The Southern Accent: We're Losing It

Website of Rhodes College, Memphis, TN ^ | unknown | Rob Marus

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

A bureau? Isn't that an agency of somekind? Let's see, like FBI? lol.

[Chad Fairbanks]

What's really odd is, the word 'Bureau' was basically phased-out of common usage as a way to refer to a Chest Of Drawers sometime in the 1700s IIRC, but in one small corner of the country, it still thrived... Etymology (The Study of Bugs or Words, I forget which) seems like it would be a pretty cool thing to study :0)

[Ditter]

He he! Years ago, before I had traveled very much I remember hearing a loud voice say "Pak tha caa Gaage (George) an we'll waak". It cracked me up.

[Dan from Michigan]

LOL. In Michigan, we have at least three, if not four accents.

The normal upper midwest accent that is common in the lower half of the state.
A Southern Drawl. Go to parts of Monroe County. A lot of people moved from Kentucky to Michigan in the early-mid 1900's to work in the auto factories.
North Michigan/Yoopers - Say yah to da UP, eh? It's a blend of Wisconsin and Canada.

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

LOL! It was all my pleasure to meet you Senator Pardek. :)

[Fifth Business]

And I wouldn't describe the Tidewater Accent as "Foghorn Leghorn," but you're going in the right direction.

LOL, I know, I know, but that's who I sound like when I try to imitate that accent.

[Ditter]

Oops typo Pak=paak tee hee

[Clemenza]

The normal upper midwest accent that is common in the lower half of the state.

A friend of mine from Olivet, Michigan told me that when he took a trip to upstate New York a few years back, he was struck by how similar the accents were to Southern and Central Michigan.

Of course, when this downstater visited Cooperstown, NY when he was ten, he thought he landed on another planet, let alone another state. I have noticed since that upstaters sound more like midwesteners than they do downstaters or New Englanders.

[19th LA Inf]

TV newsbabes never speak an "eh" sound. "Taxes" = Texas, "Brast" = breast, etc. They all must go to the same speech school. Men don't talk this way. Why? Drives me nuts.

[Senator Pardek]

LOL - same here. And I do think you look WAY younger than than myself, despite your incessant queries ;)

[Ditter]

I was just pokin' a little fun at ya'. Southerners know that Northerners make fun of our accents but I am not sure Northerners know how much fun we make of the way they talk. ;9}

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

And I do think you look WAY younger than than myself, despite your incessant queries ;)

Typical. You were supposed to say I look younger than I am, not than you are! Everyone is younger than you!

silly old man

[Dan from Michigan]

I THINK Upstate NY'ers originally settled Michigan.

My ancestors also came to upstate NY before settling in Detroit

[Samwise]

Supper is the evening meal. Dinner refers to the main meal of the day. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be the main meal. Dinner can also be used to refer to a special meal (e.g., her birthday dinner, having dinner out, etc.).

[RightOnGOP]

Check out www.slanguage.com Click on your city and enjoy - Too funny!

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

Ah, okay.

Well, one sure way to tell a true Texan from all the imitations out there is to ask someone to say oil. Some outsiders can come close after much practice, but it doesn't just flip right off the tongue like it will when a Texan says it.

oil.

Then ask them if they like the smell of oil. A true Texan will always say yes! without hesitation.

[Samwise]

A lot of people moved from Kentucky to Michigan in the early-mid 1900's to work in the auto factories.

Reminds me of the joke:

You know what a Hoosier is, don't cha? A Hoosier is a Kentuckian who got lost on the way to Motown,

[Corin Stormhands]

Cool link, but this one for Virginia is wrong:

The Vapors - How ladies respond to subtropical climate here

As Suzanne Sugarbaker once said, "when a woman has the vapors, it means she has gas."

Some of the others were borderline, but close enough.

[Senator Pardek]

LOL - where's BillyBob? My fave moment was when chesty puller, BillyBob, and myself were holding court.

Chesty described someone he knew as "fat, short and ugly".

I jokingly responded, "hey, that's me!"

BillyBob responded, "Senator, your neither fat nor ugly."

Almost had a heart attack right there.

[Dan from Michigan]

Yep. I've heard that before.