miami accent ? (Orlando, West Palm Beach, Kendall: house, living in, price)

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by nicsma2002

All Hallow's Eve is Halloween, October 31. The night of October 30 is known as "Devil's Night" in some areas up north. Maybe that is what s/he is referring to.

So is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day?

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by MattyGit

I had students that were second and third generation that had accents as thick as any newly arrived immigrant. Of course there were also those that did all they could to distance themselves from the sound of their families.

Now we also have to be careful about labels like "ghetto." We spin a negative slant on it, the same way the Victorians viewed Cockney. These terms have both geographical and linguistic associations. When dealing with linguistics we try to separate these terms from their socio-economic parallel. Try, but not always succeed... lol...

Spoken language changes far faster than its written counterpart - and media influence plays a huge part.

I'm wondering if your talking about what I hear as the Miami accent:
Exaggerated vowels and an emphasis on exclamations.
So an "Oh really?" becomes "No, really" but the "No" pronounced like a "ÑO" but less emphasis on the Ñ and "really" becomes "ree-lee" all the while with an exaggerated questioning voice.

Is this what YOU would describe as the accent or are you just referring to a native Spanish speaker who is speaking English?

[MattyGit]

Originally Posted by vpcats

So are you saying I didn't win anything?

I would think I should have, even if just for trying!

Of course... ummm.... what about a kit kat bar?

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by MattyGit

Of course... ummm.... what about a kit kat bar?

Kit Kat? Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
but how 'bout a chocolate ice cream/hotfudge sundae?

[nicsma2002]

Originally Posted by vpcats

So is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day?

Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas; All Hallows Eve, aka Halloween, is the night before All Hallows Day, aka Hallowmas, aka All Saints' Day. This is Nov. 1. The next day, Nov. 2, is All Souls' Day. The history and meanings of all these days are interesting but too much to go into here. Here's a relatively reliable link with some good background info under "Ancient Origins": History of Halloween - Halloween Costumes - Pumpkin Patterns - History.com

[Augie]

about 15 minutes from Times Square. When I went to New York University the speech department required me to take English as a second language. Just kidding! But I was required to take a speech class to soften my NY/NJ metro accent. God, if I ever spoke like they wanted, I' would have been run out of my neighborhood for being thought of as a molester. My savior was Joe Pesce ("My Cousin Vinnie") who made me feel good about myself and happy and proud to speak the way I do. New Yourk, dorg, corffee- I say it my way. Live with it. The one nice thing about going home to visit is that almost everybody there speaks like me. I'd rather have a NY/NJ accent than that terrible Bastin accent (pack your caaaar in a gaaraage) which is downright laughable IMHO. Yo' Adrienne, if you want to sound like a valley girl,use "like, like, like" after every other word.

[markhunt]

Originally Posted by nicsma2002

All Hallow's Eve is Halloween, October 31. The night of October 30 is known as "Devil's Night" in some areas up north.

Growing up in Southern Westchester NY, I remember it as Devils Night. Then when I moved to Connecticut both Mischief Night and Devils Night were used.

[vpcats]

OK I must confess!

I came up with All Hallow's Eve because someone sent me a flyer for a Halloween Party, on October 31st and they called it an All Hallow's Eve party.

That should have told me something right? Guess I don't really read all that carefully or even put 2 and 2 together all the time.

So along came Nicsma and taught me something I needed to learn.

BTW, I went to NYU also. MANY, MANY moons ago. They made me take a speech class too. I also took French at NYU. The poor professor was so disgusted with me, they just gave up. I speak Spanish and aren't French and Spanish really like first cousins? So why can't my French sound like Spanish?

[Marlin331]

Originally Posted by vpcats

OK I must confess!

I came up with All Hallow's Eve because someone sent me a flyer for a Halloween Party, on October 31st and they called it an All Hallow's Eve party.

That should have told me something right? Guess I don't really read all that carefully or even put 2 and 2 together all the time.

So along came Nicsma and taught me something I needed to learn.

BTW, I went to NYU also. MANY, MANY moons ago. They made me take a speech class too. I also took French at NYU. The poor professor was so disgusted with me, they just gave up. I speak Spanish and aren't French and Spanish really like first cousins? So why can't my French sound like Spanish?

I had to work hard to make my French accent sound less Spanish. My first French teacher was surpirsed that I grew up here in the US because she would say to me "Your accent is pretty good, but you don't sound like an American speaking French; you sound like a Spaniard speaking French!" No one has ever given me crap about my accent when speaking English, though

[Think (Freedom)]

I'm wondering if your talking about what I hear as the Miami accent:
Exaggerated vowels and an emphasis on exclamations.
So an "Oh really?" becomes "No, really" but the "No" pronounced like a "ÑO" but less emphasis on the Ñ and "really" becomes "ree-lee" all the while with an exaggerated questioning voice.

I think planetsurf nailed the accent. Thats exactly it. My sister talks like that. Thank goodness it never stuck with me.. and I grew up Westchester, she in Broward Co. But thats definitely what the accent sounds like.