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I think that rather than saying that blacks sound "Southern" (note that we aren't talking about those with immigrant roots) it might be better to say that AAs have retentions of Southern originating speech patterns. Also to suggest that even within the South, there are differences, racial and regional. Texans don't sound like Georgians. In fact even WITHIN Texas there are different accents (let us just assume that Texas is Southern, as most black Texans come from the parts of that state that are considered "Dixie").
Given that blacks in LA, Chicago and Philly originate from different parts of the South, that might also be a partial explanation for the difference.
But there are definitely aspects that have southern influences, like "y'all", "mah" for my, "bettuh" for better (whites will say betterrrrrrrrrr). But a black from NYC will also say "cawfee" for coffee and "doah" for door.
I will also add that there is a sharp drop in these Southern retentions among the millennial generation, especially those with tertiary level education.
As usual life is a continuum of greys, and not black or white. But just as how there are some commonalities in speech patterns that will lead some one to be told that they have an "American" accent, there are also some commonalities in tone, accent etc., that will lead some one to suspect that the speaker is black.
As a general rule of thumb, I'd say this is absolutely true, but it would be naive for anyone to suggest that they would always be able to tell the difference between the two.
As you know, an accent is not something that is defined solely by where you live or grew up. People travel and they may have varying influences from other places. You can gather 50 people all raised in the same neighborhood and I guarantee you they won't all sound exactly the same.
So I think it is definitely possible to mistake a Texan accent for a Georgian one or vice versa; especially in the military communities of both states.
For example, in the north, you hear a lot less twangy sounds and as you go further south you hear more drawls. this applies to people of every race. Like, in the Upper South white people don't sound as drawled out as people in the Deep South.
That's false. I have heard thicker drawls in Tennesse and North Carolina than I have heard in my region ( Alabama - Mississippi Gulf Coast / Pensacola area). The accent stand out so much that I automatically know they are not from this area.
That's false. I have heard thicker drawls in Tennesse and North Carolina than I have heard in my region ( Alabama - Mississippi Gulf Coast / Pensacola area). The accent stand out so much that I automatically know they are not from this area.
I was of the impression that the twang was the Scots Irish influence, which suggests that the Appalachian areas would reflect this more than areas closer to the coast. So you have a point.
My brother in Texas suggests that people from Houston lack the stereotypical accent that non southerners will connect with Texas.
I will suggest that the 3 main influences in Southern speech patterns will be the Scots/Irish, AAs, and what they called "Plantation English" which was believed derived from those with English backgrounds. This might impact on the varieties that one can detect in different parts of the South.
Clearly the degree to which a region has attracted migrants from other parts of the USA does impact.
Black New York accents sound southern. They say "yall" and have glide deletions too. Time = Tahm, My = mah etc. For example, Method Man's black New York accent is strong but still sounds southern "dollar dollar bill yalllllllllll". Nas too.
That's false. I have heard thicker drawls in Tennesse and North Carolina than I have heard in my region ( Alabama - Mississippi Gulf Coast / Pensacola area). The accent stand out so much that I automatically know they are not from this area.
Well idk if I would consider North Carolina or TN the Upper South. Was moreso referring to Virginia or Kentucky.
But accents get more DRAWLS further South whereas I always thought a twang was a certain way of enunciating words. Drawl on the other hand seems to me is drawing out the vowels (hence drawl) as in giving them extra sounds. Like "cat" becomes "cayat" or something along those lines. Whereas a twang would be something like saying "p'tayda" for "potato" or "Balmer" for "Baltimore". I think Baltimoreans (White ones) sound twangy but they don't really have drawls thus don't sound "truly Southern". Now the Blacks there have more of a slight drawl in words like "do" where it sounds like "dieu". That's moreso what I meant by Upper South twang vs Deep South drawl. But I'm a Northerner so I don't really know what the exact meanings are, just showing you what I personally meant.
Black New York accents sound southern. They say "yall" and have glide deletions too. Time = Tahm, My = mah etc. For example, Method Man's black New York accent is strong but still sounds southern "dollar dollar bill yalllllllllll". Nas too.
Yeah, for those saying Blacks in the Northeast in cities like Philly or NYC have no Southernisms, they haven't listened closely enough. BUT, NYC is a special case wherein a HUGE Black component there isn't Southern but West Indian.
Even in Chicago where OP is from, the Blaccent isn't fully Southern. They say their "o" sounds like Northerners, and many of the younger generation is rhotic or at least partially rhotic. Black Chicagoans will still say their vowels flat in words like "and" and "pop" and maintain glide deletion in words like "time" or "my". It's a combo accent that isn't fully Southern. Older Blacks in Chicago above 50 though sound super Southern, with strong glide deletion, non-rhoticity, and the "drawl" where every short vowel becomes a triphthong.
With time, the Chicago Blaccent has lost a lot of its Southern character. Those born after 2000 have fewer traces of it.
Oh yeah, all the time. Ebonics can actually be spoken in any accent. Ali G shows us this very well.
Now, we must be careful not to confuse AAVE as an accent. It has a lot of Southern traits due to the African slaves of the South, but you could theoretically use a non-Southern accent to speak it.
When I've gone to Louisville, many Blacks there speak Southern but some you will never hear AAVE come out of their mouth whatsoever. In Detroit, I've met Blacks who use AAVE but with Northern accents.
I always hear a little southern hint in the Philly accent. When I tell people this, they think I'm crazy. lol
Midland dialects have that "Middle America" sound that can fit in anywhere. It can sound Southern like "my car is on fire" (mah cawr is awn farr) or Northern "let's get coffee tonight" (let's get cawfee tanuit).
Let's not forget that glide deletion IS part of the Philly accent. Also, the "o" sound that those with hardcore Philly accents have can sound Southern as hell, too. It's when Philly people don't use the "o" sound or glide deletion that they sound less Southern. But the same can be said of cities like Pittsburgh, Cincy, Indy, Kansas City, and OKC. My theory is a Scotch-Irish influence or an influence from West Country English that started in Pennsylvania/Jersey and spread West. But then again, since these dialects don't have a fully Southern or Northern sound, they are undetectable to many people. Ask someone if they can trace a Philly or a Cincy or an Indy accent. Most people will say "I wouldn't know where that person is from".
I was of the impression that the twang was the Scots Irish influence, which suggests that the Appalachian areas would reflect this more than areas closer to the coast. So you have a point.
My brother in Texas suggests that people from Houston lack the stereotypical accent that non southerners will connect with Texas.
I will suggest that the 3 main influences in Southern speech patterns will be the Scots/Irish, AAs, and what they called "Plantation English" which was believed derived from those with English backgrounds. This might impact on the varieties that one can detect in different parts of the South.
Clearly the degree to which a region has attracted migrants from other parts of the USA does impact.
That sound about right. The southern drawl/twang in my area is moderate and the plantation style is common especially among the older generation. I call the plantation style, the sweet tea accent lol.
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