How to Speak with a Southern Accent | American English
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
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ABOUT THE LESSON 📚
The southern accent is one of the most distinct accents in the United States. You hear it in movies, TV shows, as well as when you travel to the South.
I'm going to break the accent down for you so that you have a better understanding as to how people speak with a southern drawl, which will help you improve your overall comprehension.
I thank ya'll for watchin'. 😉
LESSON CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro to the Southern Accent
0:56 Slow Speech with Diphthongs
4:34 Syllable Stress (prolonging & changing stress)
6:30 Mixing of Vowel Sounds
7:11 Pronouncing "I" & "my" and the Soft /r/
7:58 Words that End in -llow
8:33 Reductions & Dropping the G in -ing Words
#InteractiveEnglish #SouthernAccent
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As a European i love the southern accent, cant wait to visit the southern states next summer and listen to folks talk
Go out to the country if you want to hear it spoken thicker. Unfortunately, it has become watered down in some of the larger cities.
The American south is miserable. Avoid it like the plague.
@@Michael, have a wonderful time!! I agree with the above comment that you won’t hear as much of an accent (if any) in the cities. Just like in Europe, more of the true culture will be found in the smaller towns away from the cities.
We southerners think you talk funny also. SteveBaggett
Some of us southerners like yalls accent too
As someone with a southern accent, I think we are often thought of as "less intelligent," uneducated and simple thinkers. I also get called "sweetie" and "honey" in drive-thrus. Southern people are perceived as nice and religious. I have been hired based on the way I talk. I have also been dismissed for the same reason.
I applaud your channel, because at the end of the day, it's just a matter of where your peers were. My children do not sound like me. They sound like their friends.
“Oh, Hon, those don’t come with pickles or onions anyway”… one of many reasons I love where I live. Anyone else: “no, nah, u-uh” … West Texan: “nnnope”; East Texan: “Why, hayull no”
As a Canadian I hear it as black speak but the southern gentleman remains gold standard!
I'm Northern English, we get treated similarly because we have heavy accents haha. I find it pretty funny as a tool to catch people off guard though.
Apart from the crazy religious stuff, I love the Southern accent - I think I do it quite well. I also love the way they never use the indefinite article 'an' even if the following word starts with a vowel
YES! I'm not originally from the South, so I still have my Ohio/ Midwestern sound (though not as pronounced after 35 years of living here) and I noticed that when Carter was president. Made fun of his accent first, then came TV shows like Carter Country & Dukes of Hazard.... but it's been that way a long time - Beverly Hillbillies, and various characters. But it irritated me that the ostensibly culture-sensitive children's show featuring puppet monsters and caricature human puppets had ONE puppet with a Southern accent. His name was "Forgetful Jones."
I find it kinda neat that the southern accent is so diverse. There's several variations. I'm from Texas, but I can hardly understand someone from rural Louisiana
I’m from Louisiana who married a rural Arkansas boy and we now live in east Texas. Our kids have the Matthew mcconhey accent. It’s a great accent. I still love me some south Louisiana accent.
I heard the worst southern accent was Yat from New Orleans. As a non-native English speaker (French that is), it sure is hard for me to get a word of what they say.
i'm from the gulf coast my mom is too and my dad is from Arkansas so my accent shifts like crazy particularly now that i live in the midwest it's very neat
I'm already a Southerner, but Louisiana Cajun is the absolute best!
I grew up near the borders of Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. I was raised by folks from southeast and middle Tennessee. In the past I was embarrassed by my accent since many people equate it with ignorance, in fact I grew up with some people who went to speech classes in order to eradicate their southern accent. When I got into customer service and found that I couldn't get New Yorkers and other northerners off the phone because they loved hearing me talk I realized it's all good. And men LOVE it.
so you grew up in a "panhandle" :)
I grew up around mobile, I live in a western state now. Ladies love it too ;p
Sounds like you're from around Chattanooga.
men do love it lmfaoo 🤭
@@TheMVCohothat’s what I think as well. Probably worked for a call center in Chattanooga. Lol New Yorkers do seem to enjoy hearing us speak.
As a born and raised Southerner, I can ALWAYS tell when someone is using a fake Southern accent in TV shows and movies. It’s soooo bad lol. Is that how people from the UK feel about us when we try to imitate a British accent? 🥴😂
Specially when they say “y’all” for one person 🤦♂️
@@joelmichotjr97Yeah, heard that one when my kids were watching My Little Pony. It’s a dead giveaway. Who needs to say it for one person?
in britain there’s so many different accents so some people are offended that people are making fun of their accent, while some are just annoyed people think they sound like that
Bad southern accents in movies drives me absolutely crazy? It’s so distracting for me that I can’t focus on the movie.
@@judymurray191agree
I'm a foreinger and southern accent is beautifull to me. It delivers more feeling to me.
Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
As a Southern woman from Georgia, that really means a lot to me. Thank you for the kind words! It seems like our accents (there are numerous types of Southern accents) are the ones that are the most ridiculed and mocked by foreigners and other Americans.
@@P3ach3s70 its mostly other americans
I am from the U.K. and we like most of the American accents, but by far the most loved is the southern accent. If I had to explain why it is because the southern accent is pleasant to the ears, with a warm & friendly lilt to it. Also, given that southerners usually speak at a slower pace (drawl) it is the easiest American accent for non English speakers. As a high school music teacher, the south also has a special place in music history. This is whereby rock n roll was formed by African American musicians, as well as R&B and Jazz. Just Imagine most of the contemporary music forms that the world listens to today comes from the American south.
I think southern accents are the closest american accents to the UK since they had the lowest non-colonial British immigrants in the area. There are however multiple southern accents, some of them are slow like you mentionned, but can often be very fast! some of them sound like they're just stringing words together, others sound like they're mispronouncing every single word or can't understand what they're saying, it varies significantly depending on the region and socio-economic class.
@@donquixotedoflamingo5510 That makes total sense. In the U.K. it is similar, as we also have many accents. Not only per region, but individual cities as well. Most Americans are more familiar with the London area accent/s, as that is what they have heard from British T.V. etc.. They often have difficulty understanding other U.K. accents like the Liverpool (city) accent. It is major thick, to the point that outsiders sometimes say it does not even sound like English. Another tough one for outsiders is the Scottish accent. Add into that socioeconomic class, it gets harder to understand for people outside the U.K.
@@donquixotedoflamingo5510 if my memory serves me correct the certain American accent is actually the original accent the colonists used to use when they arrived in the New world northerners created a new accent to separate themselves from the lower class/ more English citizens.
The North American accent was created to push away our British roots that's probably why most people from Britain love the southern American accent it's the closest connection to us linguistically
feels nice to say DANG IT
Yeah most of the next is pretty deep I mean just depends where you come from and you're from the UK cool also thanks we like our Southern Accents too
I was born and raised in the Deep South. Born in southern Mississippi and raised there, southern Louisiana and southern Alabama. I never even thought I had an accent till I moved to Washington state when I was 16. The other kids would not leave me alone. They followed me around asking me to say words 😂. You did a great job explaining how we speak. Just a few exceptions from my perspective. You usually only hear older southern folks say “gee-tar” and “yell-uh”. Those words, my grandma used to say like that, but I don’t and I’m 50 for reference. I think it was taught out of us in school. They tried to make us stop saying “ain’t” too, but that didn’t work.
you meant "that ain't work" :D
What about “double-yuh” instead of “double-you”
When my ex-wife moved to St. Louis after spending four years in western Tennessee, she had this incredibly pronounced twang kind of like Penelope Pitstop from the old TV cartoon "Wacky Races". The first time we went down there to visit her brother, we stopped at a taco joint. EVERYBODY talked like that!
@@SrednyStogIt really is pronounced "Dubya," just like people making fun of the 43 president.
You make a really good point. EVERYONE has an accent, but when you sound like everyone else where you live, it doesn't seem like you have accent. 😊
I love the southern accent. I worked in a call center for American retail companies and I always get excited to be talking to people from the south. For me they're also laid back and are sooo friendly. I like their vibe.
I am a Northerner married to an East Texan. It took me awhile, but l figured out why his accent sounds like it does. No matter what the word and how many syllables it has, the accent is always on the first syllable. PO-lice, CE-ment. He even pronounced the state of Vermont, VER-mont. So interesting.
Does he say EYE-talian? (Italian)
@@jeremyweems4916 more like EE-talian
"HOtel California " ( Eagles)
as a New Yorker living in Texas, this is very accurate. You have obviously studied the english language at great depth.
@@brodertruck8878I think you are confusing Texas with Australia.
I like how he even caught pronouncing “w” “dub-ya”
As a Brit trying to speak in a Texan accent for a show, this was brilliant! Thanks
I think Southern accent is the most famous in the United States when it comes to portrayal of Americans in the movies. African Americans also being raised mostly in the south speak in a similar accent.
Thanks for commenting & sharing. 👍
Yep. My fam is from Tx and I got it
the Alanta/southern Florida accent
I’m Brazilian and as a native Portuguese speaker, I think southern accent sounds so good to me. Also, every time I go to America, I must visit Texas. That’s definitely one of my favorite States. Greetings from Brazil!
@@patola75 greetings form a American northerner
We southerners also do things like this:
Did y’all hear that? = Jy’all hear that?
Y’all will have fun = Y’all’ll have fun.
Nashville = Nashvull
Window = winduh
Tomatoes = tomatuhs
And also, for "tomatoes," "maders."
