Accents in the USA

[YosemiteSam]

Not really an accent, but here in CA it’s easy to know when someone is from NorCal when they use the word “hella”.

Hella yeah.

 

[nightrain]

Fugget about it.

 

[Roadtrip635]

It's the reverse in the UK, those in the South tend to look down on us Northerners. In general we might not be as wealthy but the North of the UK is far more friendlier I would say.

I've been rewatching old episodes of Top Gear and they talk about and make fun of the different regions and accents in the UK quite a bit. They make fun of the Northerners as uncultured and talk funny, Essex is like the trailer park of England, Birmingham people are kinda dumb and they talk funny too, the Welsh are all sheep farmers or singers or both.

I always get a kick out of different English slang, sayings and weird words.

 

[BigStar]

Yes. I was born in Cali but people think I'm from Louisiana because I picked up the accent from my folks.

Same with DC but a West VA drawl bc my mom was from there. I can usually tell a DC accent and usually can pick up on that lighter "talk almost soft" Southern WV accent. I feel the OP, some British accents I can understand, others it's every 5th word (movie Snatch comes to mind).

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

When I moved to California from Texas, everyone made fun of my accent. It didn't help when we had a company outing and I dominated at horseshoes. People were legit upset that it wasn't fair because of where I was from. I had probably played that 3 or 4 times in my life. LOL.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

I've been rewatching old episodes of Top Gear and they talk about and make fun of the different regions and accents in the UK quite a bit. They make fun of the Northerners as uncultured and talk funny, Essex is like the trailer park of England, Birmingham people are kinda dumb and they talk funny too, the Welsh are all sheep farmers or singers or both.

I always get a kick out of different English slang, sayings and weird words.

I've worked with a lot of guys from England over the years. Back in the early 90s, there was one who was listening to us talking about being "bummed out" about something. He reacted with astonishment. Being "bummed" means something entirely different over there. I work with two of them now. One of them is "posh" and the other is from the lower class. They hate each other and talk totally different.

 

[BigStar]

Hella yeah.

East coast take on the phrase hella

 

[Vtwin]

I'm from a rural area from the NE not far from the Canadian border. I get told all the time that I have an accent by them that's not from around here.

A few years ago I was in rural NC. Stopped at a place to get a coffee before we headed out to drive the moving van back up here, helping a buddy move his family. I ordered my coffee and the young women said something to me. I had to ask her to repeat it, and then again. I had no idea what she was saying. My buddy is cracking up as he tells me "she wants to know if you want a biscuit with that". He understood her perfectly. She might as well have been speaking Latin as far as I was concerned.

Then there was that time in a bar in rural Kentucky with two buddies from Mass, one from Ontario and the locals. Dialects galore.

 

[Corso]

Where I live in the north east of England accents are very different for people who live as little as 10 miles apart. You can tell which town some people are from instantly when having a conversation.

Is it like this also over in the USA?

I found it funny, in retrospect, that I was born and raised in this tiny town in south Texas, but my mother was born and raised in Long Island so I talked like her.
None of the locals could figure it, if they hadn't ever talked to my mother before.
This kid, we know who was born here, talks like a damn Yankee!

Lol...

I would still get remarks by people, when I would have to do a promo, or be somewhere remote and I'd tell them I'm from Texas and they would invariable say- "You don't talk like a Texan."

Nowadays Texas isn't that stereotypical country drawl, for many parts.
The state has become pretty homogeneous and the accents show it.
Unless you're somewhere like Sisterdale, or Dimebox... then anything goes!

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Where I live in the north east of England accents are very different for people who live as little as 10 miles apart. You can tell which town some people are from instantly when having a conversation.

Is it like this also over in the USA?

Yes, lad, but nuanced.
You see, inquisitive midfielder, accents here are nuanced from state to state but starkly different region to region.
1. New Yawkers don't pronounce their "R's" and are abrupt in personality and language.
2. Californians are upbeat, mellow and are into short sentences. They are crisp in speaking.
3. Coloradoans have a crisp Midwestern accent and will explain things forever.
4. Texans are Jackel and Hyde. Some can sound urbane, like modern South. Others sound Piney Woods scary. West Texans are vastly from say, the Valley, and Dallas is a bland Missouri accent. Texans can be smiley, shallow conversationalists with good hearts. Others with suspicion. "Nope." "I guess." "Yeah." "Whut kin ah do fer ya?"
5. Upper Midwest is north Illinois with accented (inflection) E's.
....
Like we're so perfect, oaf.
Glory to Shetlands and the Kingdom of Fife!!
Fancy some Scottish shortbread with tea? Hollah

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

I don’t really think so. Though it does change a bit from state to state.

The less you say to the gringos the better, no, Jéfe?
How you know he is not a fifth column? Yes?

