The southern accent in western Texas? (Houston, Lubbock: pub, educational, place)

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by portlanderinOC

As well, Texas could easily be divided into several states. West Texas has more in common with the Southwest while East Texas is more like the Deep South.

When I first arrived on the High Plains from deep east Texas some forty years ago, I often had comments from fellow Texans as to my deep accent so there must have been some differences back then. However, I can't speak for commonality of accents but culturally you are very correct about differences in Texas.

East Texas was primarily settled early in the 19th century by people coming in from the deep south. White settlements in the Texas Panhandle were rare until after the Civil War when the State was able to rededicate its forces to defending against the indians. Although many modern-day High Plains Texans have family roots in deep east Texas, many are derived from families who arrived at the end of the 19th century, and start of the 20th century, from northern states, e.g., Dakotas, Minnesota, etc. Many of the High Plains cotton farmers have family roots in the former cotton-growing areas of eastern Texas. They came to west Texas when their east Texas farms were decimated by the boll weevil.

As I read a lot on C-D, I also believe that the division of east and west Texas cultures continues to exist even with modern-day migration. I've noticed that a C-D family from one of the eastern states with moderate climates with forests seem to be always be seeking a new home in eastern Texas while the High Plains still draws folks from the colder north-central U.S.

As to divisions in Texas, I don't know if it is true anymore but east Texans used to vacation more in the east while west Texans tended to go to vacation spots in the west. One strange thing that I had always noticed as one who used to regularly drive from Lubbock to Lufkin was that there was some vague point somewhere around Waco where the signs on company trucks that read "East Texas Electrical Contractor" became "West Texas Electrical Contractor." Rarely did I see a sign that read "Central Texas Electrical Contractor.

[elan]

I agree that what the OP described as a diluted accent in the Panhandle is from the influence of the South Midland Dialect. A lot of pioneers in the Panhandle came through Kansas, Oklahoma, etc. via the Ohio River Valley.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by portlanderinOC

I can't ever recall anyone having a Texas accent in El Paso. The furthest west I've regularly heard the Texas accent I'd say is Junction. (I can't say anything about the pan-handle, as I've only been there once).
On another note, I tend to notice the accent is less strong in bigger cities more than anything. About half the people I knew that lived in Houston didn't sound too different from someone that lives on the West Coast (however, I tend to say the same thing about my mother, who grew up on the Texas-Louisiana border, but that's only because I'm so used to her accent that it doesn't stick out to me).

As well, Texas could easily be divided into several states. West Texas has more in common with the Southwest while East Texas is more like the Deep South.

In the next couple generations, the Texas accent will be heavily diluted in areas that are heavily diverse. Basically the cities and smaller cities like Killeen. These cities are now having schools that are becoming heavily integrated that we won't recognize them anymore. I say give it 20-30 years and the Texas accent will only live in East Texas and West Texas (barely) towns. But you will have Southern, Spanish, Asian, and Domestic accents mixed into one.

[bK1D]

I was born and raised in west texas and im hispanic (believe it or not west tx hispanics do have accents too) i moved to the rio grande valley in deep south texas And dang no one has the accent! its the whole spanish accent like "yaaaa weyy" or what annoys me when people stick our their tongue and go "aaahh" or "eyyy Miss!" its so different here! and everyone knows im not frm here

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

This is all predicated on the assumption that (a) Texas is Southern rather than Southwestern and (b) that the majority of Texans have a "southern" accent. As someone who grew up in East Texas (and thus would have been assumed to be more likely than most of our vast state to have a Southern accent), all one has to do is drive through the real South and listen to realize otherwise.

Texas has many accents. Only a small part of them, closest to the Louisiana border, would count as Southern, in my opinion (and that of many others).

And Texas is more Southwestern than Southern. If it's anything but Texas, that is. My personal opinion is that the state is big enough to count as a region all its own and it certainly doesn't fit neatly into any of the other boxes.

I agree completely. The work and friends I enjoyed in Houston were an international breed as expats in europe, asia even africa. I spoke on the phone at work with people from all over the globe (natives) on a daily basis. I found accents to be more like Nebraska, ie very neutal not southern at all. When I lived east of Houston in my first job out of colllege, the accents were very southern in natives. I know few natives outside work and their accents had gone neutral as well from international assignments and associations. Speaking by phone with people whose first language was not english made you be conscious of being clear and of accents and we learned to avoid them with practice and by being around others without the Texas Twang

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

I agree completely. The work and friends I enjoyed in Houston were an international breed as expats in europe, asia even africa. I spoke on the phone at work with people from all over the globe (natives) on a daily basis. I found accents to be more like Nebraska, ie very neutal not southern at all. When I lived east of Houston in my first job out of colllege, the accents were very southern in natives. I know few natives outside work and their accents had gone neutral as well from international assignments and associations. Speaking by phone with people whose first language was not english made you be conscious of being clear and of accents and we learned to avoid them with practice and by being around others without the Texas Twang

There are many "Texas accents" -- ranging from the far East Texas drawl, which more resembles that of the Deep South (like Lady Bird Johnson), to the west Texas "twang"...such as that spoken in rural West Texas...which is often thought of a the "typical Texas accent". Linguistally, it is VERY akin to that spoken in eastern Tennesee and north Alabama; which are the settler origins of most of west Texas.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

I agree completely. The work and friends I enjoyed in Houston were an international breed as expats in europe, asia even africa. I spoke on the phone at work with people from all over the globe (natives) on a daily basis. I found accents to be more like Nebraska, ie very neutal not southern at all. When I lived east of Houston in my first job out of colllege, the accents were very southern in natives. I know few natives outside work and their accents had gone neutral as well from international assignments and associations. Speaking by phone with people whose first language was not english made you be conscious of being clear and of accents and we learned to avoid them with practice and by being around others without the Texas Twang

Pray tell why one would want to avoid/dissoaciate themselves from their Texas/Southern accent? Please explain this one....

[TXsurburbanmom]

Living back in San Antonio for many years plus several years where I was on the phone with people form out of state has cause me to lose my lovely West Texas accent (as to the discussion about W. Texas not having one I would disagree but I lived in San Angelo and then picked up an even heavier accent from my Wall friends--drove my mother nuts but I loved it!) I find when I'm tired---tarrrred--have a few drinks, or just feel a little lazy it's easy to slip back into it. Also, since I don' thave to work I find it creeping in. I might kinda play it up sometimes too just because I lament the loss of regional accents

[ReppingDFW]

Where I live, Southern accents with young people are almost nonexistent. Transplants + young natives raised around transplants = fading accents. I'm a native with a standard American accent (parents are from elsewhere), so I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to listening to accents. Lubbock had more of a "Texas drawl" compared to the Southern accents of East Texas that could be coming from any number of Southern States.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Pray tell why one would want to avoid/dissoaciate themselves from their Texas/Southern accent? Please explain this one....

To be understood, a neutral accent like Nebraska seems easiest to understand by those for whom english is a second language so they learned english with different accents. Engineers are about function over art... I worked for a company full of engineers... so we adopted a neutral accent as we learned it was easier to be understood without repeating the same thing over and over...hard to make progress with too many redos.