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You tend to get that around any state that sits near or in both halves, I've noticed.
Even Pennsylvania, which debatably doesn't truly touch the south, has some cases of unusually southern sounding local accents (especially south of Altoona, in my experience).
Likewise, I've heard people from the upper south who sound like they came out of Michigan, or even western NY. My old friend from Kentucky was born and raised in the eastern part of the state. His whole family sounds very typical of south/central Appalachia. Except for him. He sounds entirely northern, but he's never lived a day outside of eastern KY.
Then you have some real outliers. Such as one of the true New Orleans accents, which is strikingly similar to Brooklyn, NY. And then there are pockets in upstate NY where I live wherein people very nearly sound plucked out of the south.
I think, perhaps, accents have been changing and morphing ever since the USA was established. It's only due to our recent technology that we've noticed a ton of oddities.
The American South
Georgia
South Carolina
Alabama
Mississippi
Tennessee
North Carolina
Louisiana
Arkansas (including Missouri south of U.S. Route 60)
Kentucky (minus Cincinnati suburbs, including Missouri Bootheel)
North Florida (north of Orlando)
South Virginia (from just north of Charlottesville on southward, including most of Shenandoah Valley and the part of West Virginia south of Charleston...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southe...ia?wprov=sfti1 )
Capital of The American South: Atlanta
The Deep South
South Carolina
Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Georgia
North Florida
Sisters of the Deep South: Western Tennessee and The Arkansas Delta
The Mason-Dixon line is also out-dated garbage and was originally used to settle land disputes, not to define the border between the north and the south. Technically, the line that was established to do that excludes even Kentucky and Virginia from the geographically southern USA.
It is an extremely weak argument and even the government has considered officially defining Maryland as Northeastern multiple times.
I am sick of the Mason-Dixon line argument and I will not ever agree with it in context of our modern nation.
You mean the Census Bureau? If so, when? I'm aware that other government agencies classify Maryland in different ways.
Mutiny, hi.. I was looking at the official census.gov site recently. The Census still classifies Maryland within their South region. But honestly, that endorsement isn't necessary. In spite of emotional protests, Mason-Dixon has long-established Maryland within the Border South.
I find the angry rejection of the Mason-Dixon's stature/authority (previous poster referring to Mason-Dixon as garbage).. largely comes from transplants who are upset about the idea of living in the South, or deracinated natives. It's an arrogant, ungracious displacement of (& attitude toward) the culture that's hosting them.. /peace
I don't get the argument that MD isn't southern, especially from my vantage point in the Baltimore area. It's time to let go of the antiquated stereotypes of the south. The south is the fastest growing region of the US, and it is taking people from all other regions.
I don't get the argument that MD isn't southern, especially from my vantage point in the Baltimore area. It's time to let go of the antiquated stereotypes of the south. The south is the fastest growing region of the US, and it is taking people from all other regions.
Western MD is not southern, but is definitely central/northern Appalachian. Garrett County receives more snowfall than many places further north due to elevation.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Babe_Ruth
Mutiny, hi.. I was looking at the official census.gov site recently. The Census still classifies Maryland within their South region. But honestly, that endorsement isn't necessary. In spite of emotional protests, Mason-Dixon has long-established Maryland within the Border South.
I find the angry rejection of the Mason-Dixon's stature/authority (previous poster referring to Mason-Dixon as garbage).. largely comes from transplants who are upset about the idea of living in the South, or deracinated natives. It's an arrogant, ungracious displacement of (& attitude toward) the culture that's hosting them.. /peace
It is garbage. Inconsistent as well. The Mason-Dixon line excludes Delaware (that nifty western border, still part of the line). Yet, Delaware is still considered southern? Why?
That and absolutely everybody seems to forget that the M-D line was not established to define the border of the northern and southern US. It was established to settle land disputes between PA and MD. Nothing more, nothing less.
The way you react makes it seem as though you've assumed I have something against the south. I don't. Don't try and dismiss my argument by waving it off as arrogant lest you intend to employ arrogance yourself. Reality is there are more facts against the M-D line being accurate than there are supporting it. The support seems to boil down to a mis-guided tradition and nearly nothing beyond that.
This has been argued ad-naseum on this site though and honestly I have nothing new to say and neither does anybody else. Maryland is simply more northern than it is southern. Geographically, climatically, and even historically from our day backwards.
Sure, Maryland was established as a southern colony when the country was tiny and new (and entirely lacked Florida, parts of Maine, and most of modern Georgia, mind). Ohio was also the northwest. Is Ohio still the northwest? No. That's because the country continued to grow and change. Ohio is no longer the northwest, Maryland is no longer a southern state.
Geographically, the state does not sit in the southern half of the country. Historically, the state did not serve the confederacy. Climatically, more of the state shares in seasonal changes iconic of the northern US than does not. Culturally, whatever old south once occupied it has long since left. Want to call it Mid-Atlantic? Sure. What else is Mid-Atlantic? NY, PA, and NJ.
I could argue that the fight for a southern identity in MD could be called an arrogant and ungracious view of the north. A disdain to be called northern. Kinda funny how that accusation can be flung both ways, huh?
(NOTE) I'm not angry. Blunt, a bit glib, sarcastic, even; but not angry. I'm just stubborn and I speak frankly. Please stop misunderstanding this as anger.
Last edited by CookieSkoon; 02-20-2018 at 07:58 PM..
It is garbage. Inconsistent as well. The Mason-Dixon line excludes Delaware (that nifty western border, still part of the line). Yet, Delaware is still considered southern? Why?
That and absolutely everybody seems to forget that the M-D line was not established to define the border of the northern and southern US. It was established to settle land disputes between PA and MD. Nothing more, nothing less.
The way you react makes it seem as though you've assumed I have something against the south. I don't. Don't try and dismiss my argument by waving it off as arrogant lest you intend to employ arrogance yourself. Reality is there are more facts against the M-D line being accurate than there are supporting it. The support seems to boil down to a mis-guided tradition and nearly nothing beyond that.
This has been argued ad-naseum on this site though and honestly I have nothing new to say and neither does anybody else. Maryland is simply more northern than it is southern. Geographically, climatically, and even historically from our day backwards.
Sure, Maryland was established as a southern colony when the country was tiny and new (and entirely lacked Florida, parts of Maine, and most of modern Georgia, mind). Ohio was also the northwest. Is Ohio still the northwest? No. That's because the country continued to grow and change. Ohio is no longer the northwest, Maryland is no longer a southern state.
Geographically, the state does not sit in the southern half of the country. Historically, the state did not serve the confederacy. Climatically, more of the state shares in seasonal changes iconic of the northern US than does not. Culturally, whatever old south once occupied it has long since left. Want to call it Mid-Atlantic? Sure. What else is Mid-Atlantic? NY, PA, and NJ.
I could argue that the fight for a southern identity in MD could be called an arrogant and ungracious view of the north. A disdain to be called northern. Kinda funny how that accusation can be flung both ways, huh?
(NOTE) I'm not angry. Blunt, a bit glib, sarcastic, even; but not angry. I'm just stubborn and I speak frankly. Please stop misunderstanding this as anger.
When I lived in Wilmington, DE, it did not seem at all southern.
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There is a bit of truth to that.
