Very true. It wasn’t until I moved south that I realized there was so much variance. Georgia sounds nothing like East Texas, which sounds nothing at all like East Tennessee.
Another thing that seems strange to me is that some members of a family will have a strong regional accent and others won’t.
What’s up with that?
It has to do with education, what entertainment they watch (and where it’s from), and who they associate with. Also, how much they care, and who they’re speaking to.
I find myself sliding around from a flat, accentless Midwestern-type speech (in business with people not here in TX) to a light Texas drawl, to a near-British accent, depending on who I’m speaking with and where they are.