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DC accent
Everyone I have ever come in contact with noticed how different people in DC talk.
I dont get what point this is trying to prove. How funny does one Bostonite sound to another? How "strange" does one person from Brooklyn sound to another?
So people from DC have an accent, I am sure I have one, but when I talk to people from DC I dont hear anything different -- SURPISE?? How does one Texan sound to another? By my accounts, normal, but to someone not from TX they may sound strange. I am from DC, so DC accents mean nothing to me, and do nothing for me. If anything, if I found someone trying to overcompensate and overpronounce words (that girl did a few times) that would look desperate and be a turnoff.
Also, again with the lack of character, a DC accent is nothing compared to someone from Brooklyn or Bronx, or KY, or N.O......coming back to the title of the thread, dont you think that proves that point just a little?
Reading these comments on this thread has taught me that I have truly assimilated a great part of who I am into the dominant culture of the US and my honest thoughts would offend so deeply that I cant express them. I've already said too much.
I dont get what point this is trying to prove. How funny does one Bostonite sound to another? How "strange" does one person from Brooklyn sound to another?
So people from DC have an accent, I am sure I have one, but when I talk to people from DC I dont hear anything different -- SURPISE?? How does one Texan sound to another? By my accounts, normal, but to someone not from TX they may sound strange. I am from DC, so DC accents mean nothing to me, and do nothing for me. If anything, if I found someone trying to overcompensate and overpronounce words (that girl did a few times) that would look desperate and be a turnoff.
Also, again with the lack of character, a DC accent is nothing compared to someone from Brooklyn or Bronx, or KY, or N.O......coming back to the title of the thread, dont you think that proves that point just a little?
Accents are caused by the shaping of the mouth and tongue when someone pronounces words. In New York, they alternate puckering their lips and rounding their mouth to get their accent for words that normally make the T silent etc. Like, I'm from Manhattan = Man.haa.en. In DC, they squeeze their lips tight the long way at the cracks like a fish to get their accent for their R's. Like, My area = Ur.ria. In North Carolina, they round their mouth to get their accent etc.
Until someone truly understands why people say words certain ways, they won't be able to understand the background for the area of study. Also, this is a social issue as well. Popularity has always been about race in this country through the media. When people nationwide learn about cities and culture, it's the white culture from those cities that is examined and highlighted through the media over the last 60 years. This has changed recently to more multicultural news like Atlanta with the southern hip hop culture. That is only excepted because everyone has embraced Hip Hop including white teens making it news worthy.
Most things people believe to be true about a particular city comes from the media. If a cities residents are mostly black without a national driving trend such as ATL and hip hop, the media is going to skip over them. The accents of Boston and New York are transracial since those cities have been mainly majority white cities. That is the reason people nationwide know about them. The white population in DC doesn't have an accent and this is mainly because DC's white population is white collar and highly educated. Accents are mainly used by blue collar uneducated people who have not learned how to pronounce words correctly. Now, yes, many people use their accent around friends but switch back in the professional world but the point still stands though.
Due to the makeup of DC's population, the media has always shown the White House, Capital, Monuments, or Georgetown. You know the reason for this so we don't even need to discuss it. It's all about perception. Now, I bet over the next 20 years, everyone is going to see other parts of DC now that the demographics have shifted.
Last edited by MDAllstar; 08-21-2011 at 01:16 PM..
DC has no character because it is tame and watered down compared to other cities. DC is a bleached and bland city filled with arrogant type As, and thats understandable because everyone practically works in the same industry (its partially true in NYC too as far as industry work making for sour and uninteresting people).
DC is also a small city with weak overall character. The monument does not compare to skyscrapers, and huge bridges located in other cities. DC also lacks things like people that lived in the same neighborhood for 30+ years with multiple generations in surrounding blocks. DC is too transient.
DC lacks a specific holiday -- even July 4th in NYC blows DC away (which is an insult). Has *anyone* spent Christmas in DC? During the holidays the city is like a scene out of I am Legend (#hits golfball off national monument). Too transient, too weak, and worst of all, the city is too tired. DC lacks a NYC State of Mind.
Its also disconnected from the rest of the nation. Its like that phrase the military folks here use, the General never has any problem with parking on the base. Everyone with degrees in business or law, and with a job making 80-100K...."what recession??"
Id love to hear a song of someone professing their love of the city. They would sing about go go music and chicken and mumbo sauce.
You come to DC to work for some government agency, or non profit. Pastimes here are sitting in traffic, and bragging about said job at some club or bar. Not a very fun city.
Oh also no billionaires or startup companies like other cities. DC ranks high with a TON of millionaires, but those are simply burnt out 20+ year government workers with TSP/401k plans that sway with the market.
DC has no startups? So I guess you've never heard of LivingSocial, Politico, or SB Nation?
Reading these comments on this thread has taught me that I have truly assimilated a great part of who I am into the dominant culture of the US and my honest thoughts would offend so deeply that I cant express them. I've already said too much.
No really what do you have to say. Inquiring minds want to know. You can't just keep saying "oh imma keep my mouth shut so that I don't want to offend anyone" out loud and not have it raise someone's eyebrow. That's like sitting in a room with 3 other people and saying "I have a problem with one of you but I don't wanna say who because I dont want to offend anyone". Oy.
DC has no startups? So I guess you've never heard of LivingSocial, Politico, or SB Nation?
...and those are of course just a handful of notable B2C companies. Northern Virginia is littered with lots of non-sexy internet and technology companies, especially those related to telecommunications, backbone technology and media. When it comes to internet technology and VC cash, I'd say the DC area has been vying with Austin, Boston and Seattle for 2nd place for the last 2o years.
I dont get what point this is trying to prove. How funny does one Bostonite sound to another? How "strange" does one person from Brooklyn sound to another?
So people from DC have an accent, I am sure I have one, but when I talk to people from DC I dont hear anything different -- SURPISE?? How does one Texan sound to another? By my accounts, normal, but to someone not from TX they may sound strange. I am from DC, so DC accents mean nothing to me, and do nothing for me. If anything, if I found someone trying to overcompensate and overpronounce words (that girl did a few times) that would look desperate and be a turnoff.
Also, again with the lack of character, a DC accent is nothing compared to someone from Brooklyn or Bronx, or KY, or N.O......coming back to the title of the thread, dont you think that proves that point just a little?
You sound very uneducated. I went to school in Louisiana and all of the New Orleans kids could pick all of the DC kids a part by our accents. The reason you don't hear your accent is because you have never lived anywhere else as you have admitted. Go some place and live for a few years and then come back and talk to us.
Another aspect of this that you fail to recognize is that places like NYC and Boston are defined by Italians and Irish. From their accents, traditions, food, etc. DC is mainly defined AA culture. If you don't think DC has an accent, listen to Martin Lawrence, Michael Ealy, Brian Westbrook and Kevin Durant. They sound very similar in how they pronounce certain words.
I want to comment honestly but again dont want to disrespect. So Im just gonna say, OK. And go on my merry way.
I think he was just showing you a clip from a movie where the actress (who is from DC) was using her accent very heavily albeit very ghetto.
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