Silly question...What are the chances of developing a southern accent (Mobile: fit in, transplants)

[wls2624]

I am curious if anyone has developed a southern accent after moving here as an adult. What are the chances of that happening? We've been here for over a year and nobody in our family has gotten one, including my young son. I don't think my husband will ever get one, he has a pretty strong Wisconsin accent. I suppose he could have a combination, that would sound pretty funny actually, lol!

[Southlander]

It takes more than a year to develop an accent. You need to be constantly surrouded by and listening to other speakers who speak with that accent.
Plus, you tend to "straighten up" your accent when surrouded by family. My mother spent decades away from the mountains of her native North Carolina, but within 12 hours of arriving in her home town, she was matching her sisters' accents.
But...one day...you're speaking to a member of your family or a friend from "back home" and they say, "I can barely understand you, you sound like one of those Southerners."

[MadHaus]

My dh arrived in the south to attend college well over three decades ago. It took nearly a decade before he started sounding southern, but he can easily switch over to a bland midwestern non-accent. It still cracks up his siblings when he says "Y'all."

[Elizabeth_G]

LOL...what a great question! I think what I have found here in Huntsville is that we are a melting pot of sorts. I am still taken aback when I do hear a strong southern drawl! It's actually not the true "norm" here any longer with all of us Yankees, ha! I was born in Chattanooga and grew up there until my mid teens...lost my accent soon after moving, due to survival skills in school, ha ha ha. Mine comes and goes but certainly not deep southern by any means

[y8tiger]

Being in the Military people have always told me that I don't sound like I am from the South. Once every 4 or 5 Years I return home on Leave and within a few days my southern drawl comes back as natural as breathing. You should have seen my wife's reaction the first time she witnessed it.

[Keeper]

I remember returning to Mobile after living away for 4 years, I couldn't believe how 'Southern' everyone sounded even my Mother!!! LOL

Living in Tampa for 30 years I had lost most of my accent although some say they could detect a little southern accent. After returning to AL I am back to normal. My DH was from MA, he didn't have that Boston accent unless he had a tad too much to drink.

[HB2HSV]

I just don't fit in anywhere, when I went to school in WisGONNNNsin I sounded like a Nu Yawker but 4 years later my Nu Yawk friends look at me funny when I tawk. California was great, everyone was from somewhere and has an accent. Now I am here and trying to slide in the "y'all" and "all of y'alls" into my vocabuary considering it's "mo better" to have lots of "y'alls". But get me back to Lon Guyland and before y'all know it, I'll be tawking as if I've never left. Oh fer gittabout it.

[NCN]

Originally Posted by MadHaus

My dh arrived in the south to attend college well over three decades ago. It took nearly a decade before he started sounding southern, but he can easily switch over to a bland midwestern non-accent. It still cracks up his siblings when he says "Y'all."

Honeychild, there is no such thing as a non-accent. He has a midwestern accent. Everybody has an accent. And yes, we in the South sometimes have difficulty understanding other accents. I have almost stopped watching QVC because they have so many really fast talking people on now. I just want to tell them to slow down and that lady that tries to say our all the time and ends up saying "R" instead just grates my nerves. Our president say "R" instead of our too.

I worked on a public job in an area that has been overrun by transplants. One of my patrons from NY came in telling about someone who had such an accent she could hardly understand him. Well, guess what, I doubt he could understand her either.

Many of my patrons who sound like they have a Northern accent tell me they go home and the people there think they have a Southern accent.

Accents are accents, realize that, accept it and get over it. I said this for everybody, not the poster I responded to. I get a bellylaugh every time I hear someone say something like non-accent. Is it really possible for a person to be so arrogant as to think that everybody should sound like they do. Some people may speak more like most other people, but that in itself would indicate that they really have a lot of accents. I saw the phrase American English the other day on a form. Yes, English is spoken in many different forms. A person from England will sound differently than a person from Australia or a person from the USA.

Some people are more likely to get an accent than others. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and speak very much like the people on "Mayberry RFD" but when I take the tests about accents, I end up with many midwestern phrases. In the mountains where I lived, we drank "pop" but we also had some people who spoke old English. My grandmother said some words such as "fetch" and "poke" instead of paper bag; and she said "necessary" instead of rest room. The Outer Banks of North Carolina have the old English preserved because of isolation also.

Now, how about people who have English as a second language and have difficulty saying certain words. I was born and bred in North Carolina but I personally would have difficulty saying coffee or cost the way they say it in New York. It would hurt my mouth to get into the shape to say those words as the people from that section do. When I hear them say some words, I say to myself, "How do they do that?" I had a little girl help me yesterday at the drugstore and she was having trouble saying "computer." She had to consciously take the word apart in syllables. Each ethnic group has its own "diffiult group of words to say." I love to see differences and think it is enjoyable as long as we all remain equals. Shame on anyone who thinks that one accent is better instead of different than another accent. I look forward to the day that the dictionary guides stop putting the middle America accent as the accepted way to say a word and start using phonics. It is my opinion that many parts of the country say many words in a wrong way.

BTW if you ever hear me say Y'all, I will be talking fake Southern, just like Paula from Savannah. LOL

[skinem]

Well, everyone has an accent of one kind or another...some of us have more than one!

Mine is pretty well messed up to the point that no matter where I go I get the "You're not from around here are you" routine...even if I am. It's pretty well a blend of three regional accents. My wife is from one area and my family is from two others...I'm always getting laughed at by some one for how I say a word...

Yes, to answer the OP, it's very possible you'll develop one in time...but you'll probably be like a lot of folks and have a blend.

[NCN]

My daughter now lives in about the middle of Northern Virginia. Her daughter was born in Virginia and her husband is a native of that area too. I love to hear them talk. They tease her about her Southern accent all the time. Poor thing, she is blond too. She let her hair go back to its natural color. She looks much better blond and I wish she would just get over it. She has two degrees but she told me, "I am blond and then I open my mouth and I have a Southern accent. Nobody is ever going to listen to me." I think they are more likely to listen to her as a blond because she is very pretty and they will listen because they want to talk to her.