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At my job I recently had someone from southeast Missouri working with me. He had the classic Delta South accent, very southern delta south type accent and I knew right away the area he had to be from. He considered his family southern he said and they're all from the bootheel. Even the few areas of north FL that are southern you don't hear many thick accents like that. I believe he was from Steele, Missouri. Only southern accents I hear in this area of the state are from people visiting from places like TN and KY.
Missouri is a truly unique state. It's a bunch of different regions all bunched up together.
I have family from the bootheel, my ancestors are from there. I go down there and feel like a complete outsider.
I have family from the bootheel, my ancestors are from there. I go down there and feel like a complete outsider.
The last time I was in far southern Missouri was in 2013, Table Rock a couple weeks before memorial day and I felt the same way especially since it was before the tourist season kicks in at Branson. I felt out of place a bit especially the locals because of my St. Louis area accent, while many of them had that Ozark upper south accent and just the demeanor and everything way down there is totally different. Just the manners and the way people behaved as well.
In general it seems in Missouri once you're about within less than 60 miles of Arkansas, the state is totally different and really fits a southern demeanor. Even north of that line in the transition zone while it has some southern characteristics, it still has a number of Midwestern ones at the same time. Even towns like Lebanon, and Rolla while they have some southern influences they also have quite a few influences from the Midwest as well.
The southern quarter of Missouri is vastly different than the rest of Missouri.
One thing I notice about accents though is many younger people lack the southern accents. It seems the under 50 crowd especially.
The last time I was in far southern Missouri was in 2013, Table Rock a couple weeks before memorial day and I felt the same way especially since it was before the tourist season kicks in at Branson. I felt out of place a bit especially the locals because of my St. Louis area accent, while many of them had that Ozark upper south accent and just the demeanor and everything way down there is totally different. Just the manners and the way people behaved as well.
In general it seems in Missouri once you're about within less than 60 miles of Arkansas, the state is totally different and really fits a southern demeanor. Even north of that line in the transition zone while it has some southern characteristics, it still has a number of Midwestern ones at the same time. Even towns like Lebanon, and Rolla while they have some southern influences they also have quite a few influences from the Midwest as well.
The southern quarter of Missouri is vastly different than the rest of Missouri.
One thing I notice about accents though is many younger people lack the southern accents. It seems the under 50 crowd especially.
They say Southern traits are fading due to stigmatization but I also think accents evolve rather than disappear. What you're seeing is an evolution of the Southern accent to the point it becomes different but I doubt it will go away entirely. It's not like young Southerners talk with Northern accents lol
Like in New York, many traits of the old accent like bird = boyd or oil = earl (in the next generation) are gone. But NYC still has a unique accent even if some traits have passed away.
Found a cool video detailing the German roots of St. Louis. Listen to how the older people talk in this video. Nothing, and I mean nothing remotely Southern about them whatsoever. What Southern city is full of so many Northern accents? If anything these people sound somewhat foreign. Like a German/Irish hybrid accent. Nothing like a Southern accent which has a strong South English element and a unique lilt/drawl that makes it distinct. None of that is present in the St. Louis tongue.
While accents don't determine identity, why is it that there is not ONE Southern city where a significant portion of the native population speaks in a Northern accent?
Found a cool video detailing the German roots of St. Louis. Listen to how the older people talk in this video. Nothing, and I mean nothing remotely Southern about them whatsoever. What Southern city is full of so many Northern accents? If anything these people sound somewhat foreign. Like a German/Irish hybrid accent. Nothing like a Southern accent which has a strong South English element and a unique lilt/drawl that makes it distinct. None of that is present in the St. Louis tongue.
While accents don't determine identity, why is it that there is not ONE Southern city where a significant portion of the native population speaks in a Northern accent?
St. Louis before the civil war was at the least a border city. Men from St. Louis fought for the Missouri State Guard, and or the Confederacy including about 4,000 Irish. There was also a slave market in St. Louis as well. The yearly VP ball as well was southern influenced as well full of the rich elite.
In modern times St. Louis isn't southern and not quite enough to even put it in the transition zone. However, I will say it still maybe has about 10 percent southern influence traces left though. I don't know how to really explain the feel of it though from living in the area but it just feels a bit different than other Midwest, lower Midwest major cities.
