The Texas Accent (Houston, Dallas, Austin: living in, suburban, station)

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by madrone2k

I don't know how many people here remember Ross Perot, a Dallas businessman and presidential candidate who originally hailed from the Texarkana area. He had a strong, but very distinctive accent that always struck me as different from that of people from other parts of Texas. Very nasal. Perhaps with a tendency to add an extra syllable when pronouncing vowels.

For me, a more typical Texas accent is what I heard from friends from west central Texas (say, Menard) who would pronounce tight as "taht" or thing as "thang", but without so much of an extra syllable sound.

Oh. My. Gosh! You are right about Ross Perot. Growing up in Dallas I didn't notice much of a Texas twang among most of my elders (though mom definitely had one) but I just looked up a video from 1992 and it is quite pronounced.

[Bubble99]

Originally Posted by Kibby

Born & raised in Texas. Never noticed any accent at all .... Except for the Yankees.

Now a lot of the young people are sounding like Hollywood accent even people in other countries yes even some people in UK, Australia and Japan.

There are still people who have city and region accents but it is not big like it was before.

As for people from New York standing out well lot of that is because they talk super fast.

[Julio July]

Originally Posted by Bubble99

To me people in and around Houston have more drawl. Where people in Dallas have more twang.

Houston have more country accent than Dallas.

If there was any Hollywood movie or TV show like the walking dead in Texas and Hollywood had to put on a accent they would pick Houston accent over Dallas.

Exactly. I have always said people from the Houston area who have Texas accents have more of a drawling, "country" accent than people from DFW who have Texas accents. It's worth noting about DFW, though, that as soon as you leave Dallas and go next door to Tarrant County and Fort Worth, the Texas accents become way more common and noticeably thicker.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Spade

I've always say WenesDAY but my aunt and cousins in Miami always says Windsdee and Tuesdee. Always found that funny.

LOL I picked up on the "dee" thing when I moved to Texas too. "See you next Mundee." I say "Munday."

My native Texan husband also says, "It was right the opposite of what I expected," when I would say, "It was the opposite of what I expected." I had never heard "right the opposite" before but there's something endearing about it.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

I don't know about that. I grew up in the South, literally right across the Mississippi stateline, and I thought I had heard some pretty thick Southern accents until I moved to East Texas and couldn't even understand what half the people were saying half the time.

I've never had a problem understanding Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, or Paula Dean, though.

This seems a bit over the top. I lived all over the south for most of my life and I had no problem at all understanding the southern/Texas accents in east Texas when I moved here as an adult.

[Julio July]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

This seems a bit over the top. I lived all over the south for most of my life and I had no problem at all understanding the southern/Texas accents in east Texas when I moved here as an adult.

Well, each person is different. It all depends on where a person grew up, what TYPE(s) of Southern accent they are generally used to, etc.

Keep in mind also that I am referring to small towns in DEEEP East Texas, closer to Houston and the Louisana state line, not the Tyler/Longview area. Southern accents and diaclects most definitely are harder to understand and decipher in small, remote towns in different regions. Especially if you are a city boy, like me.

Even though I was born and raised in the South, I grew up in a major city, so my own Southern accent and most that I grew up hearing are relatively mild compared to those in small remote towns in other parts of the South, like Deep East Texas, Appalachia, Cajun Country, etc.

[Glenn Ross]

Originally Posted by Brand_new

Mentioned earlier that I'm in Texas for three weeks and looking forward to hearing the Texas accent (I love the TV show Friday Night Lights!).


However after reading the last couple of pages... Am I going to understand what people are saying easily!? And are 'y'all' going to be able to understand a northern English accent?

It's not the accent that will be the problem. It's the colloquialisms. For example, Here in the states, "I'll knock you up later," means a whole different thing than it does in England. In fact, you could get in a fight with a good 'ol boy, if he hears you saying that to his girl friend.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Well, each person is different. It all depends on where a person grew up, what TYPE(s) of Southern accent they are generally used to, etc.

Keep in mind also that I am referring to small towns in DEEEP East Texas, closer to Houston and the Louisana state line, not the Tyler/Longview area. Southern accents and diaclects most definitely are harder to understand and decipher in small, remote towns in different regions. Especially if you are a city boy, like me.

Even though I was born and raised in the South, I grew up in a major city, so my own Southern accent and most that I grew up hearing are relatively mild compared to those in small remote towns in other parts of the South, like Deep East Texas, Appalachia, Cajun Country, etc.

Interesting.

I grew up in (in order):

New Orleans, LA
San Francisco, CA
Knoxville, TN
Waco, TX
Dayton,OH
Norfolk, VA
Fayetteville, NC
Columbus, GA

Not exactly small towns, and many are military installations so there are all sorts of accents.

I just have never had any sort of problem understanding any Texas accents, regardless of region. So your comment really surprised me.

[Debsi]

I've met one person who spoke like Boomhauer in King of the Hill. After knowing him for a while, I discovered that Boomhauer is actually speaking in full sentences and I finally understood what he was saying!

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by Debsi

I've met one person who spoke like Boomhauer in King of the Hill. After knowing him for a while, I discovered that Boomhauer is actually speaking in full sentences and I finally understood what he was saying!

Yes, it's not hard to get the gist of what Boomhauer is saying. Maybe it's cus I speak country. LOL