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Do you think President Obama's accent falls within the range of neutral General American ?
I personally cannot pinpoint any regional character in his speech. It sounds neither upper nor lower class. Only occasionaly does he sound a bit "Black" in my opinion (it's proven that linguistic phenomena in America, e.g. the NCVS, often follow racial lines).
mr obama is chicago, its better self. alot to be said for chicago.
He has a Chicago accent? He doesn't seem to show any NCVS which IMO makes the Chicago accent easily recognizable.
Perhaps it's because:
1) he's not white (non-whites largely don't take part in NCVS), and
2) he grew up in Hawaii and lived for years outside Chicago, so it's no wonder if he doesn't have a Chicago accent.
Perhaps he took elocution classes? I've noticed that people from IL and MI tend to emphasize their O's. I also don't detect a Hawaiian accent which, conversely, has an O that is not necessarily followed by that W sound.
He has a very clear Chicago accent (reminds me so much of Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers), but, much like Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, he adjusts his accent according to the audience he's addressing.
He has a Chicago accent? He doesn't seem to show any NCVS which IMO makes the Chicago accent easily recognizable.
Perhaps it's because:
1) he's not white (non-whites largely don't take part in NCVS), and
2) he grew up in Hawaii and lived for years outside Chicago, so it's no wonder if he doesn't have a Chicago accent.
I'm from Chicago, and neither myself nor anyone I know speaks like that. So, you know. BS
Oh coldwine, must you always refute all accepted linguistic data on US regional accents just because you can't hear it? Surely you realize that there is an accent specific to the Great Lakes region of the US that is different from the West Coast, East Coast, and the South. Naturally, not everyone has it, just as not everyone from Boston has the Boston accent, but I grew up in a more working class part of the Chicago area, I and definitely could introduce you to some older guys in their 50's and 60's who grew up on the south-side who have the accent.
As far as Obama is concerned, I find his accent rather neutral.
I'm from Chicago, and neither myself nor anyone I know speaks like that. So, you know. BS
It's not BS. We don't notice it because we hear it everyday, but when someone who's not from the Great Lakes hears us, we sound "funny" to them. People can tell I'm from Michigan as soon as I open my mouth. I don't hear myself as having an accent, but others from outside of the Great Lakes do.
Some posts above were deleted. Stick to discussing the President's accent. Presidential POLITICS are off topic in this forum.
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