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I think of southern twangs (nasally, quick and often quick or clipped speech) as typical dialects of the upper south while southern drawls (colonial era, slow, old south, over enunciation of vowels) as typical of the deep south.
I think of southern twangs (nasally, quick and often quick or clipped speech) as typical dialects of the upper south while southern drawls (colonial era, slow, old south, over enunciation of vowels) as typical of the deep south.
I do too, in general. As mentioned earlier in the thread, old money White Southerners also tend to speak with a genteel old Southern drawl, even in parts of the South where most White people speak with a twang. I'm always amazed by how many politicians in Alabama sound like they stepped off the set of Gone With the Wind (Jeff Sessions and Guvnuh Ivey for example), but I think it mostly has to do with descent from old money. Some of it is generational in some areas as well. The older people I know in Birmingham are more likely to drawwwwwl than the younger ones.
It's a question of one being rhotic vs. non-rhotic, a fancy way of saying using hard rs versus soft or nonexistent ones. Drawls tend to be non-rhotic, where all the hard consonants are softened and the rs are either diminished or nonexistent.
A more rhotic sound is more articulated.
Meanwhile, the twang is more an Appalachian nasal sound.
In truth, there are a ton of different Southern accents. In my city, you can tell what part of town a speaker is from by the accent.
It's a question of one being rhotic vs. non-rhotic, a fancy way of saying using hard rs versus soft or nonexistent ones. Drawls tend to be non-rhotic, where all the hard consonants are softened and the rs are either diminished or nonexistent.
A more rhotic sound is more articulated.
Meanwhile, the twang is more an Appalachian nasal sound.
In truth, there are a ton of different Southern accents. In my city, you can tell what part of town a speaker is from by the accent.
I always find the intracity differences in accents interesting as well. I can tell what part residents are from. Socio-economic class and exposure are also influences as others have suggested. It is fun to guess where news anchors are from as well when their accents slip out...
Real answers please! I have never heard of drawl and twang. I am trying to learn something here. Gosh!!
Google is your friend ...
A twang is quite distinctive from a drawl. The drawl, which is more common in the Deep South, tends to drop the "R" sound and sounds softer to the ear as syllables are drawn out. The twang, which is more common as you head further north and west, is more faster and sharper to the ear.
A twang is quite distinctive from a drawl. The drawl, which is more common in the Deep South, tends to drop the "R" sound and sounds softer to the ear as syllables are drawn out. The twang, which is more common as you head further north and west, is more faster and sharper to the ear.
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