I soooo heard someone say tomatuh in nc. & She kept saying it over & over like that too. *O
As a life long southerner born in Savannah, GA I have to say your descriptions are pretty accurate. The only pronunication I've not heard often is GEEtar for guitar. The more common pronunciation in the South is GITar.
Or gatar
I'm in kentucky and GEEtar is not too uncommon among old timers, especially from Appalachia
In northern Georgia, it’s definitely pronounced “Gittarrr”, here.
same here-I have never heard anyone say geetar-it's GITar
"Gueetar" I heard growing up in Kentucky. It would be considered a little uneducated, though comical.
In the Deep South, “can’t” sounds like “caint,” not two syllables. Otherwise you did pretty well. You nailed the pen/pin lack of difference. Also, not all of us say geetar, some of say it normally. Don’t go as hard on the length of I/ah and many of us say the r sounds at the end of the words, unless it’s more of a coastal accent.
Thanks for commenting & sharing with us. 👍
Yeap, i know what ya mean.
More likely for us to say guh-tar.
pen/pin/pan
I'm from Charleston and definitely say "can't" as a subtle double syllable rather than "caint". Lots of accents going on in the deep south.
As someone from south Mississippi, you did a pretty good job depicting the southern accent without making it sound ridiculously fake. Guitar wasn't completely accurate though. It's more like Gih-tahr with pronunciation. And I've mostly heard throwin a fit rather than pitchin a fit lol. Ain't and yall are definitely accurate bc I use these words daily lol. In fact if I say can't it comes out as caint lol. The ten tin and pen pin thing is pretty spot on. All in all you did a good job and thank you for not making the accent foolish or fake. I say yellow as yellow though lol
Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
I think things like “pitchin’ a fit” vs “throwin’ a fit” depend on region and age. Grandma said “pitchin’”. Mom says “throwin’”, but her friend from Macon says “pitchin’” but she’s from a more rural area and a city known for a very strong accent, whereas Mom is from Decatur.
Guitar was the first thing that really struck me as noticeably wrong as well. Can confirm, Gih-tawr or Gih-tahr is way more accurate.
My family is from the south but for some reason I have the accent even tho I've been in cali my whole life
@@JRinke87 I used to pronounce it ji-tar cause of the accent 😂 😅 🤣
I just love the southern accent!!! I had a coworker from Alabama, and I was just in loved by her accent.
As a southern accented person who has both the drawl and twang (as well as a northern accent) watching this video made me happy and giggle a lot
I am a native Virginian who now lives in Alabama. There is definitely a difference in that Virginians have more of the "drawl" and Alabamans have more of the "twang" and is more nasal. You are spot on with your examples. Here in Alabama, people don't say "McDonalds", but say MAC-donald's as an example. Also, I hear the word "FAR" a lot when saying "FIRE", like "We just saw a big ole' FAR back down the road". People thought we were Yankees when we first moved here, due to our Virginian drawl not being super pronounced. We got MANY stares when out in public.
There is a regional aspect to it as well. The western parts of Kentucky and Tennessee have such a strong twang that it nearly sounds like someone trying to make fun of it.
We say “far” instead of fire all the up in southern Indiana too. That Hoosier twang
I lived in Virginia but I moved to kansas
I'm from northeast NC and my family says "MacDonalds" and it is a "big Mack" not a "big mick". They also say "MacPherson" instead of "McPherson". We don't say "far" though for "fire", it's more like "fahr". The I sounds more like the (a) in the word "back" said without a southern accent.
:)) You goen' daun to watch dem fires daun yonder? :)
I was raised in Georgia and now live up north. i was speaking to someone the other day and just after a few sentences they asked if I was from the south
Where do you live now? The North is a big place.
Just a little note: Some of these things are universal in the South, but some of them are more common in certain states.
Thanks for commenting & sharing. 👍
I live in TN and we had a neighbor from South Africa with the loveliest accent. His children were born in the US south. He made me laugh so hard when he told a story about his daughter working on a school assignment about the number of syllables in words. I think the example he used was “Alabama”. He informed her that no matter how many extra vowel sounds she scattered around in there it is only supposed to be 4 syllables.
Thank you for actually taking the time to learn our accent and showing us respect. Many other videos I've seen are either generic or inaccurate. Keep in mind y'all we were taught to speak this way from the womb. I've tried tirelessly to water down or get rid of my accent I haven't been able to
Thanks so much for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
Why should you want to water it down? That's who you are, be proud of it.
I was born and raised in Italy, but I've been living in the USA for 20 years now. Sure I'm always trying to improve my English, speak more fluently. But I'd never try to rid of my Italian accent.
With all due respect, I love this accent and try to (respectfully) imitate it because being from Los Angeles we don’t really have an accent, we just have slang. 😞 This is by far one of the best accents!
Greetings from the Armenian in China, always admired y'all accent bro.
