I really hope not. If the answer is yes, please tell me how to prevent it. I am very worried, because I want my midwest accent to stay just the way it is!
2007-03-23 15:27:38 · 17 answers · asked by Christina 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Y'all have a problem with that?
Actually, I'm from Chicago, transplanted to North Carolina. I'm a good mimic, so I can drawl with the best of 'em, but my Midwestern Standard pronunciation has never gone away. I have heard other transplants complain that their KIDS drawl, so don't expect your fine pronunciation to survive more than one generation. ;-)
2007-03-23 15:38:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
That all depends on several factors. Do you have a tendency to unconciously mimick others? How long have you lived in the midwest? And where in the midwest did you live? Where in the south are you moving? Will you have other family members still with you where you're moving?
I have managed to maintain my "Jersey" accent (which is really more of a Brooklyn/Philly combo than a North Jersey accent) mainly because a) My mother is down here in FL, b)It's Florida and there are loads of people from other parts of the country, c)I work with a manager who's from Fort Lee. I have another coworker from Ohio, who likes to brag that she has no accent whatsoever. Are you from Ohio?
2007-03-23 15:38:55 · answer #2 · answered by paperdoll198 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. However, you can always get an accentectomy once you move back to the midwest. While in the south, ya'll want to have a drawl for security reasons. You wouldn't want those rednecks to send you and your yankee carpetbag all the way back up north, now would ya? ha ha (I, too, have been a midwestern transplant to the south. Even with a southern drawl, everyone could tell I was a yankee because I "walked so fast." P.S. I fell in LOVE with the southern people and culture. Just keep an open mind and you, too, will love it! Good luck!
2007-03-23 17:20:00 · answer #3 · answered by Tamara 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
An accent is a tricky thing to predict or even detect in some people. My best friend lived in just moved from Mississippi to Arizona and his accent disappeared within days. He says the only time he ever speaks with an accent is when he is talking to one of his southern friends on the phone. It's true too, I went to go visit him in AZ, and when he talked to me, he talked slower, and with a drawl. When he talked to everyone else, he used a slightly midwestern accent. People adapt to what they are around. When you around Southern people, you will have a Southern accent. When you are around Midwestern people, you will use a midwest accent.
2007-03-27 06:35:06 · answer #4 · answered by msmac912 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might after several years if most the people around you speak that way. The south is pretty diverse these days though, half the people from Atlanta are from other parts of the country (or world) Unless you're moving way out into the country, you probably won't notice the accent that much.
2007-03-23 15:33:05 · answer #5 · answered by melissa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of my best friends moved to (rural) South Carolina from NW Ohio in '92...didn't take long for him to pick up the accent, I'd even pick it up myself when I'd visit for a few days. I'm not sure there's really much you can do to avoid since you'll likely be around mostly all southern accents and after awhile, you won't even realize you have it.
2007-03-23 15:36:56 · answer #6 · answered by Sunidaze 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I moved from Virginia to Indiana and lived for ten years. I developed a thick midwest accent. My family said I sounded like a yankee. Then, I moved back and redeveloped my southern accent. I also picked "Ya'll" back up. When I lived in Indiana, it was "you-uns" or "you guys".Now, when I talk to friends up there, they say "Slow down. I cant understand you."
2007-03-23 15:43:13 · answer #7 · answered by lucygoosy2004 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have lived in Texas my entire life and I do not have a southern accent at all. I have actually been told that I sound like I am from Boston by people from Boston. To answer your question, no, you probably will not get a southern accent.
2007-03-23 16:07:00 · answer #8 · answered by kittysoma27 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. By the way, my twang isn't that offensive to people. Be a little more tolerant. As long as you pronounce your words correctly & don't shorten everything you say, a Southern accent can sound unique and a bit quirky instead of reminding someone of trailor parks & meth.
2007-03-23 15:45:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What accent. I don't have one. LOL
I am from the midwest and end up with a southern accent just talking to my auntie. lmao Try to get over yourself
2007-03-23 15:36:53 · answer #10 · answered by littledueceb 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