<p>The Wisconsin accent is surely a unique one — no oofs, eh’s or opes about it.</p> <p>Between the yeah’s ... er no’s, where do these specific phrases and dialects come from? Making Wisconsin’s Gabriella Rusk sat down with UW Linguistics Professor Joe Salmons to figure out.</p> <p>Accents tend to boil down to immigration patterns. German immigrants began making a home in Wisconsin in the 1840′s and for decades after, the Dairyland had the largest percentage of self-identified German Americans compared to any other state.</p> <p>It’s European immigrants — German, Norwegian, Polish, etc. — that have contributed to certain quirks in ‘Sconsin speech.</p> <p>However, Salmons says language and accents don’t always have a concrete origin. They’re comprised of a bunch of little factors as well. He adds that the Wisconsin accent wasn’t necessarily recognizable until recently.</p> <p>“It’s only in the 60′s that we really start having a lot of discussion of ‘oh boy, she sure had a strong Wisconsin accent,’” Salmons said.</p> <p>Curious about the origins of “ope,” or how Wisconsin’s Afghan refugees might influence our state’s dialect? Listen to Making Wisconsin: A History of the Badger State to figure it out ... why doncha?</p>