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I am not sure if this answers your question, but broadly speaking, a "drawl" is more common in the Deep or Lower South while a "twang" dominates in the Upper (Mountain) and Western South (i.e. western Texasand Oklahoma). I know enough about linguistics to say exactly what are the distinguishing characteristics, but I hazard a guess that one of them revolves around the "r" sound. In the Deep South, it tends to be "dropped" while it is distinctly pronounced in the Upper and western areas. I think that stereotypical "country music" sound is a good example of the latter.
Hope this might have helped a bit!
I think you nailed it, TexasReb...I have always associated the twang with Texas, although you begin to hear it upon entering parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
I can understand the twang ...sometimes have hard times understanding a strong drawl, often wrong emphasis on syllables and combine words. Drawl + ebonics is the worst.
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What's the difference between twang and drawl? I'd be interested in hearing some samples of each. I have a few friends in the south and I don't know which they have.
This was interesting! Thanks for posting...I knew I always liked her!
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