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And black people who are British? Where do they fall into this mix? Can you also recognize their skin color when you hear them on the television - I am guessing not? Not all southerners - black or white have an accent - I grew up in Texas but am often asked if I grew up in the Northeast and other times people are surprised I am from Texas because I have no noticeable accent. Most of the people who ask these questions are not native Texans and I think are looking for the stereotypical accent they hear on TV and most people simply don't meet those stereotypes. If that is the case though, I supposed my lack of "big" hair, lack of horse ownership, no wearing of western attire rule and cautious spending probably also debunk the stereotype. I do say y'all but mostly because it bugs people from the NE when I do that. One of my co-workers was commenting on how he hates it when Texans use y'all or say fixin' to -- so I've adopted those two into my speech habits for his benefit. You know, the kind of thing you can turn off an on as needed.
Still does not sound "Southern" to me and I lived in BB for 5 years. If by Southern you mean a twang (Kentucky, Alabama,Carolinas), there is NO twang.
Maybe I have a "southern" accent by your definition then since they don't sound any different than me other than using slang I am not familiar with.
Your exactly right. the black people in florida do not speak with a twang. however, they still do speak with a southern accent. its just that its more of a drawl than it is a twang that u find in the mountain/upper south (ie. tennessee, kentucky). i think the problem is your equating all southern accents with having a twang and thats not accurate. u have as i attributed to earlier, the moutain/upper south dialect, u have the lowland/coastal dialect in the florida, georgia, alabama region, and the cajun accent in louisiana. all of which ties in to my next response.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlito Brigante
Some people are talking about the "Southern drawl" and a "Southern twang" all in the same post. To the people who are saying that, what do you consider to be the difference between a drawl and a twang?
This is interesting because some people seem to think that everybody across the entire South speaks with the exact same accent, and the South is way too big and diverse of a region for that. I think that's part of the reason why Hollywood actors who aren't from the South always do such TERRIBLE, laughable, cringe-worthy Southern accents.
For example, Terrance Howard in "Hustle and Flow" REALLY pissed me the hell off!!! Especially for someone who is supposed to be considered such a great actor.
One difference between a twang and a drawl is a twang has a nasal, sharp sound to it where as a drawl has a more guttural, drawn out quality. but I think the main and most noticeable difference between a drawl and a twang (at least among the black people ive heard. now mind u i was born and raised in florida and have family in the tennessee/kentucky area with whom ive spent extended amounts of time and long summers with around the clarksville and pembroke area so my ear is trained to pick upon both) is the letter r.
See in a twang the letter r is enunciated very distinctively. but with a drawl the letter r is dropped altogether. For example, lets use the statement: "40 miles over there". if a black person spoke with a twang, it will more than likely come out sounding like: "forety miles ovurr thurr" but if a black person spoke with a drawl, then it would sound more like: "fawty miles ova duh". another example many blacks dont say im from florida. rather they say "im from flawda". the black people in GA, same way. they say "im from jawja". understand what im coming from? it may sound like i exaggerated it slightly but i did that so u could understand the concept.
It is not neccesarily a southern accent, even though southern is its closet relative. Mostly because Blacks were kind of prosecuted everywhere they went, but in Black communities. So we have pretty much stuck together, and we have kept our Southern Root with us no matter where we go. I will defenatly keep mine, and I will pass it on to my children.
I grew up in Texas and I don't even have an accent. I've never met a black person that did. Since I was 13 I have lived all over the nation and I just don't see where you're getting this idea. What part of the states are you from?
I grew up in Texas and I don't even have an accent. I've never met a black person that did. Since I was 13 I have lived all over the nation and I just don't see where you're getting this idea. What part of the states are you from?
This is true. there are cases where a black person who grew up or was born in the south wont have any distinguishable southern accent. it is also true that if they came from any other area of the country be it east coast, west coast, or midwest, they wont adopt the accents of those regions as well. it is highly possible and very likely that some black people just speak with a neutral accent. now that maybe attributed to the environment or household they grew up in along with other factors. and seeing how in reality that black people arent as monolithic as many perceive them to be, this should come as a shock to no one.
I grew up in Detroit, a very segregated city. People who grew up in mostly black areas do have a different accent than those who grew up in mostly white areas, even if these people grew up just a few miles apart. To say otherwise is just ridiculous, the accent is distinctive and recognizable, there's nothing wrong with it, it just is. It sounds vaguely southern, and likely originates from southern english, but it's also quite distinctive from southern accents. People tend to have the accent of those they grew up and live around, blacks and white are still very segregated in our country, it's hardly surprising that accents differ.
It's distressing that many black people I know feel they have no choice but to adopt a "white" accent in certain situations in order to avoid judgment or discrimination.
I grew up in Texas and I don't even have an accent. I've never met a black person that did. Since I was 13 I have lived all over the nation and I just don't see where you're getting this idea. What part of the states are you from?
I'd have to assume that you've mostly been in areas where there's only a small percentage of blacks, to begin with.
I'm black. No accent. People ask (or axe, I guess) me why I don't have an accent. How the hell am I supposed to know? I just don't.
And if you think most black people have a Southern accent, you haven't talked to a lot of black people. Blacks in the Northeast and California do not have an accent. I would guess the same thing about PNW. I think your question might be "Why do some blacks in the Midwest have a Southern accent?" And the answer is because many of them moved there from the South to take advantage of jobs. I can tell the difference between a Hispanic, a black, an Asian, and a white speaker. Doesn't mean any of them have a special accent.
I'm black. No accent. People ask (or axe, I guess) me why I don't have an accent. How the hell am I supposed to know? I just don't.
And if you think most black people have a Southern accent, you haven't talked to a lot of black people. Blacks in the Northeast and California do not have an accent. I would guess the same thing about PNW. I think your question might be "Why do some blacks in the Midwest have a Southern accent?" And the answer is because many of them moved there from the South to take advantage of jobs. I can tell the difference between a Hispanic, a black, an Asian, and a white speaker. Doesn't mean any of them have a special accent.
As did Blacks who historically moved to other parts of the country.
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