Accents and dialects

[IceSpeed2]

One trend that is rapidly occuring is the change in
regional accents or their disappearence. The question is, are
accents merging into one, or are they simply evolving. While it
is not that important, if soceity loses regionalization and becomes one
giant blur then people will be easily controlled.

As for dialects, expressions spread. In the
1970's, Soda was strictly a New York term. Now it has replaced
the term" tonic" in the New England dialect. It is meaningless,
but could be a sign of regions submitting to big cities.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Good post IceSpeed. I have seen this trend happening as well. I think it is a product of TV, movement of people from one place to another and increasing globalization. For me as a Southerner, it is considered a negative for me to speak my Southern drawl outside the borders of the old Confederacy. I am sure I will get a fair share of looks and people telling me to talk where I can understand them when I get to Utah in a few weeks. There are several regional dialects within the South as well, Cajun being the most recognized, then ebonics, Texan, South Carolina, and what I call the old Alabama-Mississippi talking. Arkansans who live in the hills also have a different dialect, and they sing much different too. The changes aren't visible everywhere yet, but I agree that it is happening, and I think it is a sad thing.

 

[Don Wassall]

Reb, I learned a while backthat there are different Southern accents. I bet a lot of people from outside the South don't know that. I enjoy hearing Southern accents, especially when the speaker is a woman. Southern white women are the most charming women this country has to offer.


This same topic was posed over at the ANU board and this is what I posted there:


The media has been pushing the elimination of accents for a long time. In my travels around the country, local television employees always lack an identifiable accent, as do most people heard on radio stations. Accents appear to be limited to small radio stations.


It's similar to the monotonous homogeneity along the interstate highway system, where the same chain stores and fast food restaurants are found everywhere.


The system supposedly wants "diversity" and "multiculturalism" but what it really wants is for white people to all talk, look and think like identical consumer units with no historical or racial memory.

 

[Bart]

I don't know why but I've always liked the sound of a Southern accent or drawl. A fellow like Hoyt Axton or Tom T. Hall can read the phone book and make it enjoyable. And some of the ladies have the sweetestvoices on earth. On the other hand the New Yorker who sounds like Woody Allen or Bella Abzug can drive me up a wall. I have a friend who hails from Joisey and when she speaks its like hearing fingernailson a blackboard.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I don't think I could be around "them Jersey girls" very long without earplugs!

As a lifelong Southern man, I am used to the way our women talk, so girls from other places sound rather dull to me. I admit, our women sound cool, especially when they exagerate their accents.

 

[JoeV]

Most people here up north link a southern accent with lack of intelligence. Does anyone else get annoyed with whigger accents? You know like how Eminem talks, or trying to talk black with lots of 'You know what I'm sayin' 'Nigga' and 'I was like' mixed into the speech. That drives me more crazy than anything. These people have out blacked the blacks in their speech!

 

[KD52171]

Theres a big difference between a Carolina drawl and an Arkansas Southern accent.

Im of the latter hick variety.

But stupid I aint people.

 

[Bart]

I saw a program once featuring a man who used to teach Hollywood actors how to affect certain accents for various roles. He had coached Arnold S. at one time (good luck). It was very interesting to hear him speak with a Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Arrkansas or evenNew England-Boston accent . He demonstrated that some states actually have several distinct dialects, very informational.


I had a problem with a computer and the company I dealt with routed my calls through Georgia. One ladiy rep. I talked to had the most soothing, gentle, dripping with molasses voices I ever heard.

 

[white is right]

One trend that is rapidly occuring is the change in
regional accents or their disappearence. The question is, are
accents merging into one, or are they simply evolving. While it
is not that important, if soceity loses regionalization and becomes one
giant blur then people will be easily controlled.

As for dialects, expressions spread. In the
1970's, Soda was strictly a New York term. Now it has replaced
the term" tonic" in the New England dialect. It is meaningless,
but could be a sign of regions submitting to big cities.

I think the death of distinct accents is due to the shrinkage of the working class people congregating in certain areas of cities and regions. I know in New York this has happened due to economics(both positive and negative). When people fled working class ethnic enclaves in New York for the suburbs, many of these distinct accents have died or shrank considerably.

Even now with the rebirth of Brooklyn with hipsters gentrifying former ghetto neighborhoods which were White ethnic neighborhoods these accents won't be returning to Bedford-Stuy. or Bushwick because many of the new people moving into the neighborhoods have no formal ties to NYC.

People forget language and accents are forever evolving things that change because of changing demographics within a region. If your community has very few outsiders then accents and language will change very little.

 

[TomIron361]

I think the death of distinct accents is due to the shrinkage of the working class people congregating in certain areas of cities and regions. I know in New York this has happened due to economics(both positive and negative). When people fled working class ethnic enclaves in New York for the suburbs, many of these distinct accents have died or shrank considerably.

Even now with the rebirth of Brooklyn with hipsters gentrifying former ghetto neighborhoods which were White ethnic neighborhoods these accents won't be returning to Bedford-Stuy. or Bushwick because many of the new people moving into the neighborhoods have no formal ties to NYC.

People forget language and accents are forever evolving things that change because of changing demographics within a region. If your community has very few outsiders then accents and language will change very little.

This reminds me of when I was a small boy on the block in Brooklyn (many, many years ago). A boy moved on the block one summer with his family who were immigrants from Czechoslovakia. He didn't know a word of English other than "yes." But he could throw alright and was a good athlete. He could fight alright as well. So we accepted him. When school started he went to PS92 where I went and was put into a regular class (all instruction was in English). By the next summer if we all were lined up you would have had to have a linguist to tell you who that kid was. He spoke English with a Brooklyn accent.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

My (maternal) grandparents spoke with a very strong Southern drawl. Mine is subtle in comparison, but comes out at times (probably far more noticeable to carpetbaggers ). However, I can “subdue” it when dealing with the ‘brass’ at work...due to the negative & bogus stereotype of Southerners being backwards “hicks”. Sadly, I find that my kids & their peers are (largely) devoid of any Southern drawl (save for a few). BTW, I tend to use many colloquialisms & terminology that my grandparents did, so I can “pass it forward” (& wax nostalgic )...they were far finer people than I’ll ever be.

***Here’s an interesting snippet on the Appalachian drawl from a documentary entitled “Mountain Talk” (featuring the late, legendary NC moonshiner Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton). Some of these good, “salt of the earth” folks remind me of my grandparents.

 

[Bucky]

Very interesting thread! I've always found accents and the geography they're located In to be interesting! I suppose I have a a typical upper Midwest accent, think Fargo but not as obnoxious lol. Reminds me of a book I was thinking of purchasing next. The author breaks down America into 11 different Nation's.

https://www.amazon.com/American-Nations-History-Regional-Cultures/dp/0143122029