Is Cincinnati the South? (Columbus, Kent: transplants, design, baptist)

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Just curious. I don't think the accent of the majority in Cincinnati is southern. Midwestern really.

Not sure why you are digging up a thread that is many years old though.

Someone from the Pittsburgh forum linked to it. Anyway you replied so you're in essence helping revive the thread.

[WILWRadio]

Neither for or against it. Just wondered why this thread was suddenly revived.

[Coseau]

A true Cincinnati accent spoken by an old timer would not sound out of place on the east coast. The non rhoticity of a true Cincinnati dialect especially stands out in that when I hear the speech of some old timers from here I ask them are they originally from Cincinnati just to make sure they're not some transplant from the east coast.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Coseau

A true Cincinnati accent spoken by an old timer would not sound out of place on the east coast. The non rhoticity of a true Cincinnati dialect especially stands out in that when I hear the speech of some old timers from here I ask them are they originally from Cincinnati just to make sure they're not some transplant from the east coast.

I remember we had a couple of people from the Cincinnati area in my high school in CT. Until they told me where they were from I simply thought they were from another part of the state. I had a friend from KY also at that time and it was obvious he had a bit of a southern accent.

[Renownedtheworldaround]

Being a southerner, I'm very inclined to say no but I'll ask these anecdotal questions anyway:

How much snow does it take to cancel school?

Is sweet tea readily available in Cincinnati? Many/Most restaurants should carry it if it were truly southern in culture.

What about RC, Cheerwine, or Duke's Mayonnaise?

Are BBQs and cookouts the same thing? What about 'Pig Pickins'

Is Waffle House a common sight?

Do you see Baptist Churches frequently?

Are summers there Hot & Humid?

How often do you hear these terms:
'Bless your Heart'
'Fixin' (both as a term for sides, and as a replacement for I'm going to)
'If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"
Using the word buggy to refer to a shopping cart.

[cincydave8]

Cincinnati is not the south. Next question.

[mimi in cinci]

Originally Posted by Renownedtheworldaround

Being a southerner, I'm very inclined to say no but I'll ask these anecdotal questions anyway:

How much snow does it take to cancel school?

Depends, usually we cancel for ice or if it will snow during drop off or pick up.

Is sweet tea readily available in Cincinnati? Many/Most restaurants should carry it if it were truly southern in culture.

Sadly, there's not much sweet tea.

What about RC, Cheerwine, or Duke's Mayonnaise?
Yes, RC and Dukes (thank goodness) but no Cheerwine thatI've ever seen.

Are BBQs and cookouts the same thing? What about 'Pig Pickins'
Not the same to me.... I will be annoyed if you invite me to a BBQ and only have burgers & hotdogs! No Pig Pickin' that I know of.

Is Waffle House a common sight?
We have them but they aren't that common.

Do you see Baptist Churches frequently?
Yes but not with the same ferocity as the South.

Are summers there Hot & Humid?
OMG, melting.

How often do you hear these terms:
'Bless your Heart'
Sometimes, hopefully never directed my way!

'Fixin' (both as a term for sides, and as a replacement for I'm going to)
Usually combines with "round to it"

'If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"
Way too often!

Using the word buggy to refer to a shopping cart.

Never- that's really Southern.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by Renownedtheworldaround

Being a southerner, I'm very inclined to say no but I'll ask these anecdotal questions anyway:

How much snow does it take to cancel school?

The same as in the Mid Atlantic

Is sweet tea readily available in Cincinnati? Many/Most restaurants should carry it if it were truly southern in culture.

Some carry it. Some do not.

What about RC, Cheerwine, or Duke's Mayonnaise?

Is RC Royal Crown? Because they have that up in Chicago. Cheerwine is sometimes available. But I think you have to cross into Kentucky for that one. Never heard of Duke's.

Are BBQs and cookouts the same thing? What about 'Pig Pickins'

People don't really use the terms "cookout" or "big pickins" here

Is Waffle House a common sight?

About as common as Indiana

Do you see Baptist Churches frequently?

As frequently as Catholic ones. And Baptist culture isn't dominant.


Are summers there Hot & Humid?

Yes. And winters are brutally cold with temps sometimes dipping to the negatives. Midwestern extremes as opposed to a more overall mild yearly climate. Even the snowfall difference between here and other Southern cities is marked. The only two "Southern" cities with similar snowfall are Baltimore and DC and their winters aren't as cold.

Cincinnati has a climate most similar to Philadelphia.

How often do you hear these terms:
'Bless your Heart'
'Fixin' (both as a term for sides, and as a replacement for I'm going to)
'If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"
Using the word buggy to refer to a shopping cart.

Rarely do these terms get used here. In the Miami Valley (north of the city and south of Dayton) some do use 'Bless your heart' and they have ties to Kentucky and West Virginia usually. People with roots here don't talk like that at all.

So as you can see, I would say Cincinnati is culturally what it is geographically: a Lower Midwest city

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by Coseau

A true Cincinnati accent spoken by an old timer would not sound out of place on the east coast. The non rhoticity of a true Cincinnati dialect especially stands out in that when I hear the speech of some old timers from here I ask them are they originally from Cincinnati just to make sure they're not some transplant from the east coast.

I didn't ever meet anyone here who spoke non rhotically. However the native accent here is reminiscent of speech from New York to Philly. Cincinnati shares a "split short A" system with these two cities. So a word like "gas" would have a tensed short A (raised quality where it sound like "geeas") and the word "gap" would have a "lax short A" and would share the same vowel quality as the rest of the US. Cincinnati is the only city of the interior to use this. The other is New Orleans and their accent sounds NYC like as well

[Rangerred]

While not southern, Cincinnati does have a significant Appalachian component which is no surprise given the historical migration patterns to the city. Also, Clermont County is an ARC-designated Appalachian county so Appalachia is literally on the city's doorstep. I think if people bring up Cincinnati and "southern" they are really thinking "appalachian" and Appalachian≠Southern.