I dislike the Texan accent (Lubbock, Midland: schools, money, teach)

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by NCN

I don't dislike any accent. I find most accents interesting. There are some area traits that make me cringe. But not many. I hate hearing the letter "R" instead of the word "our." It makes you want to tell the person talking to use all the word and not just the last letter.

I don't like the rude "honesty" some say they have where they feel it necessary to explain to you that they don't agree with you about something. If you need to tell someone something you don't agree with for a reason such as "you are about to break your leg," then yes that would be necessary. I can talk to someone all day and never agree or disagree with what they just said. Listening is a skill that those of us who worked with the public had to learn.

There is one QVC hostess that sounds like a duck when she talks. Don't know where she learned to talk like that, but I turn the sound off.

Four letter words hurt my ears. I won't listen to it long. I move on.

That made me think of my mom; she pronounces R like are-ruh.

[catman]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

I still to this day have a hard time distinguishing the difference between twang and drawl.

I think there is a lot of difference. Twang always makes me think of West Texas, drawl more Eastern, although there is overlap. I prefer the twang personally, but accents don't bother me unless it's some guy on Technical Support in India, etc. whom I can barely understand.

[doctorjef]

Originally Posted by catman

I think there is a lot of difference. Twang always makes me think of West Texas, drawl more Eastern, although there is overlap. I prefer the twang personally, but accents don't bother me unless it's some guy on Technical Support in India, etc. whom I can barely understand.

I find this exactly the opposite: twang, Central, South and East Texas; drawl West Texas and North Texas. Twang is more of a appalachian speech pattern and I could very much detect it when moving years ago from Lubbock to Austin (hear it a lot amongst San Antonio natives as well); also, the accents of Central Texans have a type of Southern softness, whereas many of the accents in West Texas have a harder sound. Central Texans seem to speak more from the front of their mouths, while West Texans tend to be more toward the throat and nasal passages. IME one is also likely to run into the latter pattern in the North Texas DFW area.

[doctorjef]

This is a tangent but just wondering if anyone else has the same impression: ISTM that in the last few years there is a subset of American women up to their early thirties who habitually speak in this smurf-like, little girlish, poorly articulated and slightly screechy manner. It clearly isn't a conscious affectation and it doesn't seem to be related to any single region of the country? It's not "Valley Girl" either. It's this strangely immature, pre-pubescent vocal timbre. Does anyone else experience this as a fairly recent development among younger American women?

[AlGreen]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I find this exactly the opposite: twang, Central, South and East Texas; drawl West Texas and North Texas. Twang is more of a appalachian speech pattern and I could very much detect it when moving years ago from Lubbock to Austin (hear it a lot amongst San Antonio natives as well); also, the accents of Central Texans have a type of Southern softness, whereas many of the accents in West Texas have a harder sound. Central Texans seem to speak more from the front of their mouths, while West Texans tend to be more toward the throat and nasal passages. IME one is also likely to run into the latter pattern in the North Texas DFW area.

i've always seen twang as characteristic of the upper/outer south (i.e. mountain south, western texas, oklahoma, etc), and drawl as part of the deeper south, from east texas to the carolinas

[debzkidz]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

This is a tangent but just wondering if anyone else has the same impression: ISTM that in the last few years there is a subset of American women up to their early thirties who habitually speak in this smurf-like, little girlish, poorly articulated and slightly screechy manner. It clearly isn't a conscious affectation and it doesn't seem to be related to any single region of the country? It's not "Valley Girl" either. It's this strangely immature, pre-pubescent vocal timbre. Does anyone else experience this as a fairly recent development among younger American women?

Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. I thought it was just me hearing it or that I was just imagining it or that perhaps it was that I am now what some would call a "women of a certain age" and I am just seeing these women in a different light since I am no longer what you would call "young".

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by debzkidz

Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. I thought it was just me hearing it or that I was just imagining it or that perhaps it was that I am now what some would call a "women of a certain age" and I am just seeing these women in a different light since I am no longer what you would call "young".

As a woman of a certain age , I'd be interested in hearing an example of this. Anyone know of a good one? I notice something that might be similar with girls in their early 20s, but I'm not sure I hear it so much in the 30s.

Oops, adding-I thought the OP said women in their early 30s, not "up to" their early 30s. Yes, I think I know what y'all are talking about.

[doctorjef]

Originally Posted by AlGreen

i've always seen twang as characteristic of the upper/outer south (i.e. mountain south, western texas, oklahoma, etc), and drawl as part of the deeper south, from east texas to the carolinas

It seems complex to me because drawling accents definitely characterise Louisiana and Mississippi IME, but there seem to be two types of Alabama accents -- a drawling one and a twangy one. I'm truly not sure these days about Georgia, which seems to have absorbed so many influences that it may be kind of a linguistic melting pot, but former Pres. Jimmy Carter ISTM has more of a twang than a drawl (Lyndon Johnson had what I would consider a classic Texas drawl, although I don't associate that kind of drawl with most people from Central Texas - I hear Central TX speech as more of a soft twang). I've heard both drawls and twangs out of North Carolina, possibly depending on the region of the state the speaker is from; in personal experience the South Carolina accent seems a littler twangier to me though I'm sure it varies. Tennessee speakers often to me sound a lot like Texans, though overall I'd say the Tenn. accent is on the twangy side. Despite being from the very top of the Upper South, KY Sen. Mitch McConnell has an awful drawling speech.

[doctorjef]

Originally Posted by TXNGL

As a woman of a certain age , I'd be interested in hearing an example of this. Anyone know of a good one? I notice something that might be similar with girls in their early 20s, but I'm not sure I hear it so much in the 30s.

Oops, adding-I thought the OP said women in their early 30s, not "up to" their early 30s. Yes, I think I know what y'all are talking about.

The oldest woman with this smirfy speech that I've heard and knew her age was 34 and I think that's on the outer boundary of this pattern. They usually seem to be in their twenties. I find it bizarre -- sounds childish and inane to me. I don't think my memory and perceptions have changed; rather, I think this type of speech is a relatively new phenomenon.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

The oldest woman with this smirfy speech that I've heard and knew her age was 34 and I think that's on the outer boundary of this pattern. They usually seem to be in their twenties. I find it bizarre -- sounds childish and inane to me. I don't think my memory and perceptions have changed; rather, I think this type of speech is a relatively new phenomenon.

I think you're right. I hear it when I'm out at venues (restaurants, bars) where there are many 20 somethings. They sound like little girls. I think there could be an interesting study somewhere in this!