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Im sure this has been discussed a little before. But I was just wondering-
In any part of the South today- even the Deep South- the "Southern" feel of the region is less and less than it was even just 20 years ago. Its more "watered down". Ya know- its just kinda Southern-Lite or more just anywhere USA.
However, go to the North, and it feels just as Northern as it did years ago . The people still have the same local dialects, they are still Northern in look and feel , etc. More hurried, less manners, bad traffic/drivers, etc.
In any place in the South you would hard pressed to find anyone under 70 with a TRUE Southern accent- no matter what the local variation. In the North many of the young people still have those accents.
Young people in the South simply do not have much Southern accent at all.
Not to mention- the South is becoming more Northern in parts- (Virgina has already lost Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads), Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte- not very Southern like they used to be.
Is this because more Northerners move South, than Southerners move North?
Why does it seem the Northern culture and attitude seems to predominate- even in the South?
Im sure this has been discussed a little before. But I was just wondering-
In any part of the South today- even the Deep South- the "Southern" feel of the region is less and less than it was even just 20 years ago. Its more "watered down". Ya know- its just kinda Southern-Lite or more just anywhere USA.
However, go to the North, and it feels just as Northern as it did years ago . The people still have the same local dialects, they are still Northern in look and feel , etc. More hurried, less manners, bad traffic/drivers, etc.
In any place in the South you would hard pressed to find anyone under 70 with a TRUE Southern accent- no matter what the local variation. In the North many of the young people still have those accents.
Young people in the South simply do not have much Southern accent at all.
Not to mention- the South is becoming more Northern in parts- (Virgina has already lost Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads), Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte- not very Southern like they used to be.
Is this because more Northerners move South, than Southerners move North?
Why does it seem the Northern culture and attitude seems to predominate- even in the South?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
A big part of it, and I think also, Northern and Western culture dominates the media moreso than Southerners. In fact, the media isn't always too kind to the South (redneck, racist, etc. stereotypes).
Lots of northerners moving south, diluting the Southern feel. This actually does happen in the North to some degree as well. I live in the Boston area. I notice that one rarely hears a real Bahstin accent either in the suburbs or in the central city area close to downtown. Suburbs tend to be places where people settle when they move from one region of the country to another. Also, downtown Boston has very much a white-collar crowd. There are exceptions of course, but in general you're more likely to have people moving to new cities and regions to take professional jobs than to find work in a factory, for example. With the white-collar crowd in the suburbs and downtown, these areas have a significant number of transplants, who tend to dilute the accent and the local customs into something closer to generic American. You still find more of a traditional local flavor in blue-collar residential neighborhoods. I would imagine that the homogenizing effect of transplants is more pronounced in the South, at least in metropolitan areas, because of the large number of transplants. I would also guess that, the same way you can still find the traditional feel of Boston in the city's blue-collar sections, in the South you can probably still find a more traditional feel in areas with few transplants, such as small towns outside of metro areas.
Im sure this has been discussed a little before. But I was just wondering-
In any part of the South today- even the Deep South- the "Southern" feel of the region is less and less than it was even just 20 years ago. Its more "watered down". Ya know- its just kinda Southern-Lite or more just anywhere USA.
However, go to the North, and it feels just as Northern as it did years ago . The people still have the same local dialects, they are still Northern in look and feel , etc. More hurried, less manners, bad traffic/drivers, etc.
In any place in the South you would hard pressed to find anyone under 70 with a TRUE Southern accent- no matter what the local variation. In the North many of the young people still have those accents.
Young people in the South simply do not have much Southern accent at all.
Not to mention- the South is becoming more Northern in parts- (Virgina has already lost Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads), Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte- not very Southern like they used to be.
Is this because more Northerners move South, than Southerners move North?
Why does it seem the Northern culture and attitude seems to predominate- even in the South?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Are you asking this seriously or as a joke?
If it's seriously, you really need to pay attention to what's been going on around you for the last 100 years.
Take Orlando for example. Used to be a nice sleepy little town and then Disney came. Along with Disney came people from different parts of the country to help built and run it.
Ok course these people just couldn't stand how "slow" things were in the south and set out to change it.
The nice laid back southerners rolled their eyes a bit but let them bulldoze everything and put in concrete. They let them "speed" things up.
End result? Orlando is no longer a nice sleepy little town, it's a prime example of growth gone wrong. It's now a city with big city problems.
It's the reason you see bumper stickers that read "we don't care how you do it up north"
I'll never understand why people are attracted to living in the south then complain about how it's not like where they came from.
I know what you mean. Especially about the accent thing. I visited SC and noticed that the southern accent wasn't as common as the accents are in NJ, NY, MA, CT
It was the older generation that kept it alive. I notice a lot of the regional accents are diminishing because the kids are developing all sorts of new slang and they are experiencing more diversity. While older generations hung out with they're own "kind" (White, Black, Hispanic) so they all had their own way of speaking, but now all races mix their dialect together it seems.
