ENCORE: Accents Across Illinois And How They’re Evolving

Editor's Note: This segment originally aired in May 2020. 

When people outside of our state think of the "Illinois accent," the 1991 Saturday Night Live sketch, “Da Bears” with Chris Farley and Mike Myers may come to mind. But the Chicago accent is just one of the many accents you’ll find in our state. Linguist and English professor Matt Gordon joined The 21st  to explain more about Midwest dialects, what influences them, and how they evolve.  

Guest: Matt Gordon, Linguist and Professor of English at the University of Missouri 

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi

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