St. Louis before the civil war was at the least a border city. Men from St. Louis fought for the Missouri State Guard, and or the Confederacy including about 4,000 Irish. There was also a slave market in St. Louis as well. The yearly VP ball as well was southern influenced as well full of the rich elite.
In modern times St. Louis isn't southern and not quite enough to even put it in the transition zone. However, I will say it still maybe has about 10 percent southern influence traces left though. I don't know how to really explain the feel of it though from living in the area but it just feels a bit different than other Midwest, lower Midwest major cities.
Joyce Meter must be part of that 10%. She's from O'Fallon isn't she? She sounds pretty country. Wonder if her family is from Little Dixie. I don't get her weird Southern accent.
Joyce Meter must be part of that 10%. She's from O'Fallon isn't she? She sounds pretty country. Wonder if her family is from Little Dixie. I don't get her weird Southern accent.
I don't mean the small southern traces in that type of context though. I was talking the more overall feel of the region.
I don't know much about her but my mom listens to her shows all the time. IMO people like her are good speakers and use it to their advantage to make $$$$ and found using God as a means to deliver it. Too bad I don't have a talent like that or I probably wouldn't have time to be posting here.
That could be her family could be from that area of the state. The transition zone in Missouri including some areas of little Dixie I can see that. I wouldn't call it a southern accent though, but it is influences from the southern accent due to close proximity. I would fit it in with lower Midland accent.
The transition zone has blending of both cultures though like Southern Indiana and Southern IL have with some places especially further north you go being more Midwest than south influenced.
I can't disagree there is some southern influenced accents in Little Dixie and maybe a few old timers that have southern accents but overall it's more Midwestern today.
You will find pockets like Booneville and Lexington that still have southern influences today despite being fairly far north in Missouri.
Also as talked about on here before, excluding far eastern Missouri where the Midwest South dividing line is VERY sharp in a short amount of distance, in the rest of Missouri starting around US 50 the transition is gradual. Starts out like southern IL and southern IN then about 10-20 miles north of US 60 becomes fully southern.
But yes, outside of St. Louis county, Stl I can see where you could find some accents with a mild southern influence in them though, but it's not a southern accent remember.
One thing to note no other Midwestern state is debated about being southern or not, only Missouri so that right there tells you something.
I don't mean the small southern traces in that type of context though. I was talking the more overall feel of the region.
I don't know much about her but my mom listens to her shows all the time. IMO people like her are good speakers and use it to their advantage to make $$$$ and found using God as a means to deliver it. Too bad I don't have a talent like that or I probably wouldn't have time to be posting here.
That could be her family could be from that area of the state. The transition zone in Missouri including some areas of little Dixie I can see that. I wouldn't call it a southern accent though, but it is influences from the southern accent due to close proximity. I would fit it in with lower Midland accent.
The transition zone has blending of both cultures though like Southern Indiana and Southern IL have with some places especially further north you go being more Midwest than south influenced.
I can't disagree there is some southern influenced accents in Little Dixie and maybe a few old timers that have southern accents but overall it's more Midwestern today.
You will find pockets like Booneville and Lexington that still have southern influences today despite being fairly far north in Missouri.
Also as talked about on here before, excluding far eastern Missouri where the Midwest South dividing line is VERY sharp in a short amount of distance, in the rest of Missouri starting around US 50 the transition is gradual. Starts out like southern IL and southern IN then about 10-20 miles north of US 60 becomes fully southern.
But yes, outside of St. Louis county, Stl I can see where you could find some accents with a mild southern influence in them though, but it's not a southern accent remember.
One thing to note no other Midwestern state is debated about being southern or not, only Missouri so that right there tells you something.
I know but I find it odd that she sounds South Midland because most St. Louisans sound either North Midland or Great Lakes influenced. I suppose St. Louis is a Northern city in a Southern state as they say. A much sharper contrast of any city in my opinion. You don't see such a city that is so diametrically opposed to its state to the point of even accents. That is what gets me about St. Louis. City accents are so drastically different than accents outside of the county. That doesn't happen in really any other major city. By that I mean a city where accents spoken therein belong in an entirely different region than the rest of the ones spoken in the exurbs or outer counties. New Orleans would be the closest example but that is still a Southern accent (yes Yat is more Southern than St. Louis English even if it's not a typical Southern accent).
