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Chicago and other Great Lakes Accents

Chicago & Great Lakes Cities Accent

The stereotypical Chicago accent has become very recognized largely due to all of the Second City improv people who've come out of Chicago and made their way onto Saturday Night Live, such as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and John Belushi. Da Bears! Da Bulls! Da David Mamet!
$30.00
$30.00

Chicago & Great Lakes Cities Accent Learning Materials

  • The Chicago & Great Lakes Cities accent materials include recordings of Accent Help coach Jim Johnson guiding you through learning the accent, along with coach Carolyn Johnson - they lived in Chicago for ten years. Jim will also lead you through a monologue in this accent.
  • Jim gathered dozens of native speaker recordings during trips to Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester & elsewhere. You'll be able to follow along with transcripts of these conversations.
  • You'll get instant access to the audio and written materials, plus a PDF "cheat sheet" for learning the accent.
  • This accent is appropriate for productions of Proof, Glengary Glen Ross, Bleacher Bums and other plays. You also hear it in films like The Blues Brothers and from people like Bill Murray and Dennis Farina.
  • You'll immediately have access to the materials via your computer, tablet, or phone.
  • You'll also get future updates for free! 

Listen to a Sample!

Chicago & Great Lakes: Learning the Accent

  1. History & Social Context
  2. Sound Placement
  3. Intonation
  4. Helpful Hints
  5. Consonants
  6. Vowels
  7. Diphthongs
  8. Specific Pronunciations
  9. Practice Sentences
  10. Practice Monologue

These materials focus on the region’s white accents, while black speakers from this region are included in the Accent Help African-American materials.


Native Speakers Vol 1: Illinois

  1. Chicago IL SW Side white Male
  2. Chicago IL South Side white Female
  3. Chicago IL NW Side Police white Male
  4. Chicago IL Wrigleyville white Female
  5. Chicago IL West Side white Male
  6. Chicago IL Humboldt Park Polish Female
  7. Chicago IL Wrigleyville white Male
  8. Lombard IL white Male
  9. Tinley Park IL white Male
    10. Other Illinois speakers are featured in the Accent Help Midwest American and American Southern: Hard-R materials.

Native Speakers Vol 2: Michigan

  1. Detroit MI Center Line white Male
  2. East Detroit MI white Female
  3. Livonia MI white Male
  4. East Detroit MI white Female
  5. Rochester Hills MI white Male
  6. Shelby Township MI white Male
  7. Detroit MI white Female
  8. West Bloomfield MI white Male
  9. SW Detroit MI white Male
  10. Detroit MI white Male
  11. Monroe MI white Female
    12. Other Michigan speakers are featured in the Accent Help Upper Midwest Materials.

Native Speakers Vol 3: Ohio

  1. Toledo OH white Female
  2. South Toledo white Male
  3. Toledo OH white Female
  4. Sandusky OH white Male
  5. Sandusky OH white Male
  6. Sandusky OH white Male
  7. Cleveland OH white Female
  8. Cleveland OH white Female
  9. Cleveland OH white Male
    10. Other Ohio speakers are featured in the Accent Help Midwest American and American Southern: Hard-R materials.

Native Speakers Vol 4: New York

  1. Buffalo NY white Male
  2. Buffalo NY white Female
  3. Buffalo NY white Male
  4. Rochester NY white Male & Female
  5. Rochester NY white Male
  6. Rochester NY white Female
  7. Syracuse NY white Female

Native Speakers Vol 5: Pennsylvania

  1. Erie PA white Female
  2. Erie PA white Female
    3. Other Pennsylvania speakers are featured in Accent Help materials for Pennsylvania Rural, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.


Most of these Native Speaker recordings are made "in the field" so you will hear such things as birds, cars or other people in the background. A transcription of the conversations is included to help you follow along. In addition to a conversation, most speakers also read a list or words and The Rainbow Passage.

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