Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was born and raised in northern Rhode Island. However, unlike many others who were born and raised in northern Rhode Island; I do not speak with a Rhode Island accent whatsoever. In fact, when I inform people from other states who are familiar with the local accent/dialect of R.I. that I'm originally from R.I., they usually respond by saying something along the lines of, "Really?! I would have never guessed! You don't sound like you're from Rhode Island at all!" That being said, what is the actual extent of the R.I. accent in the State of R.I.? I've noticed that many people who live in Washington County and Newport County, whether they are transplants or they were born and raised in those counties, do not speak with an R.I. accent. Does the accent just loose ground there because there's far more transplants residing in those counties versus the more northerly counties in the state? Do people who live in the westernmost and northwestern-most towns in the state speak with an R.I. accent?
Also, it should be noted that many residents of the towns of East Greenwich and Barrington; which are located in Kent County and Bristol County respectively; do not speak with the popularized R.I. accent.
Last edited by WhatUpFLA; 04-07-2011 at 03:51 PM..
It doesn't matter where you live in the state, I have heard accents in Newport that are as strong as in Pawtucket. It depends more on whether your friends and family growing up had accents, so their mobility had something to do with it, sure- as more people from other areas move in the accents fade away.
I have a Rhode island accent but it has gone away in certain words because of the military. My whole family has it.. well some if my cousins don't but we all grew up in westerly so I guess some do some don't. ..
That's interesting. Even though I'm from Rhode Island, I've never met anyone who was born and raised in Westerly. I think that Westerly is the only municipality in Rhode Island that does not belong to the Providence-New Bedford-Fall River metropolitan area. Also, Westerly is more culturally and economically tied to New London, Connecticut, especially since it's part of the New London-Groton New England City-Town Area (NECTA). Based on that information, one would assume that those who grew up in Westerly are the least likely of all Rhode Islanders to speak with a Rhode Island accent.
I would say there are multiple accents in Rhode Island. I have met some people from South County who sound almost uppercrust English.
That's a shocker for South County
I grew up in Northern RI and it was hit or miss, but I definitely heard many thick ones in my time. I never had it myself, which I attributed to my parents growing up in different parts of country. Living out west now, I always hear that I 'dont sound like' I'm from the east coast either. Though every now and then I'll pronounce a word 'funny' and get called on it. However, someone needs to tell the poor folks here that that soda crap ain't called 'pop'.
The strongest accents are found in Cranston, Johnston, Warwick, the Providences, and Pawtucket.
Sadly,this qauint accent does make someone sound a few IQ points lower than they deserve credit for.I think some elected officials keep it in pocket,to deploy at public events,to sound more "man of the people".
I have found that it is most prevelant and strongest in people from northern Rhode Island especially Providence, Pawtucket and Lincoln I have noticed it a lot, but you also hear it in Newport and elsewhere in the state.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.