Our accents. (Norfolk, Richmond, Danville: neighborhoods, college, living in)

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by richmondpics

I put the two (vasinger and monumentfloyd) together a day or two ago. What a bizarre individual. Isn't there a rule against multiple accounts per user?

Yeah, I knew they were one in the same as well almost right after he started posting. I was just waiting to see how long he could pull it off before he slipped up.

There is indeed a rule about multiple accounts. I'm not sure if it's a ban-worthy offense or one that warrants just a warning however, but I guess that's in the moderators' hands now.

[DavidS827]

I grew up in NOVA and never even knew I had an accent (southern) until some friends pointed it out in college. The crazy thing was that they were all from Boston, NY/NJ and Chicago and they were the ones telling me I had accent! Something elsed I noticed is that almost all of my friends that went to Tech developed a pretty strong southern accent and the ones that went to Mason, or another local college didn't. I think it's definitely true that you pick up the accent of the region you're in.

[Stonecoldharbours]

I agree, I have picked up a rather strong southern accent but I still have my pgh accent and somehow, I had developed a boston accent as well, when I was growing up in pgh, so I have three actually and pghers can always spot me out a mile away! I can also talk flat and not have one at all, if I try hard enough, and that I do if I think the siutation warrants it, but usually I never have too! I love my southern accent, I hope I always have it!

[DecayingAngel]

I just happened to find this thread and am intrigued by language, dialects etc. There are some interesting points here. The key of course is not accent, per se, but the proper use of the language itself. And language is constantly evolving. Years ago "ain't" was not acceptable; now, it is used on a daily basis. Same for "Y'all", which IMO has officially become part of the language.

Interesting remarks about Shakespeare. In his time, his plays would have been spoken with an accent that had much more in common with today's "Cockney" then it would with the official, regulation English accent (yes, there is one in England and all actors have to learn to speak in it). Times have changed both the accent and the language, but that only means that it is a tool which adapts as needed.

I love to listen to people who have lived in at least two different areas for a large part of their lives. Their accents are so interesting--a mix of different sounds that are unique to that individual. That's why it's so much fun, and important too, to meet people from diverse backgrounds.

In speaking on the phone with folks in Virginia, there are quite a few different accents reflecting, I suppose, an influx of people from many different states. It's often fun to play "guess the accent"!

[DavidS827]

Originally Posted by PghPaNative

...pghers can always spot me out a mile away!

My family is originally from PA (Johnstown/Altoona) and my wife's is from Butler, so we can always tell if someone is from "up err"

[DecayingAngel]

With all this discussion about regional accents, ever notice that most TV broadcasters sound almost alike? That is because, as in Britain, they must learn what is called "American English". In other words, it's a standardized accent. It's not really an accent from anywhere, but very flat (IMO), clear and without local expressions.

Those interested to hear various regional accents might want to take a look at dialogue coach Paul Meier's website and the project down at the University of Kansas English Archives. You can click on the various accents to hear what they sound like from around the country. It's quite fun--pick your state and listen to the samples: (I didn't have to save them to my hard drive as it states; I have QuickTime and the samples just start to play when I click on them)

http://web.ku.edu/idea/northamerica/usa/usa.htm

It is amazing how differently people from the same state can sound. Here in South Jersey we don't sound anything like people from the northern part of the state. To me, they sound more like New Yorkers. Guess that's because borders are really artifical. An accent doesn't stop when one crosses the state line!

[aperez]

Yes I've noticed that we are losing our accents. I'm from the Piedmont in NC That's why I logged on. Accents make people interesting. It's really a shame. I had dinner tonite with my inlaws who are NY Peutro Ricans. My brother in law was grousing about the "Jerry Springer" types that live in subsidized housing where he does maintenance. He got very upset because someone called him a Mexican. He has a thick inner city accent laced with Spanish. He said, "well I hope I never talk like people here." and his wife, my husband's sister, pointed out that I'd lived here all my life, but I wasn't offended just fastenated by the conversation. He looked really surprised and said "you were born here, really?" So I guess I've lost my accent. I didn't know my husband was Peutro Rican--becaused he is really fair, or that he wasn't from here either until our first tell all date. He lost his accent when he left NY at 13 with his sister who joined the Air Force. The VA accent is beautiful. It sounds almost British. I have relatives from Petersburg (Petasbugh) Do you think it's TV? My 2 year old is learning to talk and we are Harry Potter fans, and she asks to watch it by saying "wheae's 'arry?" She picked up the accent from the DVD.

