I always laugh when I hear how differently people speak in each part of The United States.  Truly, we are like many countries in one, each with a wildly distinctive world view, food, music, and a unique vocabulary and way of speaking, especially here in Minnesota, where I live.

Colin Woodard explains how this came about in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Regional Cultures of North America. He says, “There isn’t and never has been one America, but rather several Americas.”  Consequently, he says, “Any effort to ‘restore’ fundamental American values runs into an even greater obstacle: Each of our founding cultures had its own set of cherished principles, and they often contracted one another,” which explains so many of our political difficulties.

However, as a traveler, these differences make visiting the various regions of the U.S. a real cultural experience and a lot of fun.  So pick up your soda, or pop, or Coke and enjoy this video from The Atlantic on the way we Americans talk.