Regional vocabulary within American English varies. Below is a list of lexical differences in vocabulary that are generally associated with a region. A term featured on a list may or may not be found throughout the region concerned, and may or may not be recognized by speakers outside that region. Some terms appear on more than one list.
Regionalisms
Historically, a number of everyday words and expressions used to be characteristic of different dialect areas of the United States, especially the North, the Midland, and the South; many of these terms spread from their area of origin and came to be used throughout the nation. Today many people use these different words for the same object interchangeably, or to distinguish between variations of an object. Such traditional lexical variables include:
faucet (North) and spigot (South) frying pan (North and South, but not Midland), spider (obsolete New England),Allen, Harold Byron, and Gary N. Underwood (eds). (1971) Readings in American Dialectology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. and skillet (Midland and South) gutter (Northeast, South, and West), eaves trough (West and Inland North), and rainspouting (Maryland and Pennsylvania) pit (North) and seed (elsewhere) teeter-totter (North; widespread), seesaw (South and Midland; now widespread), and dandle (Rhode Island) firefly (more Northern and Western) and lightning bug (widespread) pail (North, north Midland) and bucket (Midland and South; now widespread) sneakers (Northeast and fairly widespread), tennis shoes (widespread outside the Northeast) and gym shoes (Chicago and Cincinnati) soda (Northeast, Greater Milwaukee, Great St. Louis, California, and Florida), pop (Inland North, Upper Midwest, and Northwest), coke (South), and tonic (Eastern New England possibility) See also: Names for soft drinks in the United States you guys (widespread), y'all (Southern and South Midland), you'uns and yins (Western Pennsylvania), and yous or youse (New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Northeastern Pennsylvania)
However many differences still hold and mark boundaries between different dialect areas, as shown below. From 2000 to 2005, for instance, The Dialect Survey queried North American English speakers' usage of a variety of linguistic items, including vocabulary items that vary by region. These include:
generic term for a sweetened carbonated beverage drink made with milk and ice cream long sandwich that contains cold cuts, lettuce, and so on rubber-soled shoes worn in physical education class, for athletic activities, etc.
Below are lists outlining regional vocabularies in the main dialect areas of the United States.
North
brat or braht – bratwurst breezeway (widespread) ("skyway" in Minnesota) – a hallway connecting two buildings clout (originally Chicago, now widespread) – political or social influence davenport (widespread though uncommon) – a sofa, or couch euchre (throughout the North) – card game similar to spades fridge (throughout North and West) – refrigerator hotdish (esp. Minnesota) – a simple entree cooked in a single dish, related to casseroleMohr, Howard. (1987) How to Talk Minnesotan: A Visitor's Guide. New York: Penguin. paczki (in Polish settlement areas, esp. Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) – a jelly doughnut pop (North-Central and West) – a soft drink, carbonated soda soda (all the Northeast and parts of Wisconsin) – soft drink Troll (North-Central) – people who reside in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan Yooper (North-Central) – people who reside in the Upper Peninsula of MichiganBinder, David. (14 September 1995). "Upper Peninsula Journal: Yes, They're Yoopers, and Proud of it." New York Times, section A, page 16. ope – a form of alert or apology used when trying to get around someone or something; E.g. "Ope, let me squeeze right past ya". Ope is most often used in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Northeast
brook (now widespread but especially common in the Northeast) – creek bubbler (esp. New England, Wisconsin and the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys) – a water fountain cellar – alternate term for basement sneakers (throughout the U.S., though concentrated in the Northeast and parts of Florida) – generic rubber-soled athletic shoe. soda – a sweet, carbonated soft drink Mischief Night (or, rarer, Cabbage Night) – an annual night when, by custom, preteens and teenagers play pranks; usually, the night before Halloween
New England
grinder – submarine sandwich packie (package store) – a liquor store rotary – traffic circle tag sale – garage sale wicked (all of Massachusetts) – very; an intensifier and adverb, as in wicked cold meaning very cold
Eastern New England
bulkhead – cellar hatchway cabinet (Rhode Island) – milk shake frappe – milkshake hosey – (rare, but esp. parts of Massachusetts & Maine) to stake a claim or choose sides, to claim ownership of something (sometimes, the front seat of a car) intervale – bottomland; mostly historical jimmies – sprinkles (ice cream topping) see also Mid-Atlantic, below johnnycake (also Rhode Island jonnycake) – a type of cornmeal bread leaf peeper – a tourist who has come to see the area's vibrant autumn foliage necessary – outhouse, privy quahog – pronounced "koe-hog," it properly refers to a specific species of clam but is also applied to any clam tonic (eastern Massachusetts) – soft drink
Northern New England
ayuh – "yes" or affirmative creemee – (Vermont) soft serve ice cream dooryard – area around the main entry door of a house, specifically a farmhouse. Typically including the driveway and parking area proximal to the house Italian (sandwich) – (Maine) submarine sandwich logan (also pokelogan) – a shallow, swampy lake or pond (from Algonquian) muckle – to grasp, hold-fast, or tear into mud season – early spring
Mid-Atlantic
breezeway – the space between two groups of rowhouses in the middle of a city block down the shore – shore areas and beaches of Southern New Jersey hoagie – submarine sandwich jawn – pronoun used for any person, place, or thing jimmies – sprinkles (ice cream topping) see also New England, above parlor – living room pavement – sidewalk shoobie – A visitor to the beach (typically the South Jersey shore) for the day (as contrasted with an overnight visitor) water ice – Italian ice yo! – Hello; also used to grab someone's attention youze – plural form of "you people"
Greater New York City
bodega – small corner grocery store, from the Spanish word for closet catty corner – on an angle to a corner dungarees (older) – jeans egg cream – a mixture of cold milk, flavored syrup, and seltzer have a catch – play catch hero – submarine sandwich kill – a small river or strait, in the name of specific watercourses; e.g. Beaver Kill, Fresh Kills, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill (from Dutch) on line – waiting or standing in a line potsy – hopscotch punchball and stickball – street variants of baseball, suitable for smaller urban areas, in which a fist or stick substitutes for the bat and a "Spaldeen" is the ball scallion – spring onion stoop – a small porch or steps in front of a building, originally from Dutch
Midland
barn-burner (now widespread) – an exciting, often high-scoring game, esp. a basketball game hoosier (esp. Indiana) – someone from Indiana; (outside of Indiana, esp. in the St. Louis, Missouri area) a person from a rural area, comparable to redneck mango – green bell pepper, sometimes also various chili peppers outer road – a frontage road or other service road A soft drink is generally known in the American Midland as pop, except for being soda around Greater St. Louis in Missouri and Illinois, and coke in central Indiana and central and western Oklahoma
South
alligator pear – avocado banquette (southern Louisiana) – sidewalk, foot-path beaucoup (mostly Louisiana) – a large, indeterminate quantity of something billfold (widespread, but infrequent Northeast, Pacific Northwest) – a man's wallet boss, bossman (widespread) – prison guard, or a boss that acts like a tyrant cap (also Midlands) – sir (prob. from "captain") carryin on (widespread) – general bitching, complaining, etc. certified, certifiable (Texas) – an insane person charge up (widespread) – to confront someone (to) check (widespread, esp. Texas) – to confront someone chill bumps (also Midlands) – goose bumps chuck – toss or throw an object (now somewhat widespread) coke – any brand of soft drink commode (also Midlands) – bathroom; restroom; particularly the toilet itself crocus sack (Atlantic), croker sack (Gulf) – burlap bag cut on/off – to turn on/off directly – in a minute; soon; presently dirty rice (esp. Louisiana) – Cajun rice dish consisting of rice, spices, and meat dogpilin' (Appalachia) – when a bunch of people fight one person, or jump on the same object Don't get above your raisin' - regional colloquialism fais-dodo (southern Louisiana) – a party fix – to get ready, to be on the verge of doing, e.g. "I'm fixing to go"; (widespread but esp. South) to prepare food high stylin' (widespread) – acting above one's station high yellow (widespread) – a very light skinned Black person holler (Appalachia) – a depression in the ground, a small valley holler (older, general Southern) – to yell holler at (widespread) – to confront someone hootin' and hollerin' (older, general Southern) – carrying on, throwing a fit- also "a hootin and a hollerin" house shoes – bedroom slippers knucklebones (Appalachia) – dice kinfolk (widespread) – a distant relative, or someone with whom you have a family like relationship lagniappe (Gulf, esp. Louisiana) – a little bit of something extra locker (esp. Louisiana) – closet lollygagging (older, Appalachia) – hanging around, doing nothing lurkin''' (older, widespread) – waiting around with criminal intent make (age) (Gulf, esp. Louisiana) – have a birthday; "He's making 16 tomorrow." neutral ground (Louisiana, Mississippi) – median strip no account (widespread) – someone who is a liar, worthless, etc. piddlin' or piddling around (older, widespread) – pretending to work, looking busy pike (Tennessee) – an improved road, usually a four lane rural highway po' boy (scattered, but esp. South) – a long sandwich, typically made with fried oysters, clams, or shrimp put up – put away, put back in its place redbone (deep South) – a pretty Black female with suspected Native American ancestry sack (Texas) – a small bag, used for groceries, etc. sassin' (older, widespread) – talking back to someone, especially parents or a boss scrap (widespread) – a fistfight, also scrapping or to scrap shiftless (widespread) – someone who is lazy straw boss (deep South, esp. Texas) – a fellow employee who acts like the boss suds (Texas) – beer tomcat (widespread) – a man who is known for cheating, being successful at getting laid tomcattin' around (older, widespread) – a man trying to cheat on his girlfriend or wife towheaded (widespread) – a person with blonde hair totin' (Texas) – carrying something, usually a sack trace (rare, Appalachia) – a path through the woods washeteria (Texas) – a laundromat yankee – northerner; also damn yankee, damned yankee yonder (esp. rural) – over there, or a long distance away; also over yonderWolfram, Walt, and Natalie Schilling-Estes. (2006) American English: dialects and variation second edition. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
West
barrow pit (var. of "borrow pit") - an excavated area where material has been dug for use as fill at another location davenport (widespread) – couch or sofa hella or hecka (esp. San Francisco Bay Area) – "very" or "a lot of" pop (widespread in West and North); soda (predominates in California, Arizona, southern Nevada); coke (in parts of New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona) – sweetened carbonated beverage