Is the Boston accent mostly an Italian-Irish thing? (Worcester, New Bedford: lawyers, university)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Its anyone who was in Boston before the 1990s, My mother is black. She was born in North Carolina in 61, moved to Boston in 62 and has the thickest Boston accent. I have a noticeable one and was born in 1994.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Some black people closer to down town in Roxbury and Dorchester have disgustingly thick accent but newer blacks in Hyde Park Mattapan Roslindale and Westie dont have one at all really.

[montaler]

Ive met blacks from worcester, new bedford, Lowell, medford, shrewsbury, grafton, brockton, revere, etc. With Eastern New England/Boston accents. Mostly older or middle aged.

[Skylark116]

LOL. This post takes aim at so many people, classes, and ethnicities I can't even take it seriously.

[glass_of_merlot]

I love the Boston accent!

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Skylark116

LOL. This post takes aim at so many people, classes, and ethnicities I can't even take it seriously.

How's that make sense? That stuff all has an impact. Minus the 2017 let's be a snowflake attitude of being insulted by EVERYTHING in the real world that stuff matters. Black people in most "black" areas typically sound like their from the south regardless of where they're from. While Black people out in the burbs typically don't. Same rules apply to white people in poorer vs better off areas just like it does the grammar and many times slang of let's say "working class" white people vs those with higher end college educations. Neighborhood, class, education and yes COLOR often have a very big impact on that stuff. Seeing the correlation doesn't make you a bad person, just means you live in reality. I'm one of those working-class white people that grew up in JP and I sure as hell don't act, dress or talk like people my age that grew up in Wellesley and went to some high end college. There will always people that are the oddballs but in general it fits.

[Bob Lanata]

Louis CK, the comedian said it best: There is no such thing as a Boston accent, just a few million people talking really poorly. I roared when he said that being from Boston.

[BOORGONG]

The brothers from "Car Talk" were highly educated Bostonians with very thick Boston accents. I like the accent too, and I never found it to sound ignorant. Some folks have very elaborate vocabularies carried by speech modulations that have nothing to do with lack of cultural finesse.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by snatale1

How's that make sense? That stuff all has an impact. Minus the 2017 let's be a snowflake attitude of being insulted by EVERYTHING in the real world that stuff matters. Black people in most "black" areas typically sound like their from the south regardless of where they're from. While Black people out in the burbs typically don't. Same rules apply to white people in poorer vs better off areas just like it does the grammar and many times slang of let's say "working class" white people vs those with higher end college educations. Neighborhood, class, education and yes COLOR often have a very big impact on that stuff. Seeing the correlation doesn't make you a bad person, just means you live in reality. I'm one of those working-class white people that grew up in JP and I sure as hell don't act, dress or talk like people my age that grew up in Wellesley and went to some high end college. There will always people that are the oddballs but in general it fits.

You have a lot to learn about Southern accents, but I agree with the idea that accent reflects region, class, and education. I'm not from here, but even I can pick up that there are differences between working-class Boston accents, rural New England accents, and whatever you call the upper class Brahmin accents.

it's also true that individuals can modulate their accent depending on context, at least to some degree.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

I learned in school that the Boston accent is a variation of eastern Norfolk (England) dialect. The Pilgrims hailed from that area. I wish I could verify this. Even if I can't I think it's an interesting theory.

OTOH the British drop their r's if you listen carefully to somebody who doesn't have a *trained* voice. So do we. After all this is New England.

I thought I'd been gradually losing my Boston accent thanks to my husband who lived in the Midwest for several years before returning here (that's where he lost his). Maybe only around him I do. When I talk with an out-of-state friend or somebody who doesn't live in the immediate area they all declare that, oh yes, you still have the accent, and it's obvious.