Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
2,709 posts, read 5,097,146 times
Reputation: 1028
Advertisements
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonnieJonez
This map seems more accurate. From wikipedia. Almost everywhere not in this map has at least a noticeable and fairly prevalent regional accent. Many people in KC and STL have a touch of a southern accent, and some have a complete southern accent. Minneapolis has its own accent (stronger as you go further north), and so does Chicago (stronger in the city than suburbs). The map doesn't quite extend up to Sioux Falls but it could also be included.
I've always found California to have a neutral English accent among native White English speakers as well.
People in KC and St. Louis don't have southern accents...if you speak with a southern accent, people will notice that in both of these cities. I've lived almost 26 years in my city, and Southern speech patterns are very uncommon. People will notice and often comment if you speak with a southern accent in both of these cities.
The General American line is bordered by the South Midland, Upper Midwest, and Inland North, all of which bear a closer relationship to General American than to anything else.
People in KC and St. Louis don't have southern accents...if you speak with a southern accent, people will notice that in both of these cities. I've lived almost 26 years in my city, and Southern speech patterns are very uncommon. People will notice and often comment if you speak with a southern accent in both of these cities.
The General American line is bordered by the South Midland, Upper Midwest, and Inland North, all of which bear a closer relationship to General American than to anything else.
I agree. You can throw Cincinnati, and maybe even Pittsburgh in that mix for cities that border the south, but are definitely not southern.
Its like you wouldn't call San Diego a Mexican city, just because it lies on the border, and has many people from Mexico living there.
I think STL, KC, and Cincy are like that. They are midwest through and through, but being on the border of the south, you get a lot of southern influence. But different from being southern.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
2,709 posts, read 5,097,146 times
Reputation: 1028
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il?
I agree. You can throw Cincinnati, and maybe even Pittsburgh in that mix for cities that border the south, but are definitely not southern.
Its like you wouldn't call San Diego a Mexican city, just because it lies on the border, and has many people from Mexico living there.
I think STL, KC, and Cincy are like that. They are midwest through and through, but being on the border of the south, you get a lot of southern influence. But different from being southern.
I'm not sure I agree about them being on the border of the south..what they are on the border of are the transition zones between south and Midwest, that takes places over 100 miles going north to south. Indy I would say rests on this border as well. The cities i'd say which are on the border of the south are places like Joplin, Springfield,Cape Girardeau, Evansville, and Carbondale/Marion, Illinois, Portsmouth (OH), etc. You really can't tell whether you're in the north or south in either of these places because elements of both are present.
Cities which are just below the transition zone and definitively southern I'd say include Paducah, Louisville, Lexington..all with Northern influences but still noticeably more southern.
Northern You have a Northern accent. That could either be the Chicago/Detroit/Cleveland/Buffalo accent (easily recognizable) or the Western New England accent that news networks go for.
[/img]
Interesting..I figure this means I have no true accent at all? (which is funny, because I can always tell when someone is from Michigan or Chicago/Wisconsin)
Most people I know or have come in contact with nationwide have lost any regional accent. I'm speaking of suburban or rural youth under 25 or so. The California "Valley" type speech patterns (quick, clipped speech; the overuse of "like" and a rising inflection) seems to have spread coast to coast. It's most noticeable among young women.
Northern You have a Northern accent. That could either be the Chicago/Detroit/Cleveland/Buffalo accent (easily recognizable) or the Western New England accent that news networks go for.
[/img]
Interesting..I figure this means I have no true accent at all? (which is funny, because I can always tell when someone is from Michigan or Chicago/Wisconsin)
People in KC and St. Louis don't have southern accents...if you speak with a southern accent, people will notice that in both of these cities. I've lived almost 26 years in my city, and Southern speech patterns are very uncommon. People will notice and often comment if you speak with a southern accent in both of these cities.
The General American line is bordered by the South Midland, Upper Midwest, and Inland North, all of which bear a closer relationship to General American than to anything else.
I'm not saying it's Dixieland, but rural Missouri almost always has a "southern sounding accent that may not be completely southern", and this carries over into KC and STL. Think of how many people over the years moved to those cities from smaller towns in Missouri, brought the accents, the kids grew up with the accents. To an outside visitor, it is very prevalent and there is a marked difference compared to the English spoken in Des Moines or Omaha in a large percent of the residents.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
2,709 posts, read 5,097,146 times
Reputation: 1028
Quote:
Originally Posted by GunnerTHB
I was born in 1990 and I do have a regional accent. lol
Pretty neat test.
wow I always thought you were much older. I am four years older.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
