Fargo represents an exaggerated Minnesotan accent, but our way of speaking (even if imperfect) represents a significant part of our identity.

Ask someone from Cleveland what they think they talk like, and they might tell you, “I don’t thenk I hee-av an ee-accent.” Ask someone from Syracuse, Chicago, or Madison the same question and you might get the same response. Obviously, they do have an accent, but it goes past just being a simple regionalism. It’s part of another well-established linguistic phenomenon, called the Northern Cities Vowel Shift.