Southern Accents

[axotiger]

Check this out:

My mom grew up in Kentucky her whole life, and had a strong accent. But she went to school up in Michigan. During her speech class that she had to take, her teacher told her and a few other students that they would fail the class if they didn't lose their accent and speak correctly!!! Well, she lost it!! I find that sad.

Personally, I've always wanted a southern accent [ok technically I wanted to be a southern belle. haha] But being from Jersey, I htink that's out of the question. But the funny thing is... I don't have a Jersey accent either. My parents weren't from jersey so it's not like I picked an accent up from them either... so now i'm accent-less.

However, friends from home claim i've picked up a southern twang by going to school in sc.

[texas*princess]

I have a slight Texas "twang"... it's really not *that* noticable, but just knowing I have it annoys me.. hehehe.

I still like it though, and wouldn't ever try to 'lose' it.

[The1calledTKE]

I think there is a difference from the south and deep south accent wise. Like I think alot of people in VA sound more Yankee than they do southern but I am sure some one from NY would think the VA folks sound very southern.

[ZTAngel]

I thought everyone would get a kick out of the Soft Drink map. The whole South is covered in red (except for South Florida, of course).

[33girl]

oh honestly!!

My home county is yellow and I NEVER called it soda - if I had I wouldn't have fought about it with my freshman year bf & his friends (all from Philly).

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
I thought everyone would get a kick out of the Soft Drink map. The whole South is covered in red (except for South Florida, of course).

What constitutes "other"?

[The1calledTKE]

Yay for Coke. I am not suprized almost all of Georgia and most the south says Coke. Even in Atlanta that has alot of yankee transplants people will look at you funny if you say pop or soda.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
What constitutes "other"?

Soft drink?

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by AOIIsilver
I have always been told that I have a rather strong Tennessee accent; however, recently, many people have been asking me if I am from Canada .
I just don't understand how I went from having a strong regional Tennessee accent to having what some Tennesseans perceive to be a Canadian accent.
Silver

Maybe you said "aboot"

[Tippiechick]

After going to Ole Miss, I can definitely spot a Mississippi accent.
I can usually tell whether someone is from west, middle, or east Tennessee. Westies sound like a TN accent with a bit of Mississippi thrown in for good measure. I grew up/live in Middle so that's a no brainer. And, Easties have an accent of their own! They tend to have a VERY Appalachain sound to their accents.
And, I can usually spot someone from GA.

[CarolinaCutie]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
What constitutes "other"?

I would guess that, at least in North Carolina, the OTHER category is probably dominated by "drink".

I mostly say Coke, but if someone says, "Can I have some drink?" I assume cola. No A in front of it though... "a drink" could mean anything, but just "drink" is cola.

[ADPiShannan]

I live in Ohio now, but born and started to grow up in NC. All my family is there and I am used to their accents and the accents of other family from Georgia. I can totally tell the difference in accents and also if someone is trying hard to have one. Even in Ohio though there are accents. Those who live close to WV and PA have a PA accent and those who live in the Cleveland area def have a northern accent. You can totally tell the difference in them and thats just in Ohio.

[ADPiShannan]

As for the soft drink map thats too cute and sooo true. I always called it coke but when we moved to Ohio the kids laughed at me growing up so now its pop. Everyone in my family in NC it is coke everything, even if it isnt coke lol.

[AOII*Azra-elle]

Originally posted by AOIIsilver
Tn has regional accents as well. Someone raised in, for example, Shelbyville (Middle Tennessee) has a VERY different accent from someone raised on the mountains of East Tennessee. Tennessee accents can sound as smooth as a pat of warm, melted butter or as thick as a lump of sourdough bread.

I have always been told that I have a rather strong Tennessee accent; however, recently, many people have been asking me if I am from Canada .
I just don't understand how I went from having a strong regional Tennessee accent to having what some Tennesseans perceive to be a Canadian accent.
Silver

Being a born and bred East Tennessean *Johnson City* I can attest to that. When I moved to Wyoming/Colorado, my friends here make fun of the way I pronounce words....I'm like Hey, that's they way they talk 'down there'. They don't believe me. It amazes them that people can just pick up an accent and where a person is from. I can pick up Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. It's just how words are pronounced and how fast they talk. *haha* But then again.. I can go to North Eastern Ireland or North Western Scotland and can do pretty well on understanding people since the Southern dialect is Scot-Irish.

ETA: When I moved to Wyoming I called everything Coke. I moved to Worland, Wyoming and they have the Pepsi plant there...man, did those people get pissed that I called it Coke. They would go off...It's not Coke..IT'S PEPSI! Talk about a touchy subject. One would be outcasted for drinking Coke products instead of Pepsi there!

[angelove]

I can't believe there wasn't a category on the map for "Co-cola." I always heard that growing up in coastal southern areas. The first time someone offered me a "soda" I politely refused, thinking she was offering me some of that stuff in the yellow box that my mother kept in the fridge.