“A dictionary wrapped in some serious dialectology inside a gift book trailing a serious whiff of Relevance.”― The New York Times In this book on Midwestern accents and sayings, Edward McClelland ( Folktales and Legends of the Midwest ) explains what Midwesterners say and how and why they say it. He examines such mysteries as the causes of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift, explains the nasality of Minnesota speech, and details why Chicagoans talk more like people from Buffalo than their next-door neighbors in Wisconsin. He also provides humorous definitions of jargon from the region, including: • squeaky cheese • city chicken • shampoo banana  • the Pittsburgh toilet  • Yinzers and Cheeseheads • FIB  • bubbler  • Chevy in the Hole  • jagoff. How to Speak Midwestern includes detailed glossaries of slang and sayings from Buffalo, the Great Lakes, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Wisconsin.  This delightful romp through the region’s dialects is the perfect gift for Midwesterners and the perfect book for anyone wanting to learn more about the region’s diverse, idiosyncratic ways of communicating.