Regional Accents In The U.S.

[SanFranciscan]

I have done a lot of call center work. I have noticed over the years that people from Albany and people from Birmingham and people from St. Louis or wherever else can sound remarkably alike. Am I just being silly to think that there is something a little sad about the loss of regional accents, or does anyone else here feel that way too?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't suppose you have that problem with people from New England.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

It seems like more people relocate now than in the past, so that influences things.

There are still regional differences though...and it's not just in how people sound, but it's also how people phrase things and the terms they use to refer to things (sucker vs lollipop...soda vs coke vs pop...buggy vs cart...etc).

 

[bicker]

I find regional accents quaint and charming, just like hand-darned socks. I'm just as happy, though, to recognize that there are some advantages to sounding less different one from another.

 

[clgwli]

I didn't do call center work, but I worked with various regions of the country and I could tell you for sure where the people I talked to were located. I did a lot of regional calls in the N. Alabama, Long Island, just outside of Boston, and a few various areas of the midwest. Some regions like the midwest and some areas of CA were vere non-descript with the accents (they sound like mostly what you hear on national news or movies), but that's always been that way IMO. So I never noticed that regional accents are going away.

 

[TinkerTracy]

Well as a Long Islander I can tell you we still have our accent!

 

[Robinrs]

No matter where someone lives, they still possess one or two words that can show where they or their parents are from! I enjoy guessing, and I'm rarely wrong!! The people I can NEVER guess are army brats, they carry a little bit of everywhere they've lived!

I don't consider it sad, it's like your roots, you don't have to be where you're from to continue the culture.

 

[Just Jan]

I don't suppose you have that problem with people from New England.

I love being called out on our accent

 

[Robinrs]

I love being called out on our accent

You? Try being from Brooklyn!!

 

[OK!]

I think a lot of older people from this area have a distinctive St. Louis accent...if any of you all watch The Office, the character Phyllis is played by an actress from St. Louis. Listen to her say words like "forty" or "north." All Os become As, so you get "farty" and "narth." I've noticed my mom starting to slip some farties into conversation lately; it always makes me lol.

It doesn't seem as prevalent in younger St. Louisans, for whatever reason.

 

[turkeymama]

I live in North Louisiana and I promise I haven't lost my southern accent. My poor husband (former military) wishes I would sometimes because both our kids have picked it up. Thank God they have good vocabularies for their age so they sound intelligent when they speak.

 

[OhMari]

Well, Hey dare, doncha know your from Wisconsin et all?

My father in-law has a thick Wisconsin accent,
every year, I cringe at christmas-it use to bug the heck out of me
when he asked my kids if Santie Claus came.
My mil in law has a sister that has a really bad accent that it makes her look bad. Her favorite saying: "youse guys, dontcha know."

 

[monkey68]

I'm from Brooklyn, and people definitely know it. I moved out of Brooklyn for school, and I sort of controlled my accent a bit. But I can definitely bring it out on a moment's notice. Especially when someone is being rude to me, I find that the Brooklyn in me comes out. Although I did spend quite a bit of time traveling and spent a lot of time with people from other countries, and I did pick up some Australian and New Zealand sayings, and it does come out from time to time as well.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Actually, DH and I were at the WWII museum on the 3rd and took the time to listen to almost all of the little 2-minute personal interviews that are scattered throughout the museum. It was amazing how clear and distinctive the accents were. We could guess where almost all the interviewees were from. I wonder if people raised today will have such differing, clearly identifiable accents.

 

[El Nebuloso]

I'm a lifelong New Englander and at one time had a VERY distinct regional accent. When I was about 17 I decided to change it (you know, prouncing the 'r' and 'g' in the word 'parking' for example. 27 years later and I couldn't speak proper New England if I tried

 

[olena]

The regional accents are definitely out there. I like to listen for them and identify their origins. Even with all the influx of transplants here in Atlanta, I do still find the Atlanta accent. Once you get out of the metro area into more rural Georgia, you find a stronger accent.

 

[powellrj]

There was a TV show on yesterday filmed in my town and to be honest, I never realized that we do have a small accent. I watched 3 different episodes of the show each filmed in a different place and while the accent was very mild, there was a slight one. I have always heard we Hoosiers have a flat accent whatever that means.

 

[dizluvah]

OP you mentioned call centers and I wanted to chime in that having been a call center phone rep in the past, my friends and family tell me I have my "Customer Service" voice and then my real voice. My real voice is fast talking New Englander all the way, with some midwest thrown in from my college days. More than one person has commented on my "work" voice being different.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I don't suppose you have that problem with people from New England.

Boy, that's sure true in my case! I moved down here from Massachusetts almost 16 years ago, yet my New England accent is still strong. People are constantly saying "You're not from around here, are you?" Yet, they're always so surprised that I've lived here that long.

 

[MoniqueU]

I have a friend from Ware Masacusetts. He may as well be speaking english with a thick russian accent for all I can understand him just at booze and I just nod and agree with everything he says LOL.