What does a Southern accent sound like?

What does a Southern accent sound like?

You probably have an idea of what a Southern accent sounds like. Southerners have a drawl, they say “y’all” and maybe even “howdy.” Surely not everyone in the South talks this way, but most of us are aware of the fact that Southerners don’t speak the same way as Northerners.

Can you tell a person from the south apart?

Most Americans have a hard time telling apart people from various areas of the South. Heck, actual Southerners may have trouble knowing if a person comes from Atlanta, Memphis or Montgomery. But like all accents, there’s lots of variety. There’s a sharp linguistic difference between cities and rural areas in the South.

Why do people lose their accents in cities?

Cities are a major hotspot of linguistic innovation, but they can also lead to accent loss. Because Southern American English is stigmatized by cosmopolitan people, people who live in cities and travel the country will often try to “lose” their accent. While this isn’t everyone, it’s caused cities to sound distinctly more northern than rural parts.

Do you think your accent is fake?

No, your accent is not fake. 1. How often someone says, “Your accent is so ______!” Fill in the blank with: strong, cute, endearing, funny, adorable, weird, etc. You’ve heard it all before. Probably an hour ago. 2. You catch people not from the South off guard when you say anything at all to them.

Why is it so hard for some people to adopt accents/speech patterns?

People who do adopt language patterns and accents are actually aware that this makes them fit it and more likable. However, this becomes more difficult to do with age. People who do not imitate accents/speech patterns easily may have a strong sense of identity with the region where they initially learned to speak.

How long does it take to pick up a local accent?

From my personal observations of English speakers, if you move to a place before you are in your mid teens, then within a year or so you will pick up the local accent. After that, you will tend to keep your original accent.