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not every person born in NYC has an accent. i am the 3rd generation and my mom taught me to speak more proper. i also grew up in a diverse neighborhood- not just white people, which makes a huge difference. That is why Staten Island has the strongest accent- its the least diverse. Believe me- the Brooklyn accent is very much dying.
That's true.
I have met people down here who I didn't know were from NYC until they told me they were. A lot of people from Queens talk Vallyish. Even in Manhattan, tons of people don't have a stereotypical NYC accents.
I've found the NY accent is most noticeable and prevalent in southern Brooklyn and Staten Island--areas still populated for the most part by generational New Yorkers and few transplants. That's why almost nobody in Manhattan talks with an NY accent until you at least get up towards Harlem.
not every person born in NYC has an accent. i am the 3rd generation and my mom taught me to speak more proper. i also grew up in a diverse neighborhood- not just white people, which makes a huge difference. That is why Staten Island has the strongest accent- its the least diverse. Believe me- the Brooklyn accent is very much dying.
Location: Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York City, New York, 10302
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I read an article in the NY Post about a year ago where they had some expert accent guy saying that there are no distinct borough accents, that that's just people looking for pride within their individual boroughs. He said that the city as a whole shares an accent but of course it is fading. It's about extinct in Manhattan with all the transplants and is strongest on Staten Island because of the large amount of white people who have been in NYC for generations. I'm sure the same is true for certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens. I have always noticed that many blacks and hispanics seem to have somewhat watered down versions of the accent, as do white people who grew up in diverse settings. Regardless of the accent in question I think it's pretty safe to say that to really cultivate an extremely thick one it takes a pretty isolated setting filled with a lot of people who talk exactly the same way.
Oh, accent expert dude also said that the accent as a whole loses strength with each passing generation as new immigrants move in and shake it up and older New Yorkers die and move away.
I'd say Staten Island is where the accent thrives more than any where else in the NYC region. Other than Harlem, Manhattan is far too universal to have an accent anymore. A lot of the older generations that stuck around still got it.. That's if they aren't in Jersey/FL/NC yet.
Staten Island is a mix because a lot of the growth in SI came from Brooklyn. Brooklyn comes 2nd when it comes to people with a thick accent- Brooklyn is what basically made the accent so popular.
The Bronx is losing it more and more these days. The accent is still heard all around the borough nonetheless.
Parts of Northern NJ have it strong. I know the people from the Meadowlands/Southern Bergen County area (Lyndhurst, Rutherford, Kearny, Lodi etc) can have a thick accent... Queens/Nassau is pretty similar to NNJ if you ask me.
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BTW, I don't really think you can depict a persons NY accent. I see different variations WITHIN Staten Island. It's really bizarre tell someone they have a "Brooklyn" or "Jersey" accent.. How about a "Lodi" or a "Bushwick" accent.. It's ridiculous.
I read an article in the NY Post about a year ago where they had some expert accent guy saying that there are no distinct borough accents, that that's just people looking for pride within their individual boroughs. He said that the city as a whole shares an accent but of course it is fading. It's about extinct in Manhattan with all the transplants and is strongest on Staten Island because of the large amount of white people who have been in NYC for generations. I'm sure the same is true for certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens. I have always noticed that many blacks and hispanics seem to have somewhat watered down versions of the accent, as do white people who grew up in diverse setting.
I rarely hear the New york accent from blacks. Most seem to have an AAVE accent unless they are very well educated. It's interesting you can often times recognize a black poster on this forum from the words he uses, his sentence structure or style of writing. Two noticeable exceptions are Queensgrl and Seventh Floor.
I rarely hear the New york accent from blacks. Most seem to have an AAVE accent unless they are very well educated. It's interesting you can often times recognize a black poster on this forum from the words he uses, his sentence structure or style of writing. Two noticeable exceptions are Queensgirl and Seventh Floor.
New York blacks and Hispanics sound alike. Why are you singling out blacks?
New York blacks and Hispanics sound alike. Why are you singling out blacks?
Not really. Latinos clearly have a spanish accent. I know several Puerto Ricans who do not speak Spanish yet certain vowels have a Spanish "twang." You can also detect which country or island their parents originated. 2nd generation Mexicans clearly sound different from Argentinians or Cubans or Salvadoreans. The best way to hear an accent is by listening to a person on a phone. Talking face to face can corrupt your perception of what you are hearing because other issues come into play.
not every person born in NYC has an accent. i am the 3rd generation and my mom taught me to speak more proper. i also grew up in a diverse neighborhood- not just white people, which makes a huge difference. That is why Staten Island has the strongest accent- its the least diverse. Believe me- the Brooklyn accent is very much dying.
Wrong.
You may not speak like everyone else around you speaks, but everyone has an accent of some sort. Speak your English in Cardiff, Brisbane, Lagos, Port-of-Spain, or Nashville, and you will be the outsider with a funny accent.
That old Brooklyn accent that used to be characteristic of the Jews, Italians, and Irish almost gone. But there are still several accents in this city. Speaking proper does not mean speaking without an "accent". It just means not shortening your words and not using excessive slang.
when I went out of town to college, I remember someone telling me they thought I was from manhattan, not brooklyn.
I am not sure if that was cause
A. My NYC accent was relatively light, in part cause my dad was from philly
B. I had spent 3 years attending HS in manhattan
C. Being Jewish and not Catholic, my accent had a little Yiddish in it
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