Some friends turned me on to an amazing example of data analytic. It’s called How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk ? and it was featured in a New York Times article a few weeks back. It uses a 25 question survey to determine where in the US you came from.

Questions include

How would you address a group of two or more people?

• you all
• yous / youse
• you lot
• you guys
• you ‘uns
• yinz
• you
• other
• y’all

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

• sunshower
• the wolf is giving birth
• the devil is beating his wife
• monkey’s wedding
• fox’s wedding
• pineapple rain
• liquid sun
• I have no term or expression for this
• other

What do you call the insect that flies around in the summer and glows in the dark?

• lightning bug
• firefly
• I use lightning bug and firefly interchangeably
• peenie wallie
• I have no word for this
• other

Pineapple rain ? Peenie wallie.. What ?!?!?!?!

Anyway..it’s AMAZINGLY accurate.   It managed to name the exact town where I’m from even though I haven’t lived there in almost 33 years .

. and that town ?

Yep.. Houston Texas.. the place I grew up.(to the extent that I did 🙂 . though no one EVER tells me i sound like I’m from there. I’m so curious what I say that identifies me from being from Houston.. or what it might have in common with Grand Rapids.. but there you are..

I’ve been asking all my friends to take it.. and see how they fair.. give it a try.. again.. here’s the link.

Ya’ll give it a try.. ok ?

nite all, nite sam

-me