That's so sad, why not be proud of it?
Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, I was searching for videos with Southern accent coaching to drill the way they speak and, at the first stage, I found extremely hard to imitate their accent. But it's one of the cutest American accents. Loved the purpose of the video, Wes. 😉
That's awesome! Glad the timing of this works. 👍
Just look up “we need more dogs” on RUclips. It’s video of a southern football coach. Everything about him captures how we talk in the deep south
@@agwinmoore thanks for letting me know that. I'mma look it up. 😉
Oh yeah, one of the cutest 🤗 I love it 😍
Thank you!!! Interesting you say that. I find it hard to imitate a NY accent. 😀
I’m was born and raised in the south and lemme just say the reductions were perfectly explained and not too far off the mark
I'm a 60 year old born and raised in Georgia. My southern accent is so slight that most people don't hear it. But, I sure can lay one on you if I try.
One of the best things about traveling regionally and world-wide is listening to people's accent.☘️💫
Absolutely. Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
I'm from the south, and I catch myself many times saying, "ya-on't-too." Like if I'm going somewhere and I ask that person if they would like to go. I say, " I'm goin' up town, ya' o'nt to go?" Instead of, " Do you want to go too?"
I live in Kentucky and I've noticed we have several accents. Even in small towns there may be different accents among people who have always lived in that same town. Something I've also noticed is that famous movies that are set in the South usually will win the Acadamy Award.
I live in Kentucky as well and we have many accents depending on what part of the state you live. I live in Louisville. People always think I'm from the Midwest even though I've lived in Louisville my whole life. People swear I'm from Ohio.
I was raised in Kentucky and noticed that the folk in our small town and surrounding county had some different accents. Seems social strata had a bit to do with the variety.
I'm from the South, myself. My accent isn't a typical Southern Accent, but that twang occasionally comes out when I speak. And of course, Southern Accents vary. Some just sound a little Southern, while others actually fit what you might hear on TV or in movies. If you're deep enough in the Georgia countryside, you'll definitely hear those accents.
Right! Mine comes out in bits and pieces, but when I'm excited, people notice it. (especially if I'm visiting up north). Folks down here in SC don't notice of course. But Georgians have the sweetest, most melodious accents.
@@RandaWise My mother has a bit of a Southern draw. So does my aunt and my cousin. I think my cousin gets his accent from his dad.
That twang extends up into the southern part of Illinois. Pretty much anything south of I-64 may as well be an extension of Kentucky. My wife's from the part of Illinois near where the Ohio and Wabash rivers meet and she speaks with an almost Appalachian accent, so much so that it's rubbed off on me after 12 years of marriage.
As a British actor, your channel has been a god send. Currently working on my 3rd role playing an American colonel. Appreciate the effort you put into your content. God bless and keep up the incredible work😎🔥❤
Thanks! I appreciate it. 👍
@@InteractiveEngwelcome 😎
@@TheKevinLeegood luck with your acting dude. Just don’t make the mistake of making your “R” sounds, sound like “eh’s” or “ah’s”… unless it’s a period piece. We don’t say things like “I do declai’ah” instead of “I do declare”. A great movie to really pick up on a good accent would be Delmar from O’Brother where art thou. He sounds like everyone’s redneck uncle in the tristate area! 🤣
@@tangofett4065 haha. Awesome! Much appreciated. Shall save this recommendation in my to watch list 🙏
Southern accent is top of list of my favorite accents. And Irish (Dublin) is one line lower. They both sound unique in songs and speech. But I have a little trouble understanding Irish sometimes unlike southern.
I have an other little note to add about ain't it also can mean "did not"
Thanks for commenting & sharing with us. You're definitely right that they sound unique. 👍
Thank you Resident Kindness. When I was a kid, I tried to not emphasize my southern accent (Texas and Southern Louisiana). Now, I don't care and I have received some compliments. 😄
I love the Irish accent too. I'm a southern gurl.
Good presentation. Speaking of pitching a fit, down South there are several classifications of fits. In addition to a standard, regular fit, there’s a hissy fit. There’s also a conniption fit. There’s also a walleyed fit.
In the midwest, we have hissy fits and conniption fits as well.
I like that you're presenting the actual way words are formed differently rather than how to do a STRONG accent, it's really nice and serves my purposes well! Hoping to play a dino-wranglin dnd character and can't wait to practice w these tips before sessions start ^^
You are awesome and decent in explaining the southern accent, It helps a LOT for non-native speakers to catch up.. THANKS A TON!🙏
Thank you! 😃
A true southern here.. you are very close with your accent but not quite there yet. I guess it is according to the area that one is from.. I stress to my grandchildren to never give up their southern draw! It’s very important to keep their heritage.. 🙂
I even have people in my own hometown that ridicule me over my southern drawl. I tell ‘em they are the ones that speak funny,hahaha.. sad thing is a lot of people look at our Southern drawl/ dialect as ignorance. And it’s absolutely not! I never wanted to change mine and by no means uneducated… it is just the way we talk..🙂
I did enjoy your video! I hope you have a great day!
