Anyone know any born'n'bred Ohioans with a very strong Southern accent? (Cleveland: live in, centers)

[ChevyC215]

Im one of those people. But when I was learning how to talk I was stay with my family in deep south Georgia.

[Giesela]

Transplant to Dayton, I sure here a southern accent here a lot, I wouldn't characterize it as strong but noticeable. The few that I've asked about it are from here.
I definately notice a southern or appalachian thread drifting around here.

[1watertiger]

when i visited st. clairsville oh. the people used the term "yins" instead of "you guys".

[HuskerDu]

You will find an extremely guttural (many say trashy) variant of the southern accent in just about any Ohio city where manufacturing has been prevalent during the past century. Unemployed masses continuously migrated north from West Virginia and Kentucky to find low wage factory jobs during this time. Once the need for their services disappeared (for instance, they don't make steel bumpers for cars any longer) many families fell into poverty and now the second and third generations mostly continue that cycle. In large urban centers of Ohio, the most recent generations have adapted their own interpretation of African American-speak due to proximity and constant low-end media exposure (Jerry Springer, Rikki Lake etc.) which creates a linguistic nightmare or dream depending on who you ask in this particular field of study.

[canudigit]

Yes!!! My husband's entire family is from Gallia County, down by Gallipolis, and they all have a Southern accent. I love to hear them talk! And some of those expressions: "Crooked as a dog's hind leg", "You'd worry a brass monkey to pieces", "She's as dumb as four o'clock", "ugly as a mud fence"...lol.

[truemuck]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

when i visited st. clairsville oh. the people used the term "yins" instead of "you guys".

Yinz is a Pittsburgh word. You're really close to the 'Burgh down there. The Pittsburgh accent is way different than a Southern accent and a Cleveland accent. Another feature of that accent is that people pronounce their O's like AU's. So, Mom comes out more like Maum.

[aquila]

I don't necessarily have a southern "accent", per se, in my normal everyday voice. But my mom has a bit of a southern twinge to her voice, and my dad was born in Kentucky. My grandmother was also from Kentucky, but neither of them actually has ("had" in the case of my grandmother) a southern accent. It's hard to describe. It was more Appalachian with her than anything. I do have a bit of a southern "drawl" in my voice that slips out once in a while. For example, my mom's husband is named Dave and one day in ordinary conversation I referred to them as "Mum an' Dive". It just slipped out. Not sure why because it's not my usual dialect.

[EarthBound?]

One of the guys in my old Naval Reserve unit was from Portsmith, Ohio and you would swear he was from the Carolinas.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Yes!!! My husband's entire family is from Gallia County, down by Gallipolis, and they all have a Southern accent. I love to hear them talk! And some of those expressions: "Crooked as a dog's hind leg", "You'd worry a brass monkey to pieces", "She's as dumb as four o'clock", "ugly as a mud fence"...lol.

I don't get the middle two sayings

[Trimac20]

Yes, it seems there is certainly a southern element in some parts of Ohio, a state that borders Canada.