US EditionIs the Southern accent fixin' to disappear in parts of the US South?
- Recent research shows the classical white Southern accent has declined significantly in urban Southern areas since the late 20th century due to demographic changes.
- This decline is largely due to a significant increase in migration following 1959, along with a movement of educated workers and African Americans from northern cities to the South, a phenomenon often referred to as the Reverse Great Migration.
- Studies document younger generations, including Gen Z in Atlanta and Raleigh, often lack a traditional Southern accent, while accents like the New Orleans 'yat' have diminished following Hurricane Katrina displacement.
- Linguists note young Southerners prefer sounding nonlocal and geographically mobile to avoid stereotypes linking Southern accents to lack of education, reflecting changing Southern identities.
- While the Southern accent is fading in many urban areas, experts agree it will not disappear completely but signals a broader shift in how Southern identity is expressed today.
50 Articles
50 Articles
Is the Southern accent fixin' to disappear?
Growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, Susan Levine's visits to New York City relatives included being the star of an impromptu novelty show: Her cousin invited over friends and charged 25 cents a pop for them to…
Are Southern accents disappearing? Linguists blame mass migration, Gen Z
Growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, Susan Levine’s visits to New York City relatives included being the star of an impromptu novelty show: Her cousin invited over friends and charged 25 cents a pop for them to listen to Levine’s Southern accent.
Is the Southern accent fixin' to disappear in parts of the U.S. South?
Growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, Susan Levine's visits to New York City relatives included being the star of an impromptu novelty show: Her cousin invited over friends and charged 25 cents a pop for them to listen to Levine’s Southern accent. Even though they too grew…
Is the Southern accent fixin’ to disappear in parts of the US South? - Washington Examiner
Growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, Susan Levine’s visits to New York City relatives included being the star of an impromptu novelty show: Her cousin invited over friends and charged 25 cents a pop for them to listen to Levine’s Southern accent. Even though they too grew up in Atlanta, Levine’s two sons, born more than a quarter century after her, never spoke with the accent that is perhaps the most famous regional dialect in the Unite…
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