Boston at the personal level

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Ohio has some of the most varied accents from one place to another within the state in the whole USA. i think it'd be very difficult for non-Ohioans and even a lot of native Ohioans to tell when someone is from Ohio if it's not the same area that they grew up in.

Dissecting Ohio

Flat accent isn't really a "midwestern" thing, depending on how you define "midwest." Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland have a pretty nasal sound, think people like Dennis Kucinich, Michael Moore, Chris Farley etc. That's very different from what you hear in Columbus or Indianapolis, which I think is what you mean by "flat." Rural areas around Columbus even don't sound like that. They have a bit of a twang. As does Cincinnati, albeit not the same kind of twang (more Kentucky influence). Minneapolis and Minnesota in general take the Cleveland-Detroit-Chicago kind of accent and amp it up even a little more. Parts of Missouri sound a bit southern to me as well.

I don't know what "midwest" would mean culturally either, when the comparison to the South Shore is made. That people from there tend to stay there? I'm not sure that's true anyway.

I realize all that now, but you could say I was fairly sheltered then. LOL.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by MrLinderman

So I guess the accent is limited to Southie, Quincy, Weymouth and maybe Braintree?

Those areas have a lot of OFD's (Originally From Dorchester). Not surprising to hear the accent.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Those areas have a lot of OFD's (Originally From Dorchester). Not surprising to hear the accent.

and so does Holbrook, Abington, Whitman, etc.

North shore is similar. Many in Peabody, Revere, Saugus originally from East Boston.

Probably why MetroWest has less of an accent, there was less of that migration from the city.

[MassVt]

Bjimmy has the Midwestern accent scene down pretty well. It veers from a southern twinge in southern Illinois and Indiana to a Fargo-esc tone starting in northwestern WI, and continuing into Minnesota and the Dakotas. In between, fairly standard English in central IL, Iowa and Nebraska..

[vtecluder617]

Originally Posted by Nobodybody

I agree. Is this because the South Shore is more 'blue-collar' than most other areas, and the people tend to stick to the towns they grew up in, as opposed to other parts of MA that are more transient? Seems like South Shore area is more 'closed off' to the rest of the Boston area, and so not as much diversification/turnover/etc. occurs. Maybe this leads to people being more likely to have two parents from the area who have the accents, thereby having it themselves?

I don't necessarily think its just a South Shore thing. I mean, some towns north of Boston have a fair share of blue collar areas, with multi-generational residents. Billerica is a great example. I know some local guys my age from there that have some pretty thick accents too

[stanley-88888888]

i am in fallout 4 now. its overwhelming but it got the local character/culture down pretty good.
(history, sports, education, science/technology, ...)

university square feels like harvard square.
the institute feels like m.i.t.


they got somerville wrong (they put it south of the charles and its much too rural).
however corvega assembly plant is located near cambridge adjacent to an elevated interstate (assembly row was a gm plant at one point -- though unsure if they made corvettes there).

the putrid green overpass highways remind me of pre-big-dig i-93.
they used the old scollay square combat zone instead of the recent chinatown incarnation.