I know this thread is wicked old (there's some Boston slang for you), I found it through a search for something, but I wanted to respond to dogboy's post.

1) Canadians do talk funny. Ask the French.
2) The ChicAAgo area, midwest, do have a nasal tone. Especially in MilwAUkee.

But as to New Yorkers (being one)...as I walk down the streets of our wonderful city perfectly located in the center of the universe (don't deny it ) I can say this:

I recognize accents ranging from "What are y'all fixin' to do tonight" to "Where the !@#$%^&*() is that !@#$%^&*() train! It's always !@#$%^&*() late!"

Now to the point of my response: as I do this, coffee is not caaffee. It's cawfee. Dog is dawg. And for some reason fog and log are said with long a's (at least as I say them). Water is wawter (or warter). On almost any corner you can awrder a hot dawg.

Though it is a huge pet peeve when people say soder instead of soda.

Then you get to Brooklyn and I'm pretty sure they have their own language out there.

English is a mess but at least we have one verb "to go."