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Accents and dialects are fading in general, not just in the US but all over the world. I wouldn't blame the media though. More and more young people are moving to bigger cities, where there are obviously less accents and people from all over... which is a good thing.
Immigration also plays into this. Every year, more and more immigrants come and has a cumulative effect. However, the southern accent is far from dead. Just go to any city in the actual south and you'll hear it.
Dallas doesn't count either. The Texan accent is not as pronounced as the southern one and a majority of Dallas has probably moved there in the past 20 years (myself included).
It might be spreading from multiple places, but I also see/hear this a lot among younger white people in leftist communities (like socialist groups) and art/music scenes populated by these people. To my understanding it's being adopted deliberately to avoid the supposed gender bias of "you guys", and because it sounds "friendly".
I'm under the impression that it's direct influence from black people, since they say y'all throughout the country, and their memes are popular on social media and frequently make use of the word "y'all". But I think it's a lot more common (outside of the South) for Hispanics to say "y'all" than white people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj72
That is true. Northeast accents are very strong and harder to lose than more neutral Midwest ones. Someone from Ohio is more likely to pick up some of the local dialect than is a person from Massachusetts. No doubt about that.
I'm in the Northeast (New York) and young white people here do NOT have strong accents. It's pretty much general American accent but with some words pronounced in a broadly Northeast manner (like coffee).
White people and to a greater extent Hispanics say "y'all" because of black influence, not Southern influence
The same thing is happening in New York.
Black people have said y'all for forever, but I've only noticed white millennials saying it for a couple of years. And I see white people saying it that have very little interaction with black people. It has to be from media and the reason that I mentioned the kardashians is that I saw something with them and noticed that they say "y'all".
Black people have said y'all for forever, but I've only noticed white millennials saying it for a couple of years. And I see white people saying it that have very little interaction with black people. It has to be from media and the reason that I mentioned the kardashians is that I saw something with them and noticed that they say "y'all".
The black influence goes through the internet and music too, that's what I was getting at. That's why a lot of Hispanics in places like Arizona and New Mexico casually the N word and AAVE.
I doubt it's the Kardashians, I don't even personally know anyone who follows them
Last edited by Foamposite; 11-29-2019 at 01:15 PM..
The black influence goes through the internet and music too, that's what I was getting at. That's why a lot of Hispanics in places like Arizona and New Mexico casually the N word and AAVE.
I doubt it's the Kardashians, I don't even personally know anyone who follows them
The Kardashian's are very influential with women under 35, especially white women. And I hear quite a few Native Californian white women under 35 saying "y'all". And for the most part they don't seem like the type to be getting crunk. Lol
I'm positive that black culture is the origin for all of this, I just don't think that it was a direct transition. I don't know what's happening outside of LA and maybe where you are, it's how you say. It just seems strange that it's happened so quickly out here. Just like the Kardashian's made dating black men not only acceptable, but desirable to white women in California, I think that they have significant influence on how young women talk. Surely you've noticed the increased use of vocal fry? That is directly linked to the Kardashian's.
The Kardashian's are very influential with women under 35, especially white women. And I hear quite a few Native Californian white women under 35 saying "y'all". And for the most part they don't seem like the type to be getting crunk. Lol
I'm positive that black culture is the origin for all of this, I just don't think that it was a direct transition. I don't know what's happening outside of LA and maybe where you are, it's how you say. It just seems strange that it's happened so quickly out here. Just like the Kardashian's made dating black men not only acceptable, but desirable to white women in California, I think that they have significant influence on how young women talk. Surely you've noticed the increased use of vocal fry? That is directly linked to the Kardashian's.
I would guess that the apex of that show's popularity has already happened. My opinion is that the influence of black culture is more explcity linked to rock and even Taylor Swift-esque pop dying out, plus black social media having a lot of presence (such as that "Ight Imma Head Out" Spongebob meme).
I think interracial dating being acceptable predates the Kardashians by a considerable amount of time, anyway.
I live in New York and I honestly don't hear white people say y'all that much, however I do hear it here and there. The main people who use it are black people and Hispanics who follow black culture a lot. The Puerto Ricans I work with say y'all like 30 times a day.
It might be spreading from multiple places, but I also see/hear this a lot among younger white people in leftist communities (like socialist groups) and art/music scenes populated by these people. To my understanding it's being adopted deliberately to avoid the supposed gender bias of "you guys", and because it sounds "friendly".
Boy, the southern Y'all'ers aren't going to like that.
I meet people from all over the South on a pretty regular basis, yet almost nobody (or perhaps nobody) I meet who is white + young has a discernible Southern accent.
I have met black people of all ages with strong Southern accents but even then, I have met a lot of black people from the South without a discernible Southern accent.
So is young white people having a Southern accent basically limited to rural areas in the South now?
I would not say they are losing their accent but it is morphing into a different type of accent (due to the transient population). The base is still Southern in its core but things like the drawl would be missing. I have parents who aren't from the South and I would say that I have a non-drawled Southern accent as well as many other people from ATL and Piedmont metros.
I would not say they are losing their accent but it is morphing into a different type of accent (due to the transient population). The base is still Southern in its core but things like the drawl would be missing. I have parents who aren't from the South and I would say that I have a non-drawled Southern accent as well as many other people from ATL and Piedmont metros.
Without the drawl, it's basically just a generic US accent
Without the drawl, it's basically just a generic US accent
Nah, the drawl is just one characteristic as opposed to being the deciding factor.
There are still many features the Southern accents that would show without a drawl (or twang for Appalachian and Texas folks).
Wikipedia has this page and I agree with what it says about my area ATL to a degree (there are still many Whites in the area who have all of the features but they are older or from rural areas). The Wikipedia page says that ATL is inconsistent with displaying certain traits or trends and I agree with that. I'll have to check Savannah, Greenville, and Charleston to see if those accents line with what the Wiki article states. Charlotte's Southern accent has mellowed out too but one can tell that it's Southern still based on the vowels (even if it's without the drawl).
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