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Before I moved to Philadelphia for school, i didn't even know Philadelphia had a distinct accent. When I heard it, I thought it sounded southern. I think it is because of its relative proximity to Baltimore?
When most people hear a Midland dialect, they hear Southen. With time, the accent types blend and become accent-less. In fact, it's thought Philly gave America its way of talking.
However I believe Midland dialects all have their origin in the Mid-Atlantic. Baltimore's is definitely more Southern sounding, though.
I'm sure this has been answered already, but blacks outside of the South are several generations from southern migrants, so it's likely that retention would remain . The Northeast is an exception for reasons that are subject for debate.
I hear some people say the Baltimore Blaccent has a Northern quality. But, what is it?
Surely it isn't the strong glide deletion
Surely it isn't the way "things" becomes "thangs"
Surely it isn't the way short vowels have a drawl ("can" becomes something "cayan")
Rhoticity maybe? I know Blacks in the Coastal South drop the R heavily. I don't even think WHITE Baltimoreans have a very Northern sound. While Baltimore is a Midland dialect, I feel it picks up enough Tidewater vowels to be considered a "North" Midland dialect. Even Whites in Baltimore will say things like "mah" instead of "my". But at least Whites maintain the tense-lax split common to the Mid-Atlantic. What are the "Northern" traits of the Baltimore Blaccent?
Also, can we just stop classifying "hurr" and "thurr" as Southern? Because Southern Blacks, being a mostly non-rhotic people don't even use those terms. You can hear terms like that in DC's Black population, too.
While i do agree the southern dialect is fairly non-rhotic among African Americans, it isnt that way entirely across the board. Now where those qualities exist are in areas where you'll also find that the highest concentration of African Americans reside. Which as you said, is the Lowland and Coastal region of the South (ie: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina etc.). so thats probably also why its primarily viewed as the predominant dialect among the group. With that being said, African Americans that reside in the Upland and Appalachian south do speak the way you described exactly. Youll definitely hear folks use the words "hurr" and "thurr" in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, some areas of Arkansas, and even West Virginia extensively. The southern accent among blacks in that region is heavily rhotic.
While i do agree the southern dialect is fairly non-rhotic among African Americans, it isnt that way entirely across the board. Now where those qualities exist are in areas where you'll also find that the highest concentration of African Americans reside. Which as you said, is the Lowland and Coastal region of the South (ie: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina etc.). so thats probably also why its primarily viewed as the predominant dialect among the group. With that being said, African Americans that reside in the Upland and Appalachian south do speak the way you described exactly. Youll definitely hear folks use the words "hurr" and "thurr" in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, some areas of Arkansas, and even West Virginia extensively. The southern accent among blacks in that region is heavily rhotic.
Yeah. Very true. But the Philly Blaccent is also rhotic. Freeway, O and Sparks, and Bernard Hopkins speak in a rhotic dialect. So, if people are gonna say St Louis Blacks have a Southern influence and Philly Blacks don't, I'd challenge them to show me how that's even possible.
For the guy who said Detroit Blacks don't sound Southern, I agree. Detroit is one of those weird places where the traces of a Southern accent on Blacks seem to be small to nil. Google Doug Banks from Chicago's V103 radio station to hear a very Northern sound. I find the Detroit Blaccent fascinating as it's a HEAVILY Black city which means that the Southern migrants would have been surrounded by Southern accents almost entirely, yet the Detroit accent in Blacks isn't far from the White version. Chicago isn't like this and the Southern influence is there.
As far as DC, DC borders Virginia so I find it hard to believe Blacks there wouldn't sound at least partially Southern unless they came from true Northern states. I mean, even if DC isn't a Southern city NOW, it once was so if even in Northern states Blacks can still sound Southern, I find it hard to believe that in "former" Southern states Blacks wouldn't. That sounds very far fetched. DC is closer culturally to the Hampton Roads and Richmond than it is to NYC or Boston, where actual Northern dialects are spoken, unlike Philly and Baltimore where Midland dialects predominate, and those have more of a "neutral" sound that can be slightly more Northern or Southern depending on who you talk to. Example: some people in Philly display more Northern characteristics and some in Baltimore display more Southern. To say that "no" Southern characteristics exist in Blacks from DC makes no sense no matter how Southern you think that city is.
Many Black people in Detroit and DC, while not having an all-out drawl, do have Southern-influenced accents though.
Yeah the Southern influence in our accent (DC/PG) sounds more on the twangy side. Go down to Richmond or even Fayetteville, NC and their accents sound more like a drawled out version of our accent, especially Rich.
Yeah the Southern influence in our accent (DC/PG) sounds more on the twangy side. Go down to Richmond or even Fayetteville, NC and their accents sound more like a drawled out version of our accent, especially Rich.
There is a continuum.
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.
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