Do people in New Orleans have the southern accent? (Metairie: movies, living in)

[DopeBoiii]

They were doing the COPS show in New Orleans, and Nobody seemed to have a southern accent.

[TNRyan23]

Could it have been a Mardi Gras episode from like 20 years ago where they were all Northerners on vacation ?

Just wondering because I saw that one..

[DopeBoiii]

Not just them. The cops in New Orleans also didn't have accents. And I don't think it was 20 years ago. It wasn't that old.

[jacq63]

They don't have 'the' southern accent, if you mean as in Scarlet O'Haha from Gone with the Wind. The typical accent from 'round NOLA sounded a little like Brooklyn NYC to me. It was hard to pinpoint, but I certainly didn't hear people saying "why yay-yes, ah would lurve if y'all would put down yer cayup for li'l ol' me"..okay I'm being silly.
They do say 'y'all' but without the draaawwwwl. Didn't hear anyone refer to anyone else as 'cher' either.

[alittlenerdy]

^^^
Right. The accent is not typical 'Southern'. It sounds like a Brooklyn or Boston accent that is dragged on or slowed down.

It reminds me of a Lafayette accent slightly, but there is no Cajun or country twist to it. It has more of an island or Italian twist- depending on the person and who they socialize with.


Sometimes people will leave out words, like: "You coming with me?" instead of "Are you coming with me?" and "I like Carrollton area." instead of "I like the Carrollton area."

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by alittlenerdy

^^^
Right. The accent is not typical 'Southern'. It sounds like a Brooklyn or Boston accent that is dragged on or slowed down.

It reminds me of a Lafayette accent slightly, but there is no Cajun or country twist to it. It has more of an island or Italian twist- depending on the person and who they socialize with.

Sometimes people will leave out words, like: "You coming with me?" instead of "Are you coming with me?" and "I like Carrollton area." instead of "I like the Carrollton area."

New Orleans received significant settlements of Italians and Irish in the 1800s. And so it's NOT a Memphis, Birmingham, Charleston, Jackson, etc, accent-wise. And nothing is more annoying than to have movies about New Orleans depicting its residents as having a Southern or Cajun accent - "N'Awlins" is neither.

...if you really want to get the heaviest of the New Orleans accent, talk to someone in the Westbank or in St Bernard Parish (Chalmette, Arabi - also known as "Da Parish")

[alittlenerdy]

Originally Posted by BRMan

...if you really want to get the heaviest of the New Orleans accent, talk to someone in the Westbank or in St Bernard Parish (Chalmette, Arabi - also known as "Da Parish")

Wouldn't those be Westbank and St. Bernard accents?

[tekboi]

I'm very glad you brought this up. There is this huge misconception that New Orleans natives talk with this heavy 'country' southern accent. I see it all the time in movies and it's just WRONG.

YES, we have an accent, but it's very unique it's not a southern accent, it's just our own and their really is nothing like it. If you took a brooklyn kids accent and you took a georgia boys accent and combined it in some weird way you would get ours. But not very "southern" at all.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by alittlenerdy

Wouldn't those be Westbank and St. Bernard accents?

I'm getting into dangerous territory here, since I'm 70 miles upriver But the Westbank/Da Parish accents are heavier "Yat" accents. The slightly less heavy accents are for those living in NO, "Kenna" (Kenner), or "Metry" (Metairie).

[jtur88]

The off-camera narrator of this feature has a classic New Orleans "radio announcer's" accent.


YouTube - A variety of New Orleans accents from YEAH YOU RITE!