what is tbhe furthest north you have heard a southern accent? (rain, near)

[mwalker96]

In New Castle Delaware I hear a southern drawl here and there.

[Jdawg8181]

Pennsylvania

[_Buster]

I have heard soutehrn accents many places, but it doesn't mean much because they were probably southerners living in the north. but I guess the OP means southern accents from people you know are locals. which is a very important distinction.

From what I remember, itwould be middle Ohio. there seemed to be a signficant number of them there too.

[Klassyhk]

Michigan, in which I was very surprised to hear a southern accent and this was residents born and raised there. I heard it quite often, too.

[Pincho-toot]

From anyone? Minnesota. From a native/long time local??? Idk. Oklahoma?

[CookieSkoon]

I think this thread is an interesting example of the concept of a "country accent".

Many rural folks, no matter what state they call home, just have a different way of speaking than suburban and urban folks.

To the untrained ear, many examples rural northern speech can come off as southern or southern-esque. Even from states like Michigan, Iowa, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

[lammius]

The farthest north I've ever heard one is in Iceland.
The farthest north I've encountered locals speaking with southern accents might be Martinsburg, WV.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by CookieSkoon

I think this thread is an interesting example of the concept of a "country accent".

Many rural folks, no matter what state they call home, just have a different way of speaking than suburban and urban folks.

To the untrained ear, many examples rural northern speech can come off as southern or southern-esque. Even from states like Michigan, Iowa, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

Yeah, I think I know what you are talking about.

When I was a kid and we went Upstate (to the Catskills or relatives in the Albany area), I began to notice the different accents. I used to think it was a "Southern accent". But looking at a map, that made no sense to me.

Just a guess, but I think what I was hearing was a "Western New England accent". Its not Southern at all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wester...ngland_English

[CookieSkoon]

Originally Posted by LINative

Yeah, I think I know what you are talking about.

When I was a kid and we went Upstate (to the Catskills or relatives in the Albany area), I began to notice the different accents. I used to think it was a "Southern accent". But looking at a map, that made no sense to me.

Just a guess, but I think what I was hearing was a "Western New England accent". Its not Southern at all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wester...ngland_English

Yep! That's exactly the sort of thing I mean.

Country has been so overly-associated with the south in the social zeitgeist that any form of it registers as potentially southern to new ears.

Plus, eastern American accents are all based on the same group of Europeans: The English, Irish and Scots. So we have common vocal ancestry as well.

[KY_Transplant]

Country accents in the North do not sound Southern to me at all. Once you spend some time in the South one would realize that.