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I also believe part of the issue is a generational one, as well as socioeconomic status. I'm from NY (Long Island) originally, and my MIL and mother have very heavy LI accents. I now live in a Charleston suburb, and there are so many transplants here, and you don't hear many people down here with distinctive Charlestonian accent, and when you do, they tend to be older, or from a lower SES neighborhood. I have had many people tell me that they can tell I'm from the north, but many times they guess a completely different state. In NY, I have had many people tell me that I sound like I'm from California, or other totally random parts of the country. I also did make a conscious effort when I was younger to use SAE for some heavily-accented "New York" words, like water (warter), coffee (cawfee), god (gawd), what are you (whatcha), etc. I make a very concerted effort to teach my toddler proper ways of speaking without accents or regional slang. I agree with the previous poster that regional accents are slowly dying out. In a few more generations I think there will be far less distinctive accents as people continue to move around the country much more frequently.
Its just how people talk. I grew up and live in Massachusetts, if I move down south I'm still gonna sound the same. Although not as common its the same in reverse. There is a sizable BOA presence in Boston. The folks from North Carolina still sound like they're from North Carolina even if they moved to Boston. I've always thought of the Midwest as accent neutral outside of Chicago and Minnesota.
There are some oddballs who seem to magnify their upbringing once they leave the place of upbringing. I didn't feel like a Midwesterner until I left the Midwest, and suddenly my Southern Illinoisan accent (which I didn't even know I had) became noticeable. Sometimes when you are talking to a buncha people who clearly have a different accent than you, it almost makes you reinforce your own accent even more.
It's all relative. To northerners, that transplant from the south who "lost" their accent may sound southern. The northern transplants in VA may seem to have a lighter accent to their kin up north.
I hear a lot of "New Yawk" accents here in Atlanta, but the people that came from NYC often adapt to the southern hospitality, so the difference seems more behavioral. I think the accents stay the same but the mannerisms may change. I doubt anyone is going to say "F**k outta here SON" around here.
Probably because Northern culture isn't stigmatized in the same way Southern culture is. I'm from Chicago, and I don't think I'd try to lose my Great Lakes accent if I moved to the South or anywhere else - in fact, I'd be more liable to consciously attempt to keep it. I imagine the only Northerners who'd take on Southern accents in any measurable time after moving would be ones who either (1) are exceptionally friendly and permeable in their speech patterns regardless of region or (2) strongly identify with Southern culture already - listen to country all the time, drive a pickup, etc.
All the same, I do worry sometimes that the increasing geographic mobility of average Americans will continue to hammer out our dialectal differences in the future. Of course, I guess most people wouldn't consider this a bad thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skidamarink
There are some oddballs who seem to magnify their upbringing once they leave the place of upbringing. I didn't feel like a Midwesterner until I left the Midwest, and suddenly my Southern Illinoisan accent (which I didn't even know I had) became noticeable. Sometimes when you are talking to a buncha people who clearly have a different accent than you, it almost makes you reinforce your own accent even more.
Yeah, that's definitely a thing. Moving to Ohio for college was the strongest reinforcement I've had in my life of my Chicago identity, including (largely subconsciously) exaggerating my own accent more - I guess I'd assumed beforehand that the Midwest was the Midwest and everyone in the region talked the same.
Meh, people here in TN can rarely tell I'm originally from the midwest, although people from my native state no longer identify me as one of them from my accent either. But I've always been able to pick up accents quickly and easily.
When writing, many southerners will say 'you all' more often than y'all. A few older southerners speaks with a non rhotic accent. Listen to Jimmy Carter on you tube sometime, his speeches are a good example of this speech style.
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