The Dialects and Accents of America |
Posted: January 17, 2018 |
When you think of an accent, you may have an image of a specific country or region of the country, but the truth is everyone has an accent. If you travel outside your home area, others will say you speak differently. You may even be difficult to understand. This is one reason people hire an accent reduction coach to help them speak more clearly.
Common Words Spoke Differently
Sometimes it can seem as if you’ve entered another country when you visit a different region. Everyone speaks English, but you’re not sure what they’re saying. You’ve probably heard of the famous “y’all” of the South to talk about multiple people. In Florida and other areas, it is “you all” while the north says “you guys” and the central part of the country just says “you” even when referencing more than one person.
Sometimes the distinctions are even more varied. For example, people in the north call soda “pop” while those in the south refer to it as a “coke” regardless of the variety. California, parts of Missouri and Illinois, the northeast and Florida refer to it as soda or soft drink.
The eastern half of the country says water fountain while the western portion calls it a drinking fountain. Some areas, such as Wisconsin say bubbler. As you can see with these examples, it may be hard to understand what someone is talking about if you’re visiting from another area.
Regional Sounds
You’ll hear the Eastern New England accent in Boston and all of Massachusetts as well as other eastern states like Maine, Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut. Unlike other accents, you don’t hear the sound of “r” at the end of a syllable.
Watch an old episode of Seinfeld for the New York City accent. Some vowels may have an “aw” sound as in dog and north. It’s a unique sound even from other areas in the northeast which is distinctly New York.
Some accents are dying out such as the case with the coastal or lowland southern accent. It’s the sound you hear in films on the Civil War with exaggerated vowel sounds. Many people have worked to remove this accent from their speech because of negative connotations in the past. Meanwhile, the inland southern accent is still alive and well in Texas, Tennessee and other southern states.
The midland American accent is seen across the central portion of the country including states like Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma or portions of the states. This accent is created from a blend of northern and southern accents and can vary a great deal, depending on where the speaker is from.
The western American accent covers the western states as well as Mountain states. Words like “caught” are spoken like “not” or “rock.” Otherwise, you might notice very little difference in the dialect.
While many people throughout the country may speak the same language, it can sound quite different from one region to the next. It’s for this reason that some prefer to lose their native accent if they work or move to another area. They may seek out an accent reduction coach to help them blend in with their new home rather than stand out. However, it’s important to not only accept regional accents but to appreciate their diversity.
Claudette Roche is an accent training in the Vero Beach, FL area. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.
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