Thanks for commenting & sharing with us. 👍
Like you, I’m proud of being from the South, and proud of our accent! It represents Southern hospitality and respect for our elders. It’s so much so respectful to hear “yes ma’am” or “no sir.” Just my opinion as an Alabama girl.
So my mother told me to practice speaking in a general American accent so that I wouldn't have any missed opportunities. But in the real world, older people questioned where I was from and didn't trust me. I talked to my boss and I said I was born and raised here all my life. He said well if you can speak with an accent lay it on thick. Say good mornin' yall, and how ya'll doin'. Worked like charm! Folks trusted me from then on.
That's mostly Northern and Hollywood prejudice/bias... they've traditionally ruled the media (print, TV, film). I think that's changed somewhat for the better in recent decades because people respect diversity and differences more.
Also in many southern accents, you'll get variable rhoticity. What I mean by that is the r will sometimes get dropped after vowel sounds and other times it'll get pronounced after vowel sounds. For example, "Git yur butt to Noth Carolahna" or "we don't sell cahs there". The r seems most likely to be dropped in 'or' and 'ar' sounds.
I'm from northeast NC and we say "cars" not "cahs" and "North" not "Noth". There are accent differences between city and country southern people and white and black southern though.
I have lived in North Carolina for over 20 years, but I'm originally from Long Island (raised by two parents from Brooklyn). I went to college outside of Boston, so I have heard my share of strong accents! I would say the southern accent I'm hearing from you is more of a New Orleans accent, which is different from how I hear my southern friends speak. I work with a lady that was born and raised in Virginia, and sometimes I'm thinking, holy cow lady -- just spit it out already. I love the southern accent and I'm a sucker for the funny southern dialect as well. I also love the way the kids (including my own) say "yes Ma'am" and "no sir" to grown-ups / teachers / parents without being prompted. My kid said it to a lady in the airport in NY, and the woman looked stunned. 😂
Hi
I'm from Rome Italy, and I lived 4 years in Alababa for my job before to go back in Italy.
I wish I had these lessons when I was there in the 2010.
I love your video , it seemed to me to be still there .
For all the southern people and frends... I luv y'all and thanks for all the love you give to me❤ (Dixie in not just a land , is a lovely family 😊)
Hope to be there soon again.
Have the best on your live.🎉
Glad you enjoyed the lesson. Thanks so much for your comment. 😊
How did the accent affect your normal speech when you went back home?
Being southern born and bred that’s a very accurate representation of southern dialect! But the visual comparisons are a southern presumably special needs character, a jailed convict , escaped convict and someone in a servitude position. Now that just ain’t right! Bless your ❤️ heart
Sho' nuff!
As a foreign student of 7 years in Oklahoma, I love the Southern hospitality and accent.
I'm from Canada and I loved to go to my cousins in Raleigh North Carolina, after about a week we Yankees sounded like tar heels, on leaving my cousin would say, now y'all come back now hear!
I like all southern accents. They sound like singing. I wish I could speak any of them.
Oh my gosh!!! I'd been learning English for a while in my country but never was i taught this great lesson thefore,i wish you could keep teaching us this lesson every day for us to have a deeper understanding when it comes to speaking this accent
Not all southern accents are non-rhotic. I’m from western North Carolina which was settled by peoples from southern Scotland/northern England and the accent retains the rhoticity from its parents.
i’m also from north carolina, and it’s so interesting how even if you drive 30 minutes to the next town the accent changes sometimes. for example, in my little town of castalia, sister is sometimes pronounced “SIS-tuh”. but in the next town over the rhoticity is retained. i think my region specifically retained a bit of the classical southern accent. then there’s my grandparents…tomato=mater, window=winder LOL
Often R's are added when there is none. Warsh comes to mind. My dad would rolls his R's in quarter and daughter
@@joanyow7952 that is a characteristic of the accents where I am from. That comes from the Scottish and Northern Irish accents. I don’t personally have it growing up in Burke county NC but my father from Wilkes county NC did have that.
@@ericbarlow6772 My dad's family was from North Carolina and moved south and west, settling in Georgia when the land was opened to settlers. I believe they lived in isolation in the Blue Ridge Mountains retaining many of the words and expressions from the British Isles. I had an uncle that said hit for it, which is 16th-century English or British.
@@joanyow7952 I have been told that words like a-hunting and [h]it are more northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. That would be consistent with the Europeans who settled there.
My fifth great grandfather, David Law, was from the Wilkes County area (Ferguson and Boomer, NC and was a Continental soldier. He fought at Kings Mountain. Your dad’s family might have come from area too.
