You can tell where a person is from based on how fast or slow they talk. That is the finding from the learning platform, Preply. It completed a study to find the slowest-talking states in America. And the Carolinas are on that list.
According to Preply, Americans speak an average of 5 syllables per second. Preply found that for every five words a person said in a slow-talking state, a person in a fast-talking state said six words.
The Preply report analyzed data from two studies. The goal of these studies was to look at how speech rate and patterns differ across the United States depending on the regions. “The words people use say a lot about where they come from. We also found the speed and cadence of words reveal where you live,” said Amy Pritchett, Language Science, and Data Analyst for Preply.
Key findings: (from Preply study)
- Americans speak an average of 5.09 syllables per second.
- The Southeast and the Southwest are the only U.S. regions NOT included among the states with the fastest speakers.
- The Southeast is represents 7 states for the slowest talkers.
- The fastest-talking state is Minnesota, at 5.34 syllables per second.
- The U.S. region that appears most frequently in the ten fastest-talking states is the Midwest.
See the top 10 Slowest-Talking states in the country. Some of the rankings may surprise you.