 

[GMO415]

You are our resident Calicoonass.

I wear that title with pride Brother

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

Yes, lad, but nuanced.
You see, inquisitive midfielder, accents here are nuanced from state to state but starkly different region to region.
1. New Yawkers don't pronounce their "R's" and are abrupt in personality and language.
2. Californians are upbeat, mellow and are into short sentences. They are crisp in speaking.
3. Coloradoans have a crisp Midwestern accent and will explain things forever.
4. Texans are Jackel and Hyde. Some can sound urbane, like modern South. Others sound Piney Woods scary. West Texans are vastly from say, the Valley, and Dallas is a bland Missouri accent. Texans can be smiley, shallow conversationalists with good hearts. Others with suspicion. "Nope." "I guess." "Yeah." "Whut kin ah do fer ya?"
5. Upper Midwest is north Illinois with accented (inflection) E's.
....
Like we're so perfect, oaf.
Glory to Shetlands and the Kingdom of Fife!!
Fancy some Scottish shortbread with tea? Hollah

New Yawkers are funny. I'm sitting here listening to my 69-year-old mother in law and lmao. She's from Brooklyn and it's like another planet for me. I don't really see a California accent. They are just rude.

 

[Roadtrip635]

I found it funny, in retrospect, that I was born and raised in this tiny town in south Texas, but my mother was born and raised in Long Island so I talked like her.
None of the locals could figure it, if they hadn't ever talked to my mother before.
This kid, we know who was born here, talks like a damn Yankee!

Lol...

I would still get remarks by people, when I would have to do a promo, or be somewhere remote and I'd tell them I'm from Texas and they would invariable say- "You don't talk like a Texan."

Nowadays Texas isn't that stereotypical country drawl, for many parts.
The state has become pretty homogeneous and the accents show it.
Unless you're somewhere like Sisterdale, or Dimebox... then anything goes!

Is that Old Dime Box or the newer Dime Box?

 

[Fletch]

The less you say to the gringos the better, no, Jéfe?
How you know he is not a fifth column? Yes?

 

[Corso]

The less you say to the gringos the better, no, Jéfe?
How you know he is not a fifth column? Yes?

Would you say I had a plethora of pinatas?

 

[Skullmiester]

Yes, lad, but nuanced.
You see, inquisitive midfielder, accents here are nuanced from state to state but starkly different region to region.
1. New Yawkers don't pronounce their "R's" and are abrupt in personality and language.
2. Californians are upbeat, mellow and are into short sentences. They are crisp in speaking.
3. Coloradoans have a crisp Midwestern accent and will explain things forever.
4. Texans are Jackel and Hyde. Some can sound urbane, like modern South. Others sound Piney Woods scary. West Texans are vastly from say, the Valley, and Dallas is a bland Missouri accent. Texans can be smiley, shallow conversationalists with good hearts. Others with suspicion. "Nope." "I guess." "Yeah." "Whut kin ah do fer ya?"
5. Upper Midwest is north Illinois with accented (inflection) E's.
....
Like we're so perfect, oaf.
Glory to Shetlands and the Kingdom of Fife!!
Fancy some Scottish shortbread with tea? Hollah

Thanks for your entertaining and informative reply, I'm learning more and more with each post.

 

[Melonfeud]

It gets more fun throwing in multiple languages. Years ago I dated a Finnish girl and we were talking with her parents, who spoke very limited English, but her father did speak Spanish. I'm speaking to her father in Spanish, to my GF in English and she's speaking to her mom in Finnish. I was learning a bit of Finnish, but only speak/pick up bits and pieces of those conversations. Then her brother joined in the conversation and decided to speak Swedish and that got me totally confused.

Hilarious

 

[Melonfeud]

I've worked with a lot of guys from England over the years. Back in the early 90s, there was one who was listening to us talking about being "bummed out" about something. He reacted with astonishment. Being "bummed" means something entirely different over there. I work with two of them now. One of them is "posh" and the other is from the lower class. They hate each other and talk totally different.

Ha, when I was over in England & trying to score some action with the ladies, they'd all say
" your pissed,talk to me tomorrow ",,,,,,I'd be like " Oh no baby! I could never be mad at you"


*over there pissed means drunk,,, er,,,and the English gals are pretty easy

 

[Bigdog]

There are different accents in this country just like words mean different things in this country. I have lived in Boston, Upstate NY, and presently N California. People always say to me your not from around here are you because they can tell from my accent and some words that I use to describe things. I use the word sneakers and out here they call them tennies. Also I had to get use “you all” even though there was only me around. At first I thought I took a wrong turn and went down South. Also down south means the person is driving down to southern CA not the southern part of the US and apparently the break down lane is not another lane to get off the freeway when the exit is close as it is in Boston. I found that is a big no no.