree.
New Yorkers sound different from one another based on class and education.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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New Yorkers sound different from one another based on the borough they are from.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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New Yorkers sound different from one another based on their ethnic/racial group.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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New Yorkers have a similar accent no matter what their background is.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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The New York City accent is disappearing.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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I like the New York City accent.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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I would be sad if the New York City accent disappears.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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I sound like a New Yorker.
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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If you were looking to fill a position for a receptionist and the applicant pronounced the work ASK as 'AX', how likely would you be to hire them?
Very likely
Very unlikely
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"Linguistic policing" is when people criticize the way you talk, your word choice, or grammar. If you have been the target of linguistic policing, briefly tell us about it. Was your pronunciation or choice of words targeted?  Were you accused of speaking incorrectly or too proper? How did it make you feel? Did it change they way you speak?
Please feel free to share any comments here. Thank you for your participation!
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