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I think an area should at least be in the Appalachian mountains to be considered "Appalachian".
Much of north Alabama is part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. Those mountains and hills surround Birmingham, Anniston, Gadsden, Huntsville, Talladega.
Many of the people in that area are descended from Appalachian folks who migrated to Alabama.
Yes, it's alive and well. The younger generation tends to mask the accent, but they can bring it out when they want to.
Really? That's a shame.
It was in a store where I heard it and I suppose the area must have had a lot of Gullah folks because I remember that both the customers and employees sounded Gullah.
Visiting from the Upstate, a few of the other people I was with were wondering if they were Jamaican!
Native Texan here. Your Cajun border in texas is spot on, you find a lot of the Bayou culture just up to the Houston area. But, your Western South goes too far west. Turn your western border south at Tulsa, continue the line through Dallas, Waco, Austin and turn Southeast through Victoria to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Transition zone, Western South and Cajun Country extend too far westward into Texas. Other than that the map is great.
On the contrary, I would say JJW's map did it about right into western Texas. Ok, yeah, I suppose there are personal reasons for saying so (LOL), but it recognizes something that is oft misunderstood or ignored. That is, that even West Texas is more "Southern" than "Western". For sure, it doesn't fit the common image of the traditional South in terms of topography or much associated...but at the same time, settled by Southerners, it has more in common with the southeast than the interior Southwest or Rocky Mountain states.
It gets "iffy" I know...but the Southern Baptist Church dominates, and there is no doubt that the general speech patterns are Southern American English. And that Confederate monuments are found on just about any county courthouse in West Texas.
No question that if travelling east to west "the South" begins to fade a bit once one gets past the 100th parallel. Yet no question either that, in travelling west to east, the South begins somewhere along the Texas/New Mexico border in terms of basic history and culture...
There is nothing culturally in common between West Virginia and Northern Mississippi. In reality, the Appalachian region should stop in NE AL.
That's kind of funny, since it seems most every survey of the past few years, from poverty, to education and diet has found West Virginia shoulder to shoulder with Alabama and Mississippi.
I find the map inaccurate, like the last map you made, in the West Virginia/Virginia border. It should extend up the Alleghany's and Shenandoah. The southern accent in WV stops just about Clarksburg and you have it far south of that.
One of the best maps I've seen. A little touch up on Cajun Country.. it extends a little too far into Texas, imo. I'd also let it touch New Orleans with the gridlike squares. Also, the Deep South also extends slightly too far west into Texas. You pegged MS river delta correctly in the Deep South in AR, TN, and MS.. Very good work.
If Charleston/Savannah gets its own region then so should New Orleans. It's not Cajun country and its definitely not traditional deep south. Orther than that, it's the closest to accurate map I've seen on C-D so far.
That's kind of funny, since it seems most every survey of the past few years, from poverty, to education and diet has found West Virginia shoulder to shoulder with Alabama and Mississippi.
I find the map inaccurate, like the last map you made, in the West Virginia/Virginia border. It should extend up the Alleghany's and Shenandoah. The southern accent in WV stops just about Clarksburg and you have it far south of that.
I was actually thinking the same thing about West Virginia. While the northern half of the state may not be "strong southern", its probably even less Midwestern or Northeastern --- except for maybe the panhandle areas. Heh so Southern Mountain Light perhaps?
Much of north Alabama is part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. Those mountains and hills surround Birmingham, Anniston, Gadsden, Huntsville, Talladega.
Many of the people in that area are descended from Appalachian folks who migrated to Alabama.
I know, but that map extends too far south and west in AL. And none of MS should be in the Appalachians.
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