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I would argue there is definitely variability within Rhode Island when it comes to accents. The South County drawl (which almost sounds like upper-crust English) is a stark contrast to the more blunt Cranston accent.
And then there are many in-between accents as well.
I would argue there is definitely variability within Rhode Island when it comes to accents. The South County drawl (which almost sounds like upper-crust English) is a stark contrast to the more blunt Cranston accent.
And then there are many in-between accents as well.
I don't know if anyone watches Big Brother, but last night they had a blip about the RI accent - one of the girls is from RI and another person was trying to get her to say water correctly. It was pretty funny.
Michelle does say "cah" right! Hee-hee, at least to me she does. How about the people who say "warter" or "Warshington"? There is no extra "r" in there!
I agree with whoever said us New Englanders have the "proper" accent. Took generations to get rid of the English twang so everyone else have offshoots from us!
Ah u kiddn?! Mos rhoe islandas know that thair ah 20 lettus in tha alphabe. I MEANT ALFA BET. An we use each an ever ree one um! Tha rest uh tha worl thinks that there ah 25, sum think there ah 26. Dats inglish of corse.
You guys are cracking me up, holly davidson, I can just hear it. Coming from South county, I guess we don't have much of an accent that I can tell, but try asking for jimmies in Virginia like I did when we first moved here way back when.
Having summered in Newport, RI since I was born and lived there year round after graduating from college ----(notice I did not say "graduating college" like most Rhode Islanders say-- which is INCORRECT ENGLISH. Think about it, the college did not graduate YOU did.)-----I also think the Rhode Island accent is unfortunate. It makes them sound dumb. Also it is challenging if you have kids that don't have an accent and they try to take a spelling test given by a teacher with a Rhode Island accent who slaughters the phonetics of each word she is testing the kids on. As a parent, you almost have to learn the accent yourself so you can prepare your child for how the teacher will most likely INCORRECTLY pronounce it.
My father had a Boston accent (which is similar to a Rhode Island accent) when he entered college and his fraternity brothers at MIT made him stand up every night and recite something until he got rid of his accent. He was happy to have done that.
I think at least half upper middle class Rhode Islanders, unless they are Neuveaux Riche don't have Rhode Island accents. many more of the middle and lower classes will.
I don't think class has anything to do with the Rhode Island accent, most people here are low class. To me, the accent does not sound like a Bostonian accent, it sounds stupid. For example, when a native says, "I'm sorry," they pronounce it I'm Saahry, if they pronounce the word "historic" they pronounce it "histaric". Coffee become courffeee. And anyone who lives in Coventry, pronounces it "Caahventry," It's hideous. In many cases Rhode Islanders actually sound more like there from Brooklyn. Arguably, with some words it may not even be considered an accent, but sheer laziness.
But, accents can be pretty bad in other parts of the country as well, like all these out of staters that insist on embracing that letter "R" like there's no tomorrow. If you listen to the British speak, they don't over-emphasize those "R's" the way they do in other parts of this country. The southern accent is the worst! "Y'all"--Oh, does that sound stupid! The Bostonians speak English closest to the way the British speak it---the way it was meant to be spoken.
Not faw nuthin, buuut... Rhode Island IS tiny, yet the dialects are not just four or five but many! When I lived in West Warwick back in the day, each village had a little different dialect. Arctic, Jericho, Crompton, Anthony, Phenix, Clyde, Natick, and so on. All in a town only a few miles across. Im from South County (which actually there is no South County, it's Washington Councty but no one ever says that), and have maw of a swampuh accent, when Im talking to my swampuh buddies from back in the day. There is the deep old providence accent "BottL", just watch "Caught in Providence" Local court TV, and listen to Judge Caprio for the classic prov accent.
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Hee-hee, at least to me she does. How about the people who say "warter" or "Warshington"? There is no extra "r" in there! 
Don't you know
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