question for people from the south

[freepcrusher]

is there a variation with the type of accents? For some reason it seems that its kind of like Britain in that it is rooted in class.

You sort of have the accent that I'm assuming originated in the aristocrat/planter society that I would compare to something like in "Gone With the Wind". It seems that this is more common in the deep south and tidewater area.

Then there's sort of a more "raw" accent found in the backcountry like in TN, AR, OK, TX etc. Although there is some overlap with the first one, it seems to be of the "finger/fanger and pen/pin" type of accent.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

There is no "southern accent" just as there is no "British accent" (amusingly enough people who talk with what Americans think of as a "British accent", which is only about 2-3% of the population, are also the people in Britain who insist they "don't have an accent".) Obviously some areas with a certain accent are more affluent than others. But it's hardly a purely class thing. I work at a call center so I can identify people pretty well based on that.

One notable thing is that people in Louisiana are quite identifiable from the rest of the south (at least the Cajun area) and a New Orleans accent doesn't sound anything like the accent in the rest of Louisiana, or anywhere else in the south, (more like Brooklyn).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Southern accents aren't as distinct as they once were. And I do mean accents.  Hollings had a noticeably different accent than Thurmond did, tho Fritz's Low Country accent was far from the strongest example of the type.  Accent varied more by locale than class, tho there was some correlation between the two if a particular place was seen as classier.  In the case of South Carolina, where the colonists originated from played a part.  My own part of South Carolina was settled in the 18th century mainly by Germans as is evidenced by the many Germanic family names around here and a much higher incidence of Lutheran churches than is usual in the South.

[freefair]

There is no "southern accent" just as there is no "British accent" (amusingly enough people who talk with what Americans think of as a "British accent", which is only about 2-3% of the population, are also the people in Britain who insist they "don't have an accent".)

To be honest, it's more than that. Its probably about 15-20%. You are right about the fact a majority of people have "regional" working class accents though, even middle class people tend to have a hint of their locality.
The reason why they don't think they have an accent is the fact that many British people are from a young age conditioned socially to hear words pronounced in an "objectively" correct, Recieved Pronounciation way, so when they hear an RP person say them it registers as the absence of accent, as neutrality.
There IS a separate "posh" accent, though, which is about 2 percent of the population, wildly exaggerated in its "yah's" and such sounds.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I think of them as "Texas heavy," "Louisiana molasses," and "Virginia light." Sort of like a continuum. Jimmy Carter's accent would fall somwhere between Louisiana molassess and Virginia light.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I have found that people from urban areas in the South don't tend to speak with noticeable accents anyway. They do sound slightly different from California residents, though not enough so to make me take notice if I am not aware that they are Southern.

[Sbane]

When I first moved to Nashville, I really didn't notice the accent at all. There were a few people I did notice the accent of, but they were from the deep south. Though having been here for a while, I have become more aware of what the accent sounds like and it is much more subtle than it is portrayed in popular media.

[CatoMinor]

From what I've noticed living in Texas, many of the young people who have strong accents only acquire them in middle school or high school when they start forming into cliques and being "country" is the cool thing in their circle of friends. The "popular", preppy, artsy, anime obsessed, etc... groups never had noticeably Texan accents, even though they would live in the same neighborhoods as those who did.

[memphis]

From what I've noticed living in Texas, many of the young people who have strong accents only acquire them in middle school or high school when they start forming into cliques and being "country" is the cool thing in their circle of friends. The "popular", preppy, artsy, anime obsessed, etc... groups never had noticeably Texan accents, even though they would live in the same neighborhoods as those who did.

This post reminds me a lot of our last president, who presumably picked up his peculiar Texas accent at Yale. Politicians are in a league of their own and their speech is as coached as any tv weatherman. But as others have noted accents are strongest amongst people of less means. And that's not peculiar to the South. An executive in Manhattan is not going to have that strong New York accent that everybody from the Rockaways who was interviewed on tv after Hurrican Sandy has. And the kids today have modelled their speech after the "neutral" speech one hears on television. It would be excessive hyberbole to say that regional accents are dying, but they are getting toned down. Most people don't want to sound like they've never left the village.

[Indy Texas]

Part of the reason we associate regional accents with low education and low income is because developing and keeping a regional accent nowadays requires you live in one place for a long period of time. The only people nowadays who are able to do that are people who don't go away to college, don't travel a lot, and don't move to different parts of the country/world for work.

