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Money nor education will diminish a southern accent...money and education diminish poverty and stupidity. That leaves a pleasant-sounding southern accent.
Wealth and/or education don't affect a person's accent...but they can easily affect a person's economic conditions and lack of knowledge - and those are two of the main factors that determine how well a person speaks...whether he uses proper English. The southern accent will still be present, but it sounds totally different when one speaks clearly and properly. I think that money and education definitely help in that area...but they won't change your accent.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andysocks
^^ Newport, RI.
As a native NYer (and amateur poet), I don't care how much TV you make me watch or how much time you make me spend in California--"gong" and "song" do not rhyme, "berry" and "marry" do not rhyme, but "born" and "spawn" certainly do! It just sounds wrong to me otherwise, that's what I grew up hearing... yeah, I'm defensive about my accent haha.
I speak the same way And it doesn't have anything to do with education level. My family came from an upper-middle class area and most people in the area came from the city and spoke that way. My best friend growing up was from a pretty wealthy family and her parents had the same thick accent. I hear the same accent in the south Bronx where I teach.
As a native NYer (and amateur poet), I don't care how much TV you make me watch or how much time you make me spend in California--"gong" and "song" do not rhyme, "berry" and "marry" do not rhyme, but "born" and "spawn" certainly do!
What do they sound like then? I just can't picture it
Wealth and/or education don't affect a person's accent...but they can easily affect a person's economic conditions and lack of knowledge - and those are two of the main factors that determine how well a person speaks...whether he uses proper English. The southern accent will still be present, but it sounds totally different when one speaks clearly and properly. I think that money and education definitely help in that area...but they won't change your accent.
I agree, your accent will always be there to an extent. As your ed. level increases your word choice and pronunciation may change but the accent will remain.
Here in Missouri older people of all socio-economic groups tend to have essentially the same inflections, accent-wise. The more affluent (educated) of course use much better grammar and wouldn't be caught dead uttering that oft-heard phrase "we've went there" or "we ain't got none" (shudder).
The younger folks, on the other hand, who still have the need to both fit in an impress, and who are of the upper classes (or who wish to be perceived as such), adopt this annoying "valley girl" type accent that just reeks phony-baloney but makes them feel very upscale and trendy.
Wealth and/or education don't affect a person's accent...but they can easily affect a person's economic conditions and lack of knowledge - and those are two of the main factors that determine how well a person speaks...whether he uses proper English. The southern accent will still be present, but it sounds totally different when one speaks clearly and properly. I think that money and education definitely help in that area...but they won't change your accent.
I see what you're saying. I have had English teachers with thick accents but they used proper grammar. Your accent doesn't affect your grammar.
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