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The Jefferson Exchange

How Your Word Choice Gives Away Your ZIP Code

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Beatrice Murch/Wikimedia

Maybe you've visited one of those web quiz pages that asks you about some word choices, then tells you--often accurately--where you're from. 

The quiz works because people DO use different phrases and idioms in different parts of the country. 

A "hero" sandwich in New York is a "grinder" in nearby Connecticut. 

Josh Katz focuses on the regional variations in his book"Speaking American: How Y’all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide."  We talk to the author and try not to give away where we're from.  
 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.