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While that is true, there are many variations in the accents of blacks from different areas of the country aside from the east coast. I didn't find this out until I went away to college and met other blacks from places like KC, Stl, and Cali. Each and everyone of them have their own accent and you can identify where they are from through the accents. I never realized that blacks from Chicago had a certain way of talking until I came home Christmas break and listened to people here talk after being at school for sometime and I was quite surprised at what I heard. Detroit and Chicago are two examples of varying accents among blacks. In Detroit they pronounce words like dog and coffee like "dowg" and "cowffee", and they pronounce their "r's" in contrast to words spoken in Chicago like "here" which is pronounced "heaa". Just to be honest even blacks down south speak differently among each other. Blacks in Atl sound nothing like the ones in Houstan. There are extremely identifiable accents as far as Chicago is concerned..blacks or whites
That's interesting, something I've never noticed. Among the general population, Detroiters and Chicagoans sound very similar, with the general Midwest accent. Atlanta and Houston is interesting too - everyone I've met from those areas sound exactly the same - very, very southern.
Take the work bike for example, most people I know say it in a way where it rhymes with mike, ike, sike, etc...but I do know some who make it sound like back,rack, fact, etc. Take also the word course, I make it rhyme with horse and force but I do know some who say it like cose and make it rhyme with bose and toes.
That's interesting, something I've never noticed. Among the general population, Detroiters and Chicagoans sound very similar, with the general Midwest accent. Atlanta and Houston is interesting too - everyone I've met from those areas sound exactly the same - very, very southern.
Pretty interesting observation.
I live here, and I actually haven't heard a Southern accent in person in a month or so.
Agreed. There really isn't an accent in CT. People here speak like the newscasters.
I would disagree. As someone who was raised in Southern Litchfield County and moved away, I hear a distinct NY style accent in the Fairfield County area. I never thought there was much of an accent there until I moved away. It might be just subtle enough that you don't hear it when you're living with it, but it stands out to me now that I've lived in Colorado for 5 years.
That's interesting, something I've never noticed. Among the general population, Detroiters and Chicagoans sound very similar, with the general Midwest accent. Atlanta and Houston is interesting too - everyone I've met from those areas sound exactly the same - very, very southern.
Yeah its true lol...because blacks from detroit and chicago sound nothing alike. Now maybe the whites will but as far as blacks are concerned its like night and day. Another example would be California for instance. Blacks out there will pronounce party as "porrtty" and car as "coore" and Cali as "kahlee" almost like kelly but with an ah replacing the e. Its easily noticable
Yeah its true lol...because blacks from detroit and chicago sound nothing alike. Now maybe the whites will but as far as blacks are concerned its like night and day. Another example would be California for instance. Blacks out there will pronounce party as "porrtty" and car as "coore" and Cali as "kahlee" almost like kelly but with an ah replacing the e. Its easily noticable
Non-blacks from California speak like that as well. I notice it in all Californians, short "a's" turn into an "ah" sound i.e. apple=opple; and short "o's" turn into "au," i.e., "box" becoming "baux." It's a general feature of Western speech.
Also, it's important to know that not ALL blacks speak differently than whites. Many (myself included) speak in the local regional variety common to whites, asians, etc. I've found that the "black accent" is based more on socioeconomic status than race. Very few middle class or wealthy black Americans "sound black," and you're more likely to find a white person from Detroit speaking that way than a black person from Novi.
I would disagree. As someone who was raised in Southern Litchfield County and moved away, I hear a distinct NY style accent in the Fairfield County area. I never thought there was much of an accent there until I moved away. It might be just subtle enough that you don't hear it when you're living with it, but it stands out to me now that I've lived in Colorado for 5 years.
You never hear your own accent. Believe me, there is DEFINITELY an accent in Connecticut - to me it sounds just like NYC, mixed with a little Boston.
You never hear your own accent. Believe me, there is DEFINITELY an accent in Connecticut - to me it sounds just like NYC, mixed with a little Boston.
Yes, there is! I lived in Los Angeles for a year and people were pointing out what I had a New England accent. And I was like, "what?"
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