[irvine]

All the variations of the Virginia Peidmont Dialect (largely refers to the native white and sometimes rural black populations) are definitely loosing strength, especially as the metropolitan areas encroach on the more rural parts of the state.

One of many Southern dialects, the Va Piedmont Dialect is spoken from Maryland south to the northern prts of North Carolina. Especially in parts of Virginia, DC, and Maryland it is characterized by the unique pronunciation of the /ou/ dipthong in words like house, about, etc.; the final /r/ is often dropped as in river; and /r/ is inserted whithin words like Washington which becomes /Warshintn/.

A generation back (those born in the early to mid 1900s) it was still very strong even among native speakers in urban areas like Washington, DC (esp in Georgetown), Prince Georges/Montgomery Counties, and Richmond. So yes, there is/was an accent unique to Washington. Traces of it can still be heard even among some younger people. Pat Buchanan, for example, has traces of the dialect when he speaks. Today for the most part, the Piedmont dialect where it is still spoken among younger generations is a diluted version that resembles "American Southern" without the local idiosyncracies. But, there are exceptions. Even in highly urbanized areas of Arlington, for example, it was spoken in some form by a small minority where I went to high school a few years ago.

But, its days are doomed. Especially as more people from other parts of the US move into Virginia and Maryland. Yet other local Southern dialects like those spoken in Baltimore city, and that of Tangier Island seem to linger.

[Pigeonracer]

Originally Posted by vasinger

Have you ever noticed that we're losing it?

It doesn't matter whether its Tidewater, or Shenandoah Valley. Virginians don't sound the same today.

Listen to older people from Richmond or Norfolk, or other parts of the state. They sound terribly different than most young people in Virginia do.

I know some older people from Northern Virginia who actually sound like Virginians ! Thats the way people in Northern Virginia used to sound anyway.

I wonder if in the coming years with all the immigration we're having, that our distinctive Virginia accents will be Gone With The Wind.

Come to Danville, you'll wonder if you're in Alabama or Kentucky.

[vasinger]

Originally Posted by aperez

Yes I've noticed that we are losing our accents. I'm from the Piedmont in NC That's why I logged on. Accents make people interesting. It's really a shame. I had dinner tonite with my inlaws who are NY Peutro Ricans. My brother in law was grousing about the "Jerry Springer" types that live in subsidized housing where he does maintenance. He got very upset because someone called him a Mexican. He has a thick inner city accent laced with Spanish. He said, "well I hope I never talk like people here." and his wife, my husband's sister, pointed out that I'd lived here all my life, but I wasn't offended just fastenated by the conversation. He looked really surprised and said "you were born here, really?" So I guess I've lost my accent. I didn't know my husband was Peutro Rican--becaused he is really fair, or that he wasn't from here either until our first tell all date. He lost his accent when he left NY at 13 with his sister who joined the Air Force. The VA accent is beautiful. It sounds almost British. I have relatives from Petersburg (Petasbugh) Do you think it's TV? My 2 year old is learning to talk and we are Harry Potter fans, and she asks to watch it by saying "wheae's 'arry?" She picked up the accent from the DVD.

Your point about the Virginia accent sounding British reminds me of something because I am from Virginia. A year or so ago, I worked for a political poll calling place. We could call all across the country asking people who they would vote for in their states mid-term elections and other political questions. When I would call places in the midwest, I remember on a few occassions someone saying "whos that British guy calling us?".

That was funny. But most all other times people recognized me as Southern, especially the Californians and the people from New England areas.

I noticed that people in Charleston, South Carolina speak right similar to Richmond and Tidewater Virginia. And I've heard that a lot of older Charlestonians get mistaken for Scots or Brits often.

I think I read that the Coastal Southern areas were highly influenced by Elizabethean English as well as upper crust English from 18th Century London.

I think TV has something to do with it. But moreover, its because people travel so much these days that the native dialects in places are becoming homogenized with people from all across the country. Northern Virginia is a prime example of this. I know some natives of Northern Virginia who are often asked if they are from the "Deep South" by the many transplants that moved into their neighborhood.