Is the Southern Accent Leaving Mississippi? (home, college, living in)

[A&M Bulldawg]

Is the Southern Accent Leaving Mississippi?

[southernbliss]

No have you listen to us lately

[NWS]

Honestly I'm from NY and I've met so many people who have told me they were born and raised in MS and yet I was surprised that they had no apparent MS drawl or accent to me.

[Chris19]

Most people I come across from Mississippi have a southern accent. My instructor from college who has moved from South Dakota to Ole Miss and is back up in the Midwest picked up the accent after living in Mississippi for three to four years (although her accent was not as strong as those who were originally from Mississippi). I actually like the southern accent and find it very unique and charming. My dilluted Fargo/Minnesota type accent seems more boring than the southern accent in my opinion.

[southernbliss]

I have been to WI.CO.TX.MX.LA.GA. and to this day people ask my where I am from!!I still sound like I just left yesterday

What I think is funny is people always say I thought AL. OR GA.

[A&M Bulldawg]

Yeah! Alabamians have real thick southern accents; I'm one of them!

[cia191630]

I have a small MS accent...MS people don't hear it, friends & family back home hear it, when I lived out west they heard it...I had a customer on my phone ask where I was from, told him I lived in MS for about a year & a half but originally from Detroit...he told me he could definitely hear the south but could hear something else in there too lol

[Future Trooper]

I believe gradually that the Southern Accent is leaving Mississippi.

[oldenfatt]

Mass media is killing the southern accent, not just in Mississippi. I personally believe that a strong Southern accent places you at a disadvantage when dealing with non-Southerners who associate that accent with the negative stereotypes they so love to perpetuate.

[piano88keys]

I don't think with all the voice training in the world, that the accent can completely leave. I've been trained professionally; when I sing, or when I am in "work mode" -- talking to colleagues, making business calls, etc -- I have been commented that I have a great radio or tv voice, and have been asked where I was from. They (the business people) are always surprised when I say I am from Mississippi... pretty much all my life!

But now... when I get excited, upset, or just generally any kind of severe emotion, that southern twang comes out! LOL I think it's that way with most professionals in this area.

The problem with our delightful accents is that people from other areas hear the accent and automatically think we are ignorant, stupid, take your pick of synonyms. It's pretty bad to be judged just from the way we sound. *grr*