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I grew up in SJ in the tri-county area across from Philly and everyone here either has a Philly accent or just a general once. I know the rumors about the supposed Deep South Jersey accent but have never heard it in person.
On the other hand, if you take NJ Rt. 40 to AC, you will see a rodeo along the way, so who knows.
That area is much more Northeastern/cosmopolitan and those in far southern Jersey don't even consider that really South Jersey. To them, South Jersey is no traffic, open pastures, and pine trees.
OMG - you've never heard it? I went to college with students from Gloucester County and you would seriously think they were from the 'south'- not VA, more like Alabama! Here is an example - when my friend kept asking me for a "tail" I had no clue what she wanted, so I made her spell it. She actually wanted a t-o-w-e-l. Its definitely a south west NJ thing; I think its kind of cute - both my male/female friends from that area had the same accents
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCal Midwest Noobie
Every so often in the endless "Are Maryland and Delaware Southern states" threads I see reference to a native New Jersey "southern accent" around the Cape May area. I have tried to listen for various samples of this accent but never hear it. The only accents Ive heard from the state are the "Tony Soprano" type and GenAm.
Does anyone know of a site where I could hear a sample of this native New Jersey "southern accent". Im fascinated by this.
There used to be a video online of the Deep South Jersey accent. It is classified as being very similar to a Tidewater Virginia accent. Most of the people in South Jersey share an accent with Philadelphia. That accent extends to include Baltimore. It's called the MidAtlantic accent. There are minor differences between the Philadelphia & Baltimore versions. That accent shares a lot of similarities with accents going down into the NC piedmont, which is not twangy.
Unlike most of the east coast, Philadelphia & Baltimore retained the "r" sound. The biggest difference between the MidAtlantic accent & a full-blown southern accent in the NC piedmont is glide deletion in a long "I". However you do hear it occasionally in some words like fire engine (farn-gin)
It doesn't mean that South Jersey is the South. It's the MidAtlantic.
There used to be a video online of the Deep South Jersey accent. It is classified as being very similar to a Tidewater Virginia accent. Most of the people in South Jersey share an accent with Philadelphia. That accent extends to include Baltimore. It's called the MidAtlantic accent. There are minor differences between the Philadelphia & Baltimore versions. That accent shares a lot of similarities with accents going down into the NC piedmont, which is not twangy.
Unlike most of the east coast, Philadelphia & Baltimore retained the "r" sound. The biggest difference between the MidAtlantic accent & a full-blown southern accent in the NC piedmont is glide deletion in a long "I". However you do hear it occasionally in some words like fire engine (farn-gin)
It doesn't mean that South Jersey is the South. It's the MidAtlantic.
Yes, I think it is Virginia. It's a very soft accent--not blatant. Certainly, not everyone in Salem and Cumberland have that accent; there are transplants there, too. Still, the lifers don't sound like Philadelphians.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerania
Yes, I think it is Virginia. It's a very soft accent--not blatant. Certainly, not everyone in Salem and Cumberland have that accent; there are transplants there, too. Still, the lifers don't sound like Philadelphians.
I've seen mention of that accent a few times over the years in the Inquirer. It was always compared to Tidewater Virginia. the video that I found had a man speaking. I think he was from Woodstown.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell03
Cape May is cosmopolitan and developed. You will find some funny accents in Salem/Cumberland Counties and back road neighborhoods in the Pine Barrens. Not quite southern, but you'll hear a little drawl.
I have seen Confederate flags on staff poles in these areas.
I had a neighbor in Cherry Hill who flew the stars & bars & a US flag on twin poles on all holidays.
I grew up surrounded by old hound dog men from different rural parts of the state, but my family is from the Trenton area and I went to a private school that had a bunch of international students who aimed for more standard pronunciations or boarding students from different US regions. My accent shifts all over the place and was constantly evolving as I was growing up. I've found that I tend to tilt closer to whatever accent the person I'm speaking with has, which can be embarrassing if someone thinks I'm mimicking them. It sometimes shifts from Hillbilly to Sopranos in just a few sentences. But my father's friends spoke one way, my mother's family spoke another way and my classmates spoke yet another way.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell03
That's also quite a common sight in Gloucester.
I know, but people who aren't familiar with South Jersey but know that Cherry Hill is urbanized wouldn't think that you could see it in Cherry Hill.
The stars & bars gained popularity when the southern counties tried to secede.
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