33 more days before I leave for Wisconsin and "The Lake"

I'm all jealous because my sister, who lives in Wisconsin, has already been up to "the lake". I think she and her husband are going back up there this weekend too. Opening of fishing season. Maybe she'll take some pictures for me. Oh well. It's still nice here in Arizona. Regardless, I can't leave here until my son finishes up the school year. Stupid modified year-round school. I keep having to tell myself....one more year, just one more year. He's taking his SAT tests this morning and next year will be his last year in high school. And then....we're free. Well...nothing is free. He'll have at least four years of college after that but.....we'll be free! Empty nesters! Anyway, I'd like to pass along in the next 33 days a few tidbits from How To Talk Minnesotan...A Visitors Guide Written by Howard Mohr. I grew up in Minnesota but found over the years that Packers (People from Wisconsin) have the same basic language morphology as Minnesotans with a shared heritage and resultant habits and behaviors.

Handy Words and Phrases

~ You bet
~ That's different
~ Whatever

These three workhorses of Minnesota conversation will carry you through your first scary hours here (Minnesota). Memorize them, work on them at home with your family, repeat them until they are second nature. They are the building blocks of dialogue.

(I find that these phrases tend to be passed down through the generations. Only one of my children was born in Minnesota, the rest were born in Arizona. All of my children speak Minnesotan. Often I was asked "What languages other then English are spoken in your home?" when I filled out paperwork for my children's schools. I've always been tempted to fill in the blank with....Minnesotan. If you hear any of the above phrases from your children, or if you have yourself used any of the above phrases....you may want to do some serious geneology work to see if there may be a past Minnesota connection in your family.)

~ You Bet (You Betcha is a variation of this phrase and has been used as far west as North and South Dakota and indicates a certain amount of enthusiasm that may be frowned upon by purists of the Minnesotan language)

A common use of you bet is in response to thank you or I appreciate it. If you buy something in a Minnesota store--say a bag or two of tiny marshmallows for a salad--the sales clerk might say thank you, in which case you would say you bet. But generally the customer says thank you first in Minnesota and the clerk says you bet.
You bet is mainly used to answer questions. If you can't think of anything else, say "You bet." You bet is meant to be pleasantly agreeable and doesn't obligate you to a strong position. In fact, hardly anything obligates you to a strong opinion in Minnesota.

It's worth pointing out that you bet has nothing to do with betting or gambling of any kind, even though Minnesota is the Bingo Capital of the Midwest. But you bet can occur in a Minnesota wagering situation, so don't be confused.

(I will hold off on the paragraphs dealing with That's Different and Whatever until future blogs. Note that if you see comments like this in parenthesis....that's me writing....all credit for the rest must be given to Howard Mohr. If you want the full text of his book...you'll have to go out and buy it. I'm only giving you choice tidbits. My scanner isn't connected to my computer so I have to enter all this in by hand and I'm not going to type the whole book for you. I'm also giving him full credit...or blame...because I don't want anyone to get me for stealing his work.)