I don't mean the small southern traces in that type of context though. I was talking the more overall feel of the region.
I don't know much about her but my mom listens to her shows all the time. IMO people like her are good speakers and use it to their advantage to make $$$$ and found using God as a means to deliver it. Too bad I don't have a talent like that or I probably wouldn't have time to be posting here.
That could be her family could be from that area of the state. The transition zone in Missouri including some areas of little Dixie I can see that. I wouldn't call it a southern accent though, but it is influences from the southern accent due to close proximity. I would fit it in with lower Midland accent.
The transition zone has blending of both cultures though like Southern Indiana and Southern IL have with some places especially further north you go being more Midwest than south influenced.
I can't disagree there is some southern influenced accents in Little Dixie and maybe a few old timers that have southern accents but overall it's more Midwestern today.
You will find pockets like Booneville and Lexington that still have southern influences today despite being fairly far north in Missouri.
Also as talked about on here before, excluding far eastern Missouri where the Midwest South dividing line is VERY sharp in a short amount of distance, in the rest of Missouri starting around US 50 the transition is gradual. Starts out like southern IL and southern IN then about 10-20 miles north of US 60 becomes fully southern.
But yes, outside of St. Louis county, Stl I can see where you could find some accents with a mild southern influence in them though, but it's not a southern accent remember.
One thing to note no other Midwestern state is debated about being southern or not, only Missouri so that right there tells you something.
As a graduate of Mizzou, I had friends all over the state. One of my friends with the thickest southern accent was from Moberly Missouri, 40 or so miles north of Columbia. The boys from Sedalia had a definite rural/country twang, but it was different, as was my friends from Joplin and Nevada. Met a gal from Portageville and she sounded deep south.
The other real southern sounding accents were from Sikeston on south through the bootheel. I had occasion to spend quite a bit of time in the bootheel on business a few years ago and I'm of the opinion the south starts somewhere in those 30 miles between Cape (still Midwestern) and Sikeston (the South).
I've also had occasion on business to spend time in Southern Illinois. You get south of Mt. Vernon and its very southern including the accent. I met a fella from Harrisburg that before he told me where he was from I would have guessed Alabama.
You pick up a rural/country sounding accent on the outskirts of St. Louis in Jefferson, Franklin, Warren County.
As a graduate of Mizzou, I had friends all over the state. One of my friends with the thickest southern accent was from Moberly Missouri, 40 or so miles north of Columbia. The boys from Sedalia had a definite rural/country twang, but it was different, as was my friends from Joplin and Nevada. Met a gal from Portageville and she sounded deep south.
The other real southern sounding accents were from Sikeston on south through the bootheel. I had occasion to spend quite a bit of time in the bootheel on business a few years ago and I'm of the opinion the south starts somewhere in those 30 miles between Cape (still Midwestern) and Sikeston (the South).
I've also had occasion on business to spend time in Southern Illinois. You get south of Mt. Vernon and its very southern including the accent. I met a fella from Harrisburg that before he told me where he was from I would have guessed Alabama.
Cape Girardeau is a border city IMO. As THB pointed out on here, Jackson Missouri area feels more southern than Cape to him despite Jackson being a few miles north. Parts of rural Cape Girardeau county are southern as well.
I believe you about Moberly. That is not the norm for accents though in the area, but you will still find pockets of southern influences left north of US 50 such as Moberly, Booneville, etc.
South Central Missouri also has southern accents too, but the upper south Ozarks type, not the type of southern accent found in southeast Missouri for example.
When I was in Branson a few year back in early May I heard a lot of southern accents but it wasn't the deep south type. Joplin and Nevada along with far northwestern Arkansas and NE OK are in an interesting region literally where the great plains, south all intersect at. Certainly not fully southern, more of a hybrid mix.
Cape Girardeau while having Midwestern influences, has a lot of southern influences too though.
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