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Ha! it also says Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia are the south? Well, what is West Virginia? It's not the midwest, not the northeast. It's the Appalachians! It all depends how refined your categories are.
even individual states differ. Western Pennsylvania should probably be like the Upper midwest, but obviously the state is not considered the midwest.
Different parts of Texas are even different. Different parts of California or New York, or Minnesota or Georgia are different. Yippee!
Yes, but overall a state leans decidely one way. West Virginia has most in common with the Upper South. There is no reason to say that something is impossible to classify if it has more than 50% in common with a certain region. Yes, each state is different. But certain states have more than enough characteristics in common with each other to be grouped into a certain region. It's just like being friends with somebody...common interests, thinking alike, similar points of view...we may not be the same height, we're not all the same gender, we're not all the same skin color, but there are more similarities between us than differences...that is how big groups of friends form. A similar principle comes to play when classifying regions...yes, no two states are exactly alike...no two cities are exactly alike...but the amount they have in common outweighs the overall differences. That is what justifies putting certain states into regions, and frankly, I agree with the logic. If we were to say that even the smallest difference meant you couldn't be in the same region, that would be like saying two people can't form friendships because of a small difference between them..not only is it ridiculous, it makes no sense. I'm not saying being in the same region has anything to do with being friends, btw..my best friend is from a different region than me. But you get the overall gist.
Yes, but overall a state leans decidely one way. West Virginia has most in common with the Upper South. There is no reason to say that something is impossible to classify if it has more than 50% in common with a certain region. Yes, each state is different. But certain states have more than enough characteristics in common with each other to be grouped into a certain region. It's just like being friends with somebody...common interests, thinking alike, similar points of view...we may not be the same height, we're not all the same gender, we're not all the same skin color, but there are more similarities between us than differences...that is how big groups of friends form. A similar principle comes to play when classifying regions...yes, no two states are exactly alike...no two cities are exactly alike...but the amount they have in common outweighs the overall differences. That is what justifies putting certain states into regions, and frankly, I agree with the logic. If we were to say that even the smallest difference meant you couldn't be in the same region, that would be like saying two people can't form friendships because of a small difference between them..not only is it ridiculous, it makes no sense. I'm not saying being in the same region has anything to do with being friends, btw..my best friend is from a different region than me. But you get the overall gist.
What does West Virginia have in common with the South? The coal mining culture? That seems to be dominate there, but nowhere else in the South but maybe Kentucky.
What does West Virginia have in common with the South? The coal mining culture? That seems to be dominate there, but nowhere else in the South but maybe Kentucky.
In case you didn't know, West Virginia was once a part of Virginia. And 2/3 of its soldiers in the Civil War were on the side of the Confederacy. Not to mention the life-style of the state is slow paced, conservative, and laid back, it is very poor in most areas, and Southern accents and culture are a strong presence in at least 2/3 of the state. Not to mention, its political views have pretty much always been the same as those of the other southern states.
Most claim Missouri and Kansas to be part of the Midwest, and most claim Kentucky to be part of the South. Most claim Oklahoma to be part of the South. The census bureau is incorrect about Maryland and Delaware...they are Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Oklahoma has a few Midwestern characteristics about it but is decidely more Southern than either Southwestern or Midwestern...Kentucky has a few Midwestern characteristics but many more Southern ones. Missouri and Kansas have some Southern influence, but are decidedly more like the Midwest than the South. They are what we call the Lower Midwest...Kentucky and Oklahoma best fit the definition of Upper South. Whichever way a state leans most towards is the region it fits in the best with. Tulsa fits in far better with the South than with the Midwest...just because something isn't 100% in a certain region doesn't mean you can just write off as being a borderline case....a borderline case is 50-50, and all the areas you are attempting to call borderline clearly lean one way much more than the other. So as far as I am concerned, this isn't a round and round argument. This is simply a need not to go into details.
Excellent and very accurate observations. For those who have not been to Oklahoma or another border state like Kentucky, you have done a thorough job of explaining to them what to expect culturally. Well done.
Well, I am sort of a history buff when it comes to the "Deep South" as we are refered to.
The south directing it's attentions of the market of slaves and slave ran plantatin. If you follow the loss and gains of history of this civil war, you will see that Texas is a Deep southern state. All you have to do is look up the civil war using google..
good luck
In case you didn't know, West Virginia was once a part of Virginia. And 2/3 of its soldiers in the Civil War were on the side of the Confederacy. Not to mention the life-style of the state is slow paced, conservative, and laid back, it is very poor in most areas, and Southern accents and culture are a strong presence in at least 2/3 of the state. Not to mention, its political views have pretty much always been the same as those of the other southern states.
Yes, I knew that West Virginia was once part of Virginia - pretty much anyone knows that. I'm talking about now...not 150 years ago. I know there are a lot of country folk in West Virginia, which has nothing to do with a southern accent, but I don't know that southern culture is dominate there. You may be referring to the recent elections as far as political views, but go a little further back to see some variety in the South.
So the Southern accent ranges from Eastern New Mexico all the way to Southern Delaware, thats a good distance.
I would think that Southern Louisiana would have its own cause of the Cajuns, but I dont know.
You are right, DS. Yes, it IS a good distance; and one of the things important in this realm is that there is no such thing as a single uniform "Southern Accent." Even though "Hollywood" has made it seem so. LOL
I always thought this quote summed it up pretty well:
Contrary to popular belief, there is no single "Southern accent". Instead, there are a number of sub-regional dialects found across the Southern United States which are collectively known as Southern American English. However, these different varieties often share commonalities of accent and idiom easily distinguishable from that spoken in other regions of the United States and identify it as being "Southern", particularly to other Americans. Although different "Southern" dialects exist, they are all mutually intelligible, as are US and British English more broadly.
Your observation about the south Louisiana "Cajun dialect"...and I might add (from what I have heard...no pun intended! LOL), the speech of the Charleston, South Carolina area being something truly different as concerns SAE...is very noteworthy!
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. But you get the overall gist.
Deep South
