- Credibility:
DOWNTOWN — A new survey says da Chicawwgo accent is da least attractive.
The survey, which was conducted and released earlier this month from YouGov, found just 2 percent of all respondents thought Chicagoans have the most attractive accent.
So what’s better? Southern and Texas accents, apparently: 18 percent and 12 percent of the 1,216 respondents, respectively, said those were the most attractive. New York and Boston accents were more attractive, too, with each having 7 percent of respondents rate them as the most attractive.
There’s a lot that goes into the city’s accent, according to a WBEZ Curious City report: It’s not just the way we pronounce “front room” as “frunchroom,” but also the way Chicagoans use grammar and have developed a unique vocabulary (think how we say “pop” instead of “soda”).
The Chicago accent is famous for swapping out “th” with “d” (as in, “da Bears”). But a researcher told WBEZ Chicagoans also tend to elongate their vowels, transforming a word like “bat” into “b-eat-t,” and pronounce some “o” sounds like “a” — thus, Bob sounds like “Bahhhb.”
The Chicago accent became internationally famous after it was parodied in SNL’s “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” skits. There, the Bears “super fans” exaggerated the accent while praising former Bears coach Mike Ditka and stuffing their faces with sausage.
One example: “As you can tell, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving here at Ditka’s radder dan at our homes,” says Bob Swerski (Bill’s brother) in one Thanksgiving-themed skit. “Dis year, da Bears are playing.”
Relive the magic of these sexy-accented men:
