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A Closer Look At The New York Times Dialect Quiz

What do you call that carbonated flavored drink that comes out of a fountain at fast food restaurants? Pop; soda; seltzer? Well, depending on what you say can determine where you are from.

That is the idea behind the New York Times popular dialect quiz.

After the survey went viral, we wondered where the research came from and where in the world did people say those words?

Bert Vaux, a linguistics professor at Cambridge University in England, is the man behind the research of the quiz and he spoke to Here & Now’s Robin Young earlier this year.

Guest

  • Bert Vaux, linguistics professor at Cambridge University in England. He tweets @BertVaux.

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