Don't y'all just love this?
Well, I do. ❤ I love to learn about accents in any language. I am from Brazil, which is a huge country, like the States, and boy ... have we got a thousand accents going on there? Yes siree, we do. Tons of them. And they are so much fun! Please give us more lessons like this one. 😊
Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
I studied CS in Aachen, Germany and postgrad studies are fully English. And there was this one German professor with a THICK southern drawl who must've spent quite some time in the American south who gave many a student a really hard time during lectures 😅
your pronunciations, in context, are excellent... I'm from the Florida Panhandle(Alabama accent) but lived/worked in ATL, NYC & PDX and I think the local accent and dialect are the most interesting thing about any language.... languages are always constantly changing, very dynamic, so you have to stay on your toes if you want to study language. :D
I'm a native South Carolinian, and I was so tickled listening to your explanations. You did a great job! I don't hear that much drawl where I'm from, however there are lot of contractions and the closer you get to Charleston, the accents REALLY change😂😂😂
Thanks for watching! 👍
Yasss!!! I'm in Columbia. Y'all are like apples in Charleston and we're orange. We are definitely diverse . 😂😂😂😂😂
I’m from upstate SC and I noticed that too
While growing up, I could detect several SC accents. The most distinct to me was the Charleston accent, which was akin to the Tidewater Virginia accent. Then there was the mountain accent in the northwest (Pickens, Oconee, Greenville), which had that Appalachian twang. Less distinct but still distinguishable at times were the accents in the Upstate, Midlands and the Coastal Plain. Finally, people sometimes talked differently if from town vs. the country of the same county (if from the county, words were spoken more quickly with words running together). And all that's just white folks.
There were also various accents in the Black community. Especially strong were the Gullah-Gechee accents (which was really almost a hybrid language vs. just an accent) and general coastal accents -- quite different than accents of Black people in the rest of the state.
These days, I either have less of an ear for it or the accents are getting mixed and less distinguishable with the influx of people from other states and more people moving about in South Carolina.
Georgia checking in. This is very accurate. In fact I've heard this so long, his non-southern almost sounded foreign
One big oversight was with the “-g dropping”. Up north, they’re even worse at it, taking it to single syllable words also. “Thing” becomes “thin” for example. Down south, those single syllable “ing” words become “ang”. So “thing becomes “thang”. “Ink” words also shift so “drink” becomes “drank”. As a result the past tense “drank” becomes “drunk”.
What a good video! I’m living in Colorado state and I met a lot of accents here. One of them is the southern accent and this video was so useful to understand a lot of expressions! Thank you.
I've heard that accent before, but I wasn't quite sure where it came from. Thanks for making it so clear!
Glad you enjoyed the lesson. 😃
I'm Filipino and this is part of my report in class. This is very helpful since I'm not an English native speaker. Very informative indeed ❤
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In south Mississippi we say yeller, not yellu, and we say feller, winder not window, and piller not pillow
Also "yailler" or "yaller"as my grandpa and his Kentucky generation would say. Speaking of meeting my grandmother, "Yore mammy was the purtiest gal in the county. She had purty yaller hai-yer".
In the Southern US, you will hear the southern dialect spoken in many settings, including academic settings, business,etc.AAVE is also commonly spoken in these settings throughout the Southern US.Tennessean here.
This is so helpful. Thanks! I'm currently working with Southern people and it's been difficult to me to fully understand them.
Happy to hear that! Thanks for commenting. 👍
I've heard people say we're difficult to understand. That's because we're so diverse. I live in SC, and people who are more on the eastern side of the state (Gullah's, Geechie's) speak faster and have more of an African dialect. People in some country sides are more sing-songy. But here in Columbia, it's a mix-bag. But in Greenville, they're a whole 'nother group. LOL
I really enjoy your videos. As a native of North Florida and a speaker of Southern Twang, I have found your analysis of southern accents to be entirely accurate. As you have stated, there are more variations among southern accents,. For example, there are distinctions in the Texas southern drawl vs. a more aristocratic southern drawl spoken in parts of Alabama and northern Georgia. The latter accent is considered a more posh accent among many southerners, by the way. Returning to the subject of Southern Twang, there is another feature in it which is a reduction of “do you want” to “ont.” For example, “do you want to go for a walk” becomes “ont to go for a walk” when speaking very informally. I have tried to eradicate it from my speech but it still pops out at times. My non-southern acquaintances view this with disdain when I say this, much to my mortification. I agree that it sounds subpar for a person with a higher level college degree. I appreciate that you are not judgemental in your discussion of southern accents. Some people seem to associate southern accents with a lack of intelligence or education.
Southern accents vary by state or county. As a south carolina native, raised in north carolina, stationed in Texas, VA, TN, GA, (just southern states) and as someone who picks up accents fairly easy, there are subtle and major differences in them.
