The Louisville "accent" - Is it Southern or Midwestern? (Richmond: 2013, versus)

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

You can definitely hear a strong New England accent in much of Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and areas of New Hampshire. And to a lesser degree, Connecticut and Vermont. Pronunciations like Lobster (Lobstuh), Mark (Mahk), Scallops (Scollops) etc.

Personally I am more concerned with a person's character and ethics than their accent of which state they originate.

True, but certain features of the New England accent like non-rhoticity are falling out of favor. Though I do hear "selective" rhoticity in New Englanders just like New Yorkers and Southerners, where the R is dropped only in few instances.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

So, are you from New Hampshire?

I have lived there previously and some of my family lives there presently. I am originally from the Kansas City metro area long ago.

[JaxRhapsody]

Most people I know personally aren't even from here, and I myself don't have an accent, so it's a hard thing to answer. People always ask if I'm from Louisville because I don't have much- if any southern accent, it's more a nuetral accent, whixh works well where ever I'm at, combined with my social skills, and way of reading people can keep me out of trouble in other places, like when I was in Brooklyn.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by JaxRhapsody

Most people I know personally aren't even from here, and I myself don't have an accent, so it's a hard thing to answer. People always ask if I'm from Louisville because I don't have much- if any southern accent, it's more a nuetral accent, whixh works well where ever I'm at, combined with my social skills, and way of reading people can keep me out of trouble in other places, like when I was in Brooklyn.

Well it is interesting that dialect maps put Louisville in Southern accent territory but the more I listen, the less Southern it sounds. Glide deletion seems practically rare and only used before "L" or "R". I seriously think Louisville people sound more and more neutral Midwestern by the day. Oh, well. I think sometimes dialect maps are well-meaning but too generalized. However, who the hell am I to question the expertise of trained linguists? They can hear things than I can't. But, the whole thing is not a Black or White answer. I think maybe it's Midwestern with Southern influences or vice versa. But I won't lie, many people sound like Cincinnati people in Louisville and Cincinnati's accent is textbook Midwest - hard to place and could fit in anywhere, the well known characteristic Midwesterners are known for, that "Standard" American sound.

[JohnBoy64]

This is what I consider to be the native Louisville accent, not deep south but very distinct. I like this recording because she tells the story of Louisville in many ways;

Kentucky 5 | IDEA International Dialects of English Archive

All of the metropolitan areas are shifting to more neutral dialects. It is even more pronounced on the east coast in very traditional southern cities such as Richmond VA and Raleigh NC. What Louisville shares in common with those cities is that the surrounding rural dialects are distinctly southern in all directions including S. Indiana which IMO is slighty thicker. Cincinnati/N.Ky seems to be an actual border between midwest and south in that the rural accents north of Cincinnati are midwestern and the rural accents just below the three N. KY counties are definitely southern.

[JohnBoy64]

I would like to mention that the authors on many of the dialect maps express frustration on finding an authentic local dialect especially in the cities, so the lines that you see on those maps reflect what is believed to be the authentic local dialect verses what is actually spoken in those areas.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by JohnBoy64

This is what I consider to be the native Louisville accent, not deep south but very distinct. I like this recording because she tells the story of Louisville in many ways;

Kentucky 5 | IDEA International Dialects of English Archive

All of the metropolitan areas are shifting to more neutral dialects. It is even more pronounced on the east coast in very traditional southern cities such as Richmond VA and Raleigh NC. What Louisville shares in common with those cities is that the surrounding rural dialects are distinctly southern in all directions including S. Indiana which IMO is slighty thicker. Cincinnati/N.Ky seems to be an actual border between midwest and south in that the rural accents north of Cincinnati are midwestern and the rural accents just below the three N. KY counties are definitely southern.

I think if you drive even to Florence and points south in NKY, you are really entering the South. Can here the difference in the way people talk from the border towns along the river across from downtown Cincy.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by JohnBoy64

This is what I consider to be the native Louisville accent, not deep south but very distinct. I like this recording because she tells the story of Louisville in many ways;

Kentucky 5 | IDEA International Dialects of English Archive

All of the metropolitan areas are shifting to more neutral dialects. It is even more pronounced on the east coast in very traditional southern cities such as Richmond VA and Raleigh NC. What Louisville shares in common with those cities is that the surrounding rural dialects are distinctly southern in all directions including S. Indiana which IMO is slighty thicker. Cincinnati/N.Ky seems to be an actual border between midwest and south in that the rural accents north of Cincinnati are midwestern and the rural accents just below the three N. KY counties are definitely southern.

Far from Deep South. Glide deletion is not present in a lot of words. Maybe in "time" but the way she says "like" is more Midwest than South. I'd say it's Midland bordering on Southern. Her "o" sounds are even Midwestern. I feel like some in Louisville say "o" like Midwesterners and some say it like Southerners like "eh-oh", closer to the British vowel form. Someone I know in Louisville said that there's a "phone" line wherein the pronunciation of "phone" goes from "phe-own" to "phaw-own" somewhere in Central Indiana/Ohio and further South is pronounced "phe-own". But the women in the audio did have a very Southern trait where her short e sounds merge with short i sounds (then sounds somewhat like thin, pen like pin etc)

Honestly, it's a hard accent to place. Are the Southern characteristics there? You bet. But I've heard native Louisvillians claim their speech isn't much different from Cincy and that their speech is more neutral.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by JohnBoy64

I would like to mention that the authors on many of the dialect maps express frustration on finding an authentic local dialect especially in the cities, so the lines that you see on those maps reflect what is believed to be the authentic local dialect verses what is actually spoken in those areas.

This even happens on the East Coast. I feel like the Baltimore accent is stronger outside of the city. Same with Chicago (not East Coast but same rule applies). I noticed this too in Philly.

[JohnBoy64]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Far from Deep South. Glide deletion is not present in a lot of words. Maybe in "time" but the way she says "like" is more Midwest than South. I'd say it's Midland bordering on Southern. Her "o" sounds are even Midwestern.

Actually the differences in glide deletion (otherwise known as monophthongization) you are referring to is very common throughout the south. Huge areas of the south have only partial glide deletion similar to the speaker in the recording. The absence of the glide deletion in words such as "like" is considered "Lowland South", where you have the glide deletion (monophthongization) spoken in general is considered "Inland South". Here is a very detailed analysis of the two American English Dialects. Inland South is most prevalent in areas that did not have a high concentration of slavery during the antebellum period such as Southern Appalachia.