Philly accent or not? Villanova tour on YouTube. (Philadelphia, California: house, schools)

[robertpolyglot]

I get a kick out of listening to this lady talk as she's showing folks around Villanova Univ. She's a hoot. She doesn't sound too Philly to me, or am I wrong? Sounds very, very close to NYC to me.

Locals, chime in on the geographic origins of this lady's interesting accent!


Villanova University Campus Tour - YouTube

[BTA88]

Sounds like someone who originally grew up in Staten Island and moved to Philly a long time ago.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by BTA88

Sounds like someone who originally grew up in Staten Island and moved to Philly a long time ago.

Thanks for the response. I think she's hilarious. Still, wouldn't it morph over to a Philly accent? I have an acquaintance who went to Villanova Univ, born and bred in the suburbs west of Philadelphia, and his accent is NOTHING like that. It's a Northeastern accent, that's for sure, but nothing like that.

[maf763]

Considering the demographics of Villanova, it wouldn't be surprising if she was from the NY area.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by maf763

Considering the demographics of Villanova, it wouldn't be surprising if she was from the NY area.

Actually, I don't think she is/was a student. If you look at the videos she's uploaded, she has done several on different schools in the Philly area, and in the Northeast.

But I think you're right. She sounds like she comes from within a 25 miles radius, or less, of midtown Manhattan. I'm a Westerner with lots of family roots in NJ, barely outside NYC, and she sounds like many people in Bergen County NJ, immediately across the GW from Manhattan.

[BTA88]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Thanks for the response. I think she's hilarious. Still, wouldn't it morph over to a Philly accent? I have an acquaintance who went to Villanova Univ, born and bred in the suburbs west of Philadelphia, and his accent is NOTHING like that. It's a Northeastern accent, that's for sure, but nothing like that.

A little bit. People who grow up in one area then spend an extended time in another tend to have a mixture of accents. That's why I qualified it with saying she probably moved here long ago. She certainly doesn't sound like she left Staten Island last week.

[bryson662001]

I don't really hear much of an accent except that it isn't Philly or New England or Chicago or southern or California or northwestern. Just a generic suburban northeast accent. I would love to hear the OP's accent to know why they are amused by this one.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

I would love to hear the OP's accent to know why they are amused by this one.

First, I never put it down. I grew up in LA. We're Italian. Half of my Mom's friends who stomped through our house sound(ed) like her, so it's "Memory Lane" for me.

My accent: standard West Coast/CA "broadcast English" with NO SoCal/surfer/dude inflections. Pretty basic stuff.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Thanks for the response. I think she's hilarious. Still, wouldn't it morph over to a Philly accent? I have an acquaintance who went to Villanova Univ, born and bred in the suburbs west of Philadelphia, and his accent is NOTHING like that. It's a Northeastern accent, that's for sure, but nothing like that.

Considering that a LOT of people who were born and raised in Philly don't have "the Philly accent", it's not a given that it would necessarily rub off on her.

[Avalon08]

I didn't listen to the entire thing, but her pronunciation of "basketball" is a tip-off she's not from Philly.

She does sound nasal, though, so there's some type of accent going on. It sounds vaguely NY but not as strong -- maybe North Jersey?