It happened to me really, i grew up in Newark with a majority black population and i was white and now i talk differently than most white people in Jersey; I pronounce dog, water, and aWLL that with a jersey/ny accent but it's not to OWFten that you hear a white person say "on" differently; I say it like "LONg" with a ny accent
Lots of northerners moving south, diluting the Southern feel. This actually does happen in the North to some degree as well. I live in the Boston area. I notice that one rarely hears a real Bahstin accent either in the suburbs or in the central city area close to downtown. Suburbs tend to be places where people settle when they move from one region of the country to another. Also, downtown Boston has very much a white-collar crowd. There are exceptions of course, but in general you're more likely to have people moving to new cities and regions to take professional jobs than to find work in a factory, for example. With the white-collar crowd in the suburbs and downtown, these areas have a significant number of transplants, who tend to dilute the accent and the local customs into something closer to generic American. You still more of a traditional local flavor in blue-collar residential neighborhoods. I would imagine that the homogenizing effect of transplants is more pronounced in the South, at least in metropolitan areas, because of the large number of transplants. I would also guess that, the same way you can still find the traditional feel of Boston in the city's blue-collar sections, in the South you can probably still find a more traditional feel in areas with few transplants, such as small towns outside of metro areas.
That might be true. But where in Boston can you find a restaurant that serves sweet tea on the menu? How many Country Music stations does Boston have? How much Gospel? How may people have you come across that say "Y'all? In the South lots of people are saying "you guys" now.
I suppose its all relative. But it seems like nowhere in the North has experienced any Southern influx. Except maybe Baltimore- which really isn't that far North.
I suppose its all relative. But it seems like nowhere in the North has experienced any Southern influx. Except maybe Baltimore- which really isn't that far North.
Untrue. A great deal of African American culture nationwide is heavily influenced by Southern culture... for obvious reasons. In cities across the country, predominantly black neighborhoods have soul food restaurants, etc. That food and other elements of black culture (which was/is both influenced by and an influence of Southern culture) have since permeated lots of areas of life.
Furthermore, cultural phenomena like Country Music were born in the South, but are now common around the nation and the world.
You're nearly as likely to see folks in pickup trucks headed to get some fried chicken listening to a country music album in rural Michigan as you are in rural Alabama. I've even seen Confederate flags, etc, in the Upper Midwest.
The truth is, all regional culture is getting watered down. This effects cities at a slower pace, I think, because they often have more powerful and concentrated local interests and customs. Less dense populations are more easily influenced, in my opinion.
Untrue. A great deal of African American culture nationwide is heavily influenced by Southern culture... for obvious reasons. In cities across the country, predominantly black neighborhoods have soul food restaurants, etc. That food and other elements of black culture (which was/is both influenced by and an influence of Southern culture) have since permeated lots of areas of life.
Furthermore, cultural phenomena like Country Music were born in the South, but are now common around the nation and the world.
You're nearly as likely to see folks in pickup trucks headed to get some fried chicken listening to a country music album in rural Michigan as you are in rural Alabama. I've even seen Confederate flags, etc, in the Upper Midwest.
The truth is, all regional culture is getting watered down. This effects cities at a slower pace, I think, because they often have more powerful and concentrated local interests and customs. Less dense populations are more easily influenced, in my opinion.
It depends on what kind of Country Music. Im talking about REAL Country music, not Country-Pop. But anyways- the older Country Music seems to be appreciated by those of the more white collar groups, while NEW Country is popular among the NASCAR fans.
Now this is off subject a little, lol
Anyways- I know there is Country Music in the North and all over. But that was just an example. I still dont think you could walk into any place in Boston and think "wow, this area feels really Southern". However in the South there are lots of places that feel very Northern, or at least to a degree more Northern. Atlanta is a prime example.
It depends on what kind of Country Music. Im talking about REAL Country music, not Country-Pop. But anyways- the older Country Music seems to be appreciated by those of the more white collar groups, while NEW Country is popular among the NASCAR fans.
Now this is off subject a little, lol
Anyways- I know there is Country Music in the North and all over. But that was just an example. I still dont think you could walk into any place in Boston and think "wow, this area feels really Southern". However in the South there are lots of places that feel very Northern, or at least to a degree more Northern. Atlanta is a prime example.
A few things:
Pop country (which I hate) still at least demonstrates influences that are Southern in origin.
Secondly, I can't speak for Boston, but I know of several places in Chicago that feel very Southern. There are Southern bars and BBQ joints and places where bluegrass bands play, etc.
Finally, "feeling northern" doesn't really mean anything to me. There are things that feel very NYC perhaps. Or things that feel very corporate, but these things are as often Southern in origin as Northern. Moreover, people here in Chicago often bemoan that "Old Chicago" is disappearing and being homogenized by big corporate interests. The same is true of NYC. Big Corporate vs local is one thing, but I don't know that it really is about northern vs southern.
I dunno. It seems like the more educated & affluent a place is, the less Southern it feels. Maybe as the South becomes from educated and wealthy it will become less Southern. Im not trying to knock Southern culture or anything. I've lived here my whole life. But it's just something i've noticed. The "old-money" neighborhoods of Memphis are full of people who live and grew up here, but they dont seem very Southern to me.
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