'Been,' 'Pecan,' 'Really' Among Most Mixed Pronounced Words in Apple Valley

With reporting by Kristi Reed and Ariana Cohn-Sheehan.

Apple Valley residents are just about as likely to rhyme the word "been" with "bet" as they are with "bin." They all have a different opinion on the pronunciation of the word "pecan." And they're still undecided about whether to call rotaries a traffic circle or a roundabout. 

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" and "lawyer" are pronounced differently. Data is further broken down by many major cities throughout America. 

The project also showed that where you live determines if you call a carbonated beverage a soda, pop or coke. Location also determines if you address a group of people as "you guys," "you all" or "ya'll."

You can play around with the maps at Katz's website. 

Editor's note: Thank you to Joshua Katz for allowing Patch to use his map with this article.

Do you say coke, soda or pop? What do you call it when it rains while the sun is shining? What words or phrases do you use that could be thought of as unique to our region? Let us know in the comments.