if you move to another state will get you get that state's accent ? (fit in, transplants)

[DukeBangerzz]

i know this is a stupid thread but i would like to know, because i'm from New York and i plan on moving to Houston or Atlanta and right now i have a New York accent but what will happen if i move to Houston or Atlanta will i develop their accent or will i speak the same as if i was still living in New York ? like i don't want to sound completely different or weird when i go to visit my family.

[Count David]

You will or won't. I know a guy who has lived in Colorado for decades, but you'd never know he wasn't still in the Bronx. Then again, I have a family member from Oregon who moved to Atlanta and sounded like a native southerner after not too long.

I left my home area about a decade ago, and I think I sound the same as I ever did. The only thing that I notice is that my ears pique now when I hear people from where I'm from.

[JayJayCB]

Your accent might change a little, but not completely. Most of the major metros in the South are full of transplants, they're becoming more diverse. Stereotypical southern accents are gradually dying out in many areas like Atlanta, replaced with accents that sound more neutral. I'm sure you'll pick up some things, though. Even transplants tend to say "y'all."

[BirdieBelle]

No, not really. But your original accent may soften a bit.

When you go home, your family will probably comment on your "Southern" accent. But you'll still sound like a New Yorker to those in your new city.

[eschaton]

Generally speaking, your accent has pretty much set by the time you're 18. You'll no more be able to alter your accent to meet the local version than you would be able to learn a foreign language and speak it flawlessly.

That said any children you have will pick up their accent almost entirely from their peers, not from you as a parent. So even if you settle down with another transplant, presume that your kids may end up with southern accents to some degree.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I moved to TN from CA and lived there for 5 years. I did some voice-over work at the time (used to be in radio) and I auditioned for Coca Cola in Atlanta, and was told I needed to "lose the southern accent!" I was amazed. Apparently I'm a vocal chameleon. I still say "you all" because I think it sounds nicer than "you guys."

Even the friends I met in Nashville who were from New York and Canada, had all picked up a softer southern sound.

So, yes, I think you do change to fit in, instinctively. But, the accent probably won't be pure on either end - NY or Georgia or Texas.

[TyBrGr]

I took a few psychology classes in college & it really depends on the person. Some people who want to fit in will subconsciously adopt the accent. It really just depends on the person & how badly they want to fit in with the crowd of people

[saibot]

Wanting or not wanting to adapt to the local accent is certainly a factor. Some people also have a better "ear," which means a more finely tuned ability to hear and imitate nuances of dialect. It is usually true that adults who move to an area with a different dialect never quite attain a native-like accent, but some end up much closer than others.

I've known New Yorkers who still sounded like they stepped straight off the plane after 20 years in California, and I've also known an Australian who sounded very, very close to a native Californian after a year here.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I picked up a bit of West Virginia Accent when I was living in West Virginia.

Regained the New York Accent when I moved back to Long Island. Most of my friends/associates pick up the New York Accent right away, but when I am with southerners and West Virginians, I easily fall back into their speech patterns...

[Champ le monstre du lac]

There's an accent here in New Mexico. But I'd probably sound ridiculous if I tried to talk like a Burqueño. If anything, it's probably neutralized my Boston accent a bit.