The accent he did for the video is a GA accent, most common around athens/macon GA. Not all of GA sounds like that. And macon GA gets even deeper..... you cant mistake someone from macon with any other town once you hear it lol.
Now for me personally, i normally have a mid-western accent, most people cant tell im from the south. Except when i start explaining that there are certain words i say where it comes out..... heavy..... and it usually takes me about 5 mins to get out of it lol. Songs especially bring it out.
same i live in Ohio and sound like i'm from here most of the time but my accent randomly wakes up and says hi lol
I agree I'm from East Tennessee and I've always said Yun's interchangeable with y'all other parts of the south don't say it.
My grandmother and her sisters were raised around Macon. The most notable quirk in their speech was pronouncing words like quarter as "qwaw-tuh". :D
Native North Carolinian here...there are dramatically different accents and dailects in the coastal regions of VA, NC, SC, GA versus what you hear moving west toward the Appalachian Mountains. A lot of it has to do with the "I" sounds and words ending in "er." At least that's what I've always noticed. Someone from TN might need an interpreter at the NC outer banks, for example.🙂
I'm a 12th generation North Carolinian from the coastal plains region and a woman thought I was from GA because of my accent (in my hometown).
Yeah I’m from Va beach you gotta go out to pungo or start headin out past Suffolk to start hearing that real country accents. But I have a friend from Conway nc n that ain’t far from where I grew up only an hour or so away and she has such a deep southern accent it’s wild
My family is from the coastal region of N.C. In fact, country singer Charlie Daniels was my cousin. The locals around the area are called “ HIGH TIDERS’. 😄
the things I do, the amount of research I do... just to write a scene on a fanfic in an accurate way. good god
thank you sm !
I simple must know what fandom this was for
I work for an American carrier and a Tennessee guy is a good friend of mine. He sounds real funny 🤣 I learned a lot.
I hear many accents. Standard U.S accent, middle west, Californian, South West.....I feel like I'm in U.S
Very cool! Thanks for commenting & sharing with us. 👍
You did incredibly great! 👏🏼😁 Thank you a lot, I enjoyed this video very much! 😊
Thanks so much! I appreciate it. 👍
Great lesson because we can hear the different accents of native speakers.I have heard the southern accent in English songs.For example.Ain't no woman like the one I got.We have to listen to carefully to learn where the words are stressed and drawl.
Thanks a lot.
Glad you enjoyed the lesson & found it useful. 😃
Wonderful video.Very useful.Thanks for all these information.
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YAY!!!!!!! My favourite accent in English E.V.E.R.!!!
Thaaaaank youuuuuuuu!!!!!
That's great! Glad you like it! 😊
Thanks for this lesson, Wes. Now I know why some (in US tv shows/films) sound that way. Personally I like to use /ah/ and /mah/, and /in'/ in my speech because they are easier to pronounce and my mouth doesn't work too hard 😀
Yoooo born and raised in Mississippi (unfortunately) I’m only a few minutes in and this is fascinating! I’m “Deep South” and have the drawl. You’re breaking it down in a scientific way then just nailing the pronunciation, great job!
Edit: this is legit mind blowing I talk so much like this when I stop to think about it
After growing up in the Miami, FL area (hearing no Southern accents) I went to college in North Carolina and lived there for seven years afterwards. By now I think I can speak in a Southern accent!
As an adopted Southerner of more than 40 years, I'd say that you can slow down your examples even more to get a more authentic version of the drawl.
wow I loved this analysis. It's quite a tricky accent to understand, thank you for the analysis ❤️❤️
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your comment. 😃
I am a native Memphian - but never say PO-lice. and I don't say Git-tar, or use "ain't" unless I'm joking. but you were spot on with everything else. Your southern accent is really very nice. I never even realized I say "wind-a" for window, until someone told me. In Tennessee, we say "war-ter" for water, and I "warsh" my hair. Excellent analysis!!!
I was born and raised in north west FL and moved to southeast TX. I never really thought i had an accent until visting places up north. So many people would ask where i was from and how they liked my accent. I love hearing all accents but the Cajun accent is my favorite.
OMG! It's just impressive how you teach and know how to break down the american accents. I love accents so much, I wish I could learn them to perfection, but it may be imposible as far as I can tell. Love your amazing videos. Thank yoooouuu!
Thank you! I appreciate your comment David. 😃
Thanks so much wes. It's really helpful. Pls make more videos on that topic. You're so amazing ❤🇱🇰
Glad you enjoyed the lesson. Thanks for your comment. 😃
love this. very similar to how we talk in southern Kansas. I had to throw my voice up into my soft pallet to get the more distinct tone
I have a strong Southern accent. Someone told me I speak proper country. I asked what they meant and quote, "You have a country accent but use good grammar." 🥴 I don't know why but it's like a back handed slap. People always say they love a Southern accent yet assume we are all uneducated because we have one. 🤷♀️
It is great! Thank you for your analysis. For me it is easier to learn with a system. I moved to Florida and I love ppl here and how some of them speaking. I also love "Sir" and "Maam"...
