Since I was a kid, those bugs that light up at night — have always been called “lightning bugs.”

But it turns out that is because I grew up here in Chicago.  Had I been born elsewhere, I very well might be calling them “fireflies.”

Josh Katz is a linguist who surveyed the country on how they talk.  The following are just a few of the maps he put together a few years ago.  For example (and thanks to RD.com):

— [eric]