The Deep Southern New Jersey "Drawl" (Trenton, Salem: transplants, neighborhoods)
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None of the people in the video really have any accent to me - not like the one I'm talking about........
It's really only the last guy, and yes, his is sort of mild, but the whole "People-from-South-Jersey-sound-like-southerners" thing is overblown. People who venture to South Jersey for the first time act like they're intrepid explorers who have just discovered a hidden tribe deep in the Amazon In reality they found some guy whose parents moved out to Shamong from Bensalem.
[quote=NJ Person;36692374]Sorry you haven't heard it but do you think I'm lying or making it up? Just b/c you haven't experienced something does not mean it does not exist!! So YES - "WAY"
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Excuse me, did I accuse you of lying or making it up? And btw, when I said No way, I meant ME. Are you accusing ME of lying?
And trust me, don't be sorry for me not having heard the accent. It's truly ok.
You'll see confederate flags in any "country" rural area. Today, they're more a symbol of country music than anything else. I'd be willing to bet you'd find confederate flags in rural Maine.
I just was out driving and saw a pickup truck with Jersey plates in my Union County town, license place cover said the truck came from Flemington, and it had a bumper sticker on it that said "born a Yankee, always a rebel" or something like that with the confederate flag.
I don't doubt the south Jersey accents are different, but some posters in General US have basically been claiming south Jersey is the south. Completely false, ridiculous statement to make - especially when in the same breath they're arguing DE and MD are northern.
Maine is full of obama bumper stickers and obama lawn signs.
Confederate flags have to do with the concept of being a rebel as opposed to have a connection with the 'South'. Like 'Rebel without a Cause', "Johnny Yuma was a rebel..." Bo and Luke Duke; more like being rebellious against any authority. Saw a PU in forked River on rt 9 on Sunday with the stars and bars.
That area is so built up from what it was I cannot figure out where my uncles house was near the defunct Forked River House. Can't even find the big lake I used to walk to. Imagine a lake disappearing! Way back when that area was the 'deep south' primarily populated with generations of locals. Everyone seemed to owe alegence to a fire company. Cedar fence posts and clams were for sale evrywhere. Chickens and eggs the big million dollar business. Blueberries and mushrooms for the picking.
Back then it was difficult to undersatnd anyone because of the drawl.
Now it is overrun with whoever and whatever, citified and no distinct inflection or drawl. SJ was the place everyone from the WW2 era had hoped to retire to. State police patrolled the region. Same landscape as the more southern states, that being underwater in the prehistoric times and now covered with pitch pine and oaks. Deleware bay kept SJ in isolation from being the "South'. SJ is its own flavor South.
Back in the 70's & early 80's, yes def. "southern drawls" from the locals in Barnegat, Manahawkin, Mayetta, Cedar Run & most certainly "The Pineys" of Tuckerton. Listen, you will hear it even today. Our kids were raised in Manahawkin in the 80's & pronounce the word Crayon--"Cray-on", our g'kids raised in Tuckerton (90's) say-"Cran".
Maine is full of obama bumper stickers and obama lawn signs.
Confederate flags have to do with the concept of being a rebel as opposed to have a connection with the 'South'. Like 'Rebel without a Cause', "Johnny Yuma was a rebel..." Bo and Luke Duke; more like being rebellious against any authority. Saw a PU in forked River on rt 9 on Sunday with the stars and bars.
That area is so built up from what it was I cannot figure out where my uncles house was near the defunct Forked River House. Can't even find the big lake I used to walk to. Imagine a lake disappearing! Way back when that area was the 'deep south' primarily populated with generations of locals. Everyone seemed to owe alegence to a fire company. Cedar fence posts and clams were for sale evrywhere. Chickens and eggs the big million dollar business. Blueberries and mushrooms for the picking.
Back then it was difficult to undersatnd anyone because of the drawl.
Now it is overrun with whoever and whatever, citified and no distinct inflection or drawl. SJ was the place everyone from the WW2 era had hoped to retire to. State police patrolled the region. Same landscape as the more southern states, that being underwater in the prehistoric times and now covered with pitch pine and oaks. Deleware bay kept SJ in isolation from being the "South'. SJ is its own flavor South.
John McPhe has a great book on the Pine Barrens
I would say there are areas that still to this day look very much like the South in SJ. One time in Salem County I ventured off the county roads into narrow wooded alleyways and I couldn't believe the level of trailer-esque poverty I saw.
I would love to chime in on this... SJ accents are so funny to me. I grew up I'm north jersey my whole life and moved to Gloucester for college. It's basically a different state down there. I love being Abe to identify fellow northerners just by hearing people talk in the classroom. While it's not a SOUTHERN accent by ANY means, everyone basically agrees there is a north jersey/ny accent, an a south jersey/philly accent. Personally I found the SJ accent hysterical especially when some girls would talk, it was so obnoxious sounding to me, I would always make fun of them, but id get it right back because I have a very heavy ny accent.
Edit - I should add I love their accents down there as well as finding them funny. Even checking out at the kcal shoprite I'd always get asked "boy you're not from down here are you?" When id speak to them. I love SJ though, much more than north jersey where I'm back in now. Gloucester is an awesome county, and I lve it even more south, down by Salem, Pittsgrove, etx.
I think these accents can be considered rural or country accents, rather than "southern". You tend to hear a lot of it in the South because those states have vast areas of rural towns, where people tend to be less educated. I've heard these "southern drawls" from friends in Indiana and that is obviously not the South.
I grew up in SJ in the tri-county area across from Philly and everyone here either has a Philly accent or just a general once. I know the rumors about the supposed Deep South Jersey accent but have never heard it in person.
On the other hand, if you take NJ Rt. 40 to AC, you will see a rodeo along the way, so who knows.
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In reality they found some guy whose parents moved out to Shamong from Bensalem.
