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That's an interesting observation. I'm not very familiar with southern culture but does a strong Southern accent connote a sense of a certain class?
A strong Southern accent is usually associated with working class Southerners. That's why even in the South a strong Southern accent is looked down upon by some.
Wealthy Southerners don't usually have strong Southern accents. I think that's the case in any city though, the working class have the strongest accents, the wealthy have closer to a General American accent.
I have heard Asians speak Portuguese because they were from Columbia, Brazil and thought that was strange...but not unexpected. So anything is possible.
I know 3 Korean immigrants that moved to Tennessee. They all speak English that has both an Korean and Southern accent. They also speak with the Southern rhythm and saying Tennessee things like y'all, y'uns, git me some..., etc. Like someone else mentioned its like layered with two accents, plus Southern slang plus Konglish. The Korean lady I knew married a GI and came over in the early 70's. Instead of saying "I'm going to wash the dishes" she would say "I do the dish" which is most definite Konglish but she would say it with Southern accent. My understanding is they picked up the Tennessee accent from coming to America not speaking any English. Then upon learning English from the "locals" they couldn't help picking up the TN accent without even knowing they did. At that time Asian immigrants generally could only learn English from just observing/picking up from others and from listening to the local tv stations (before cable) thus they pick up the accent. Whereas these days immigrants could learn from software, CD's and from watching tv broadcasts from across the globe so they may be more apt to pick up the midwestern accent or non-accent of that newscasters have.
Their American-born children speak perfect English with a TN accent.
That said I have talked to a Korean woman in North Carolina and she said she learned English from watching tv. She has no Southern accent as far as I can pick up. I'm not really familiar with the locals in eastern part of North Carolina because I haven't spent a lot of time there, so I don't know if they don't have the deep Southern accent like Western NC has or if its because that area has many transplants because of the army bases close by. I can't figure her out why she doesn't speak Southern yet my other 3 TN friends do.
i was born in korea but i moved 2 north carolina and was raised here 4 like 10 years. i aint even notice i had a southern accent since everybody here talked like that
but when i went up 2 alaska for a vacation they kinda picked on me 4 my accent
but i like my country accent. it make me unique
o and btw i listen 2 A LOT of new york music so i picked up some north accent and say some words funny. like i say 'art' like 'aught'
i was born in korea but i moved 2 north carolina and was raised here 4 like 10 years. i aint even notice i had a southern accent since everybody here talked like that
but when i went up 2 alaska for a vacation they kinda picked on me 4 my accent
but i like my country accent. it make me unique
o and btw i listen 2 A LOT of new york music so i picked up some north accent and say some words funny. like i say 'art' like 'aught'
That's interesting. What kind of accent do Alaskans have? Never really thought of it. I understand what you mean about picking up accents. I apparently do that easily without thinking. I listen to mostly British, Canadian and now recently Korean rock music and pick up those accents. People seem to have a hard time understanding me because of it since I've lost most of my Southern accent since living out West then returning to TN.
I haven't read most of the posts yet, but I am about to. All I have to say is I really hope this conversation doesn't turn into "Asians look smart because they are Asian" and "the Southern accent makes someone sound stupid because that is what Southerners are".
Please , let's stay away from dumb stereotypes that shouldn't even exist. Most white people who grow up in the rural South are actually pretty smart. They could take a car apart and put it right back together. It also takes a high IQ to go deer hunting etc.....
I find it funny that Southern rednecks are the only people we are allowed to refer to as stupid. I guess that is because they are white, and only for that reason. Meanwhile, statistically speaking and after looking at school test scores, most minorities should realistically be labeled as "dumb" before Southern whites get labeled as that. Most minorities, with the exception of Asians that is (certain Asians, but not all of them).
I haven't read most of the posts yet, but I am about to. All I have to say is I really hope this conversation doesn't turn into "Asians look smart because they are Asian" and "the Southern accent makes someone sound stupid because that is what Southerners are".
Please , let's stay away from dumb stereotypes that shouldn't even exist. Most white people who grow up in the rural South are actually pretty smart. They could take a car apart and put it right back together. It also takes a high IQ to go deer hunting etc.....
I find it funny that Southern rednecks are the only people we are allowed to refer to as stupid. I guess that is because they are white, and only for that reason. Meanwhile, statistically speaking and after looking at school test scores, most minorities should realistically be labeled as "dumb" before Southern whites get labeled as that. Most minorities, with the exception of Asians that is (certain Asians, but not all of them).
Maybe you SHOULD have read the whole thread before you posted a response. Everything you have mentioned has not been said here. Nobody has mentioned the word dumb or stereotyped anyone. This is an old thread that was just resurrected a couple days ago. However everyone just posted about knowing Asians or being an Asian who ended up with a Southern Accent. Nobody said Asians are smart or dumb, or said anything about whites or Rednecks being dumb. Calm down!
A strong Southern accent is usually associated with working class Southerners. That's why even in the South a strong Southern accent is looked down upon by some.
Wealthy Southerners don't usually have strong Southern accents. I think that's the case in any city though, the working class have the strongest accents, the wealthy have closer to a General American accent.
for the most part i have found this to be true, or at least found these situations to be more likely. that being said, ive met southern mechanics with very little accent and southern doctors with real thick ones.
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