[bore]

There is no "southern accent" just as there is no "British accent" (amusingly enough people who talk with what Americans think of as a "British accent", which is only about 2-3% of the population, are also the people in Britain who insist they "don't have an accent".)

To be honest, it's more than that. Its probably about 15-20%. You are right about the fact a majority of people have "regional" working class accents though, even middle class people tend to have a hint of their locality.
The reason why they don't think they have an accent is the fact that many British people are from a young age conditioned socially to hear words pronounced in an "objectively" correct, Recieved Pronounciation way, so when they hear an RP person say them it registers as the absence of accent, as neutrality.
There IS a separate "posh" accent, though, which is about 2 percent of the population, wildly exaggerated in its "yah's" and such sounds.

I didn't think I had an accent and I didn't think my mum or dad did, but I'm frequently told my Dad has a really strong scottish accent and me and my mum have really strong mancunian accents. Certainly for me if I spend enough time with someone I don't notice the accent, because that goes for my friends as well. I can only really tell accents though if they have obvious shibboleths (which is a word I only know thanks to Al) like bath or unique words like ken.

Also I doubt it's just RP speakers who think they are objectively right, I live in an area where my accent is unique, and it's occasionally commented upon, as if I've said something wrong. It's even worse if I ever go dan sarf because of the barth thing.

So, what I'm trying to say is that quite a few people probably see themselves (or their friends) as having no accent, not just RP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes, RP is generally seen as the accent of The Man, rather than anything neutral.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

is there a variation with the type of accents? For some reason it seems that its kind of like Britain in that it is rooted in class.

You sort of have the accent that I'm assuming originated in the aristocrat/planter society that I would compare to something like in "Gone With the Wind". It seems that this is more common in the deep south and tidewater area.

Then there's sort of a more "raw" accent found in the backcountry like in TN, AR, OK, TX etc. Although there is some overlap with the first one, it seems to be of the "finger/fanger and pen/pin" type of accent.

The first accent is Boss Hogg. The second accent is Rosco.

[freefair]

Yes, RP is generally seen as the accent of The Man, rather than anything neutral.

But there's a difference between an average, middle class sounding BBC newsreader and a "posh" accent that someone like Boris Johnson has. RP accents woudln't raise an eyebrow in my locality, whereas "posh" certainly would.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes, RP is generally seen as the accent of The Man, rather than anything neutral.

But there's a difference between an average, middle class sounding BBC newsreader and a "posh" accent that someone like Boris Johnson has. RP accents woudln't raise an eyebrow in my locality, whereas "posh" certainly would.

May not raise eyebrows, but would obviously be one of Them rather than one of Us (or neither of the above).

[Torie]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

The Media has a strong disgust against people with Midwestern accents, for some reason.

[Jackson]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

The Media has a strong disgust against people with Midwestern accents, for some reason.

No.

[traininthedistance]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

The Media has a strong disgust against people with Midwestern accents, for some reason.

The media must really hate itself, then.

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[Bandit3 the Worker]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

The Media has a strong disgust against people with Midwestern accents, for some reason.

The media must really hate itself, then.

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A real Midwestern accent is nothing like that ValSpeak most newscasters today use.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Newscasters usually say "nyoo" instead of "noo."

[memphis]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

The Media has a strong disgust against people with Midwestern accents, for some reason.

The media must really hate itself, then.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

A real Midwestern accent is nothing like that ValSpeak most newscasters today use.

Depends what you're defining as Midwest. The Great Lakes Vowel Shift is certainly not the standard on TV. Neutral accents are a little further to the South and West. Columbus, OH and Omaha, NE come to mind as very neutral spots for American accents.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Also, newscasters never use "bring/brang/brung."

[memphis]

Also, newscasters never use "bring/brang/brung."

Why would they? They are not actors on the Beverly Hillbillies.

[Brittain33]

My impression is that accents are slowly fading in both Britain and the US. That is what my ear tells when I compare what I heard as a young man, versus now, 40 years later.

True - although I read an interesting article a few months ago, I can't find now, that claims that the nasal midwestern accent with a certain vowel shift associated with Chicago and Wisconsin is spreading and getting more prominent. That would be an exception, I would think.