"soda" in Minneapolis

[Laurence Horn]

At 6:25 PM -0500 8/11/02, Tom Kysilko wrote:
>I.  Since Garrison Keillor has been mentioned, and since we've been treated
>to a fascinating article in the most recent AS about the influence of media
>representations on Pittsburghese, I have to wonder if any work of a similar
>nature is being done on Minnesota speech (ME).  People of my acquaintance
>here will occasionally ape -- both self-consciously and un-self-consciously
>-- the representations of ME found in A Prairie Home Companion ("A guy
>could...", "You betcha"), Howard Mohr's How to Talk Minnesotan ("hotdish"),

The two are related.  Mohr used to do a little segment on PHC back in
the 1980's, and I know his book through Keillor's references to it
(and to him) as well as through his guest appearances on the show a
ways back.  I wonder if the Coen brothers' take on Minnesotan in
Fargo, as you mention, was influenced by PHC/Mohr, or if they both
derive from the same stereotype (which, like all stereotypes, is
partly grounded in reality but exaggerated for effect).  Could be
worse.

L