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 😃
I'm from Mississippi. Moved to N.C at about twelve then Ohio at twenty. I'm thirty two now and have noticed that half of vowells are dipthongs and half aren't. I also split my I's half the time as well.
So
" My wife ain't called me all day".
I used to ask for ice and no one up here could understand what i was saying so over time i elongated that word. It worries me I'll eventually lose my accent.
I have a friend from Texas that's why I am here
Throughout my childhood I had a very thick southern accent and it was harder to speak without it than with it, and now at 22 and it has almost completely faded away, with the exception of a few phrases or cadences
That's so sad....
Very informative, this answers many of the questions I've had for years.
Glad it was helpful! 😊
I recently struggled on a syllable stress identification quiz for one of my linguistic courses. I'm from the south, but I'm attending school in the north. I got about half of the questions wrong and now I know why. 😆
I'm from Colorado, I was raised in a extended and immediate southern family, because of my hearing loss I talk a little funny and with a southern accent, over the years and since getting hearing aids it's mostly gone, unless I get excited, tired, or blackout drunk
I have yet to hear anyone who isn't from the South mimic a Southern accent very well. This video is no exception.
As I have lived in several states in the south and visited more, I have found that there isn't just one accent, there are several. For instance, When I lived in Tennessee, we had a Clarksville Tennessee. We moved to Arkansas and we just so happened to live right near a Clarksvull. They were spelled the same, but had different pronunciations.
In Kentucky "ville" is pronounced as "vull" as well. E.g Louisville, our largest city, is called "Lu-ah-vull," or Paintsville, is called "Paynts-vull", with the added paynts part being pronounced similarly to how "caynt" is (can't).
@@noiamnotjohn3351 it's interesting how certain places can get a certain part of the accent and skip other places.
I was born in Clarksville, TN
I can only speak for eastern N.C. but here it's vull too.
@@ronaldpippen8164 I see.
Saw some home videos of myself yesterday from the age of 3 to the age of 6 and it shocked me how thick my accent was back then and how much I had lost it. Even my sister had a thick accent. We are losing our accents in Nashville I guess because all the people moving in (no state income tax). Its kind of sad.
First time I heard pres. Jimmy Carter speaks, that was for me the best us english accent I ever heard.
In my hometown in southeast Louisiana, we don't say gui or gee tar, we say git tar--accent on the first syllable.
Hey Wes, great job, loved the video! It reminded me of the series Justified, which I enjoyed so much!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
I spent 5 years in Nacogdoches, TX while attending Stephen F Austin State University. I can sense an East Texas accent immediately haha
Thanks so much for commenting & checking out the lesson. 👍
As an Australian, I'm totally fascinated by the range of diverse accents across the USA.
Australia is just as vast as the United States, however, there is no variation in accents here - none.
When Wes is speaking, I feel like I`m fluent in english, but when other americans speak, I see that I have to practice a lot. :)
I could understand very well this video explanation. I speak brazilian portuguese and my english is a mix of american, english and portuguese acent. :) :)
I love the Alabama accent. I wish I could speak that way
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Im born and raised in a small town in Alabama. Thanks
Bro I’m southern and I wanted to see if I talk like this I freaking talk like this.
My friend told me i have a southern accent… your in depth explanation is very helpful 😢
I've been told I have a southern accent and I've never really heard it myself. Watching through this video made me reflected lol.. definitely do.
I’m from Alabama and there is definitely a difference in dialects in each state or region; Virginia is mor Appalachia, the Carolinas seem to be more drawl as it moves closer to Georgia. Alabama and Mississippi is very drawn out as well as Tennessee, getting over into Louisiana you get a bit of creole in the accent and Texas and Oklahoma is much different. I can usually tell where your from after the first sentence or so.
Brilliant comment, James. Thanks. I always admire people who can notice such subtle things. What about the accent of the Floridians? Is it understandable to the foreigner' s ear?
Florida doesn’t have an accent
@@davidmartin4787not true at all. Northern Florida and rural parts of Central and Southern Florida definitely have a distinctive drawl to their speech.
Atleast for NC it's more east to west than north to south. I'm from the northeastern coastal plains region of NC and you wouldn't know if my home county was in the rural lowlands of NC, SC or GA if I didn't tell you, the piedmont is more upper south and of course far western NC is southern Appalachian.
I agree. I grew up in Louisiana and lived in MO, KS, VA and now in Tx. I can usually guess where a southerner is from. I have issues with GA and AL. I can’t really tell the difference there. I love accents.