Dialect Survey
Maps & Results

Privacy Policy   		Welcome to the Dialect Survey

The Dialect Survey uses a series of questions, including rhyming word pairs and vocabulary words, to explore words and sounds in the English language. There are no right or wrong answers; by answering each question with what you really say and not what you think is "right", you can help contribute to an accurate picture of how English is used in your community.

The test is designed for speakers of North American English, but speakers of all varieties of English are welcome to take the test.

Survey Completed

The first Dialect Survey has been completed. The resulting maps and statistics are available here, but this page is no longer actively maintained.

Please visit Professor Bert Vaux's homepage for further updates.

Some preliminary results are available. Click here to see maps generated from the answers already submitted.

Dialect Survey in the Media

  • New York Times, "Circuits" section, Thursday, October 10th.
    View the article: [WWW | GIF]

  • Science Magazine, "Netwatch" (Nov. 8, 2002; 298:1141)
    View the article: [PDF]

  • Harvard Gazette magazine, Dec. 12, 2002
    View the article: [WWW]

  • Harvard Crimson (student newspaper) 29 January 2002
    View the article: [WWW]

    About the Dialect Survey

    The dialect survey is an expansion of an initiative begun by Professor Bert Vaux at Harvard University. Dr. Vaux prepared an earlier version of this survey for his Dialects of English class at Harvard in 1999. The survey has since been revised and expanded for a larger, lay audience.

    About the Creators

    Bert Vaux is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at Harvard University. His specialties are phonological theory, fieldwork, and dialectology. He is currently preparing an Atlas of English Dialects.     [ homepage ]

    Scott A. Golder is a graduate student at the MIT Media Laboratory, where he studies social communities online. He graduated from Harvard College in 2003, where he was a Linguistics concentrator.     [ homepage ]

    Past support and assistance has been provided by Rebecca Starr and Britt Bolen.

    Thank you to the Harvard Computer Society for hosting the Dialect Survey from 2000-2005. HCS is an undergraduate student group promoting the use of computers and technology at Harvard and beyond.

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