Do most young Texans in the cities still have Southern accent? (Houston: income, living)

[The Right Side_TX]

Originally Posted by dfgjsj

No, not at all, but that isn't a Texas thing. I've lived all over the South and the accents everywhere are fading.

This. Not too far off from the present except for some small pockets accents will be a thing of the past. As to the topic grew up in San Antonio no accent here. Nor did the majority of my friends. Most people in the urban triangle don't have them. Only accents I come across would be East and West Texas.

[BobTex]

Y'all jus don't understand! It's a Texas thang !!!!!

[ScoPro]

My ex-SIL from Temple, Texas sounds just like Paula Deen. (no racist talk)

[DSL_PWR]

Yes, we all ride horses and have a cow in the back yard too.

[TexasReb]

=haprunstance;35991354]There aren't many people who have a strong southern accent in Texas, most can be found in east Texas east of Houston and East of Dallas.

If you want to hear a southern accent go to Alabama, Kentucky and the Carolina's

Question? Why are any of those you bring up any more "Southern American English" (as in linguistic terms), than that in Texas? Also, where do you come by the notion that the "accent" heard in Kentucky has something more in common than that heard in Alabama? For that matter?

What does north Alabama have in common with south Alabama? What do the Carolina's have in common with south Louisiana? The craziest notion (no disrespect in the least intended), is that the "Texas accent" -- of which there is no single one -- is somehow separated -- in terms of inflection, accent, rhythm, idiom, is noteable different from the broader Southern accent.

Oh sure, if one want's to cling to that a "Southern accent" is characterized by the stereotypical "Gone With the Wind moonlight and magnolias", then it might have credibility...but it isn't and it doesn't.

Hell, in lot of ways, the "speech" of most native Texans is more "Southern" than any Southern state. As is, it combines the overwhelming dominance of Upper and Lower South traits (drawl and twang), with some influences of Spanish and a little European blends...

[TexasReb]

=haprunstance;36005936]I assume the accents of people in Alabama are called southern. I don't know of very many Texans that sound like someone from Alabama. How is southern accent defined? All I know is most Texans don't sound like their from Alabama or Kentucky.

Soooo? Why is the accent of Alabama or Kentucky to be presented as the standard of a "Southern accent"?, in your estimation? Far as that goes, how do they even sound similar to one other? To narrow it down further, do you know how different a northern Alabama accent differs from one in the southern part of the state? Want to discuss Louisiana? How is that similar to South Carolina...and why would it matter, anyway?

The whole point is, that the dialect spoken in Texas (east or west), by most natives is just a sub-variety of what is known as Southern American English. Simple as that. On a related tangent, where (easily isolated, as in linguistic idiom maps) is the term "coke" and "y'all" most part of the common lingo?

Southern American English varies in it's sub and sub-sub-qualities...but there is a bonding of it as in that it is easily distinguished from that mostly heard in the Northeast, Midwest, or Far West. Texans far and away sound and talk more like folks from Alabama and Tennessee than they do of those from Arizona or Colorado. And for good reason, those states are the ones whose pioneers mostly settled the state...

[radiolibre99]

I know there's a mesh of younger texans that sound like a mix of stereotypical Californian with some southern sayings.

[Gunion Powder]

I don't see what the debate is here. Just like every other southern state, some Texans have accents while others do not. It's as simple as that.

[TXEX06]

Geez! How long can this thread go on for? Texans have accents, and so do people from many other states.

[TexasReb]

=haprunstance;36015457]I'm a native Texan and I sound more like people from Arizona or Colorado. As long as I don't say yal then they never knew I was from Texas. I've been to different countries and when they ask where I'm from they are surprised.

I worked with a man from Alabama and we traveled to many different states and people often commented on his southern accent, but never mine.

I guess it's impossible to say what a southern accent is unless its officially defined.

And in lots of ways, that is the central point. It is not actually defined as in the sense of any one Southern state having the standard as a true basis of comparison...except perhaps as the one perpetuated by early Hollywood movies (such as Gone With the Wind, etc) which, in reality is simply something of that spoken in the deep Deep South but, in reality, is just one of many sub-varieties.

This Wikipedia link gives a pretty good overview. Naturally, as in any Wiki article there are going to be some contradictions and/or disputations. But the sourced ones are extremely informative, especially the maps and their basis for creation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_American_English

You don't say where you are from in Texas, but I will be the first to agree that many younger people from the urban areas are definitely losing their accents, if they ever had one at all.

Gotta tell a funny (and true!) story that occurred some years back (some of y'all have heard this one before, so bear with me! LOL). Anyway, I was in the DFW area on some business, and checked into a hotel room. The clerk was a very nice older black lady who, after asking for the routine info, asked me if I was a native Texan. I was somewhat taken aback. After all, my drivers license had a Texas listing on it and wasn't I in Texas, anyway? Why a question like that?

Sooo, I said, yes, I was, but why was she asking? She replied along the lines of "Cos, honey, you don't sound like you are from around here."

Lord, I cracked up laughing and told her I'd be proud to buy her a drink if she happened to be in the hotel bar later that evening. LOL