Is The Southern Accent Disappearing

[DoggyDaddy]

When I was about 4 years old, we got new nextdoor neighbors, straight from the hills of Tennessee. They would render lard in a big cast iron kettle in the back yard (from butchering their own hogs and beef in the basement), and the mother made her own lye soap. It was almost like living next to the Beverly Hillbillies, but they turned out to be the best neighbors my folks had. Made many improvements to the house and always kept the yard neat as a pin. But I did manage to pick up a bit of a southern accent from hanging around with them and still find myself slipping into it once in awhile.

 

[Route 45]

This belongs here:

[video=youtube;BvUS2F-IPjI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUS2F-IPjI[/video]

 

[indiucky]

For the record, lots of people (like me), have a environment accent. It's something I never noticed until my girlfriend went me to Alabama, and said that my accent came out whenever I was around friends and family.

I'm that way....I was close to my Papaw, who grew up in rural SW Kentucky....I talked like him when I was around him and it's as easy as putting a pair of shoes...The southern Indiana accent and the SW Kentucky accent are very similar...Even has a name...The "Hoosier Apex"....

The Hoosier Apex (as seen in Figure in map above) is one that astonishes linguists. It is located in the southern/central west part of Indiana and a sliver of the south eastern part of Illinois and what it is is that it suddenly sounds like you just crossed into the state of Alabama. The Hoosier Apex is an example of the South Midland dialect; but it goes beyond that even to where it is almost just like a Southern dialect in itself. There have even been recent discussions about how there is even a Hoosier dialect in itself, taking on a Southern drawl and speaking slowly (Herring, 244). It also occurs to me that once when I was in class a peer student of mine had that when he visits other parts of Indiana they always want to know where it is he is from because he speaks a lot more southern than most anyone else in Indiana, and it just may be because he lives in this apex. I have also noticed that people from Indiana generally pick up a southern accent very easily. A phonological thing Herring points out that happens in the apex is that when someone says greasy the s turns into a z sound, like “greazy” (243).

Albert Mackwardt has been credited with coming up with the name Hoosier Apex. The name itself is not
anything of significance it is just a clever name, a lot like the word Hoosier. No one really knows how the word Hoosier came about. There have been stories. That I am sure most all Hoosiers have heard but who really knows if any of them are true and if they are which one. Craig M. Carver says that he believes that the Hoosier Apex may be from the early migration of Southerners and they may
have moved over the Ohio River north into Indiana more than they did other northern states (Herring 244). In the beginning when the migration took place Herring said that the most of them would not have called themselves or thought of themselves as “Midwesterners”, especially since that term was not around until later, but they also did not see themselves as Southerners either (246).

 

[bloodandgutsmurphy]

Thank you for the input everyone, did not realize how many different kinds of accents there were. Also glad that they have not faded away

 

[halfmileharry]

Hopefully we can destroy and eliminate that north eastern accent next.
I've got a friend in Providence R.I. that I can't understand. We actually converse via text more efficiently.

 

[Kutnupe14]

I'm that way....I was close to my Papaw, who grew up in rural SW Kentucky....I talked like him when I was around him and it's as easy as putting a pair of shoes...The southern Indiana accent and the SW Kentucky accent are very similar...Even has a name...The "Hoosier Apex"....

The Hoosier Apex (as seen in Figure in map above) is one that astonishes linguists. It is located in the southern/central west part of Indiana and a sliver of the south eastern part of Illinois and what it is is that it suddenly sounds like you just crossed into the state of Alabama. The Hoosier Apex is an example of the South Midland dialect; but it goes beyond that even to where it is almost just like a Southern dialect in itself. There have even been recent discussions about how there is even a Hoosier dialect in itself, taking on a Southern drawl and speaking slowly (Herring, 244). It also occurs to me that once when I was in class a peer student of mine had that when he visits other parts of Indiana they always want to know where it is he is from because he speaks a lot more southern than most anyone else in Indiana, and it just may be because he lives in this apex. I have also noticed that people from Indiana generally pick up a southern accent very easily. A phonological thing Herring points out that happens in the apex is that when someone says greasy the s turns into a z sound, like “greazy” (243).

Albert Mackwardt has been credited with coming up with the name Hoosier Apex. The name itself is not
anything of significance it is just a clever name, a lot like the word Hoosier. No one really knows how the word Hoosier came about. There have been stories. That I am sure most all Hoosiers have heard but who really knows if any of them are true and if they are which one. Craig M. Carver says that he believes that the Hoosier Apex may be from the early migration of Southerners and they may
have moved over the Ohio River north into Indiana more than they did other northern states (Herring 244). In the beginning when the migration took place Herring said that the most of them would not have called themselves or thought of themselves as “Midwesterners”, especially since that term was not around until later, but they also did not see themselves as Southerners either (246).

I'll admit, I've been fooled a time or two by Hoosier accents. Other than the "you guys" giveaway, they could almost fit seamlessly into the South. But if you say "you guys" instead of "ya'll," you'd have given yourself away.

 

[indiucky]

But if you say "you guys" instead of "ya'll," you'd have given yourself away.

It's mostly "ya'll" in Southern Indiana until about Seymour...But there is deviation from that.....

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'll admit, I've been fooled a time or two by Hoosier accents. Other than the "you guys" giveaway, they could almost fit seamlessly into the South. But if you say "you guys" instead of "ya'll," you'd have given yourself away.

It's mostly "ya'll" in Southern Indiana until about Seymour...But there is deviation from that.....

I use both expressions with no particular rhyme or reason. I'm bilingual like that.

 

[Vigilant]

I still can’t believe that a person who has spent their entire life in Indiana can speak like they are from the deepest South, and add letters to common words such as “that” being pronounced “ThayAT”?

 

[halfmileharry]

I still can’t believe that a person who has spent their entire life in Indiana can speak like they are from the deepest South, and add letters to common words such as “that” being pronounced “ThayAT”?

As my grandmother would have said... "Don't go talkin' ugly"

 

[Brad69]

I can’t believe that people from Indiana have never visited the most southern counties.
We are the direct descendents from the original settlers we still speak like our ancestors.

View attachment 62324
This is the view from my picture window I live in town INDY lives in the country so far out that they have to pipe in sunshine!
My daughter lives 24 miles from town Indiana has very “country” areas.

 

[Expat]

I use both expressions with no particular rhyme or reason. I'm bilingual like that.

Or you’ns.

 

[EricG]

I just had family come up to visit from Mississippi, the accent was thick.

 

[OurDee]

Youngs or young-uns when I was living in East Tennessee in 6th grade. I traveled through towns and cities when I was down south last time. So, I missed out on some twang because of it I'm sure. While in Georgia I could hear the difference, but it wasn't very strong. I'll pass through Apalachia next time.