Regional dialects-- do Georgians think Californians have accents?

[ailsagirl]

Just curious-- we have so many different accents in this country-- some more
pronounced than others.

I, myself, don't think I have an accent-- though of course anyone from the
UK or Canada would disagree...

Do people from Georgia differentiate between Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina?
accents? I know I, as a westerner, couldn't...

[CottonBear]

1. Californians have no discernible accents. Georgians have many regional accents

as do the other Southern states. I would divide them into Upland South/Mountain, Piedmont/Midlands and Coatal Plain/Lowlands for GA, NC, and SC.

Only Northern Floridians and those in the Florida Panhandle have true Southern accents. Most everyone else in Florida is from somewhere else (mostly Central and South America, the Carribean and NY, MA and NJ it seems!) or their families are originally from somewhere other that the South.

My family (from the Western NC mountains since the mid 1700s) speaks with an Upland South/Appalachian Mountains accent (think John Edwards, Andy Griffith and the late Charles Kuralt).

Kim Basinger (Athens, GA) speaks with a distinct Athens, GA accent.

Rosalyn Carter has a Southwest Georgia accent.

Paula Deen has a Southern lowlands/coastal accent.

I can recognize accents from northwest GA/Northeast Alabama. Many Chattanoogans have a distinctive accent (I grew up in that area and have recognized fellow Chattanoogans in Paris, France by theri accents!)

People from Louisiana have distinctive accents. The accents of the Southern LA Cajuns and the natives of NOLA are VERY distinctive and unique.

I hope this is helpful to all of y'all out west! ;)

[RubyDuby in GA]

2. And that about sums it up!

Nicely done :)

[CottonBear]

3. Thank you Miss Ruby!

;)

It is so cool that Carter Dean got "to meet" John Edwards! :)

[ailsagirl]

4. Very impressive-- you're a regular Henry Higgins!!

Being able to place people by their accent is no mean feat!

:kick:

[CottonBear]

6. Thanks! As a native Southerner, I've had lots of practice!

Oh, I forgot to add that Zell Miller has a distinctive North Georgia Mountains accent!
(Also, he'll challenge you to a duel!)

[japple]

5. Don't leave out that tidewater Virginia/Maryland accent.

It's very different from the coastal plains accents.

[CottonBear]

7. Oh, I forgot that one!

Some folks in the northern shore areas of NC have that accent too!

I'm not as familiar with the VA/MD area as I am with the deep South and the Gulf Coast.

:hi:

[wyldwolf]

8. I think there is an accent attributed to Californians that most there may not really have

Call it the post-Valley girl accent?

Honesty, I hear my teenage sister and her friends - all Georgia natives - say things like 'dah-dee' instead of 'daddy.'

They sound like Hillary, Will Smith's cousin, on Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

I'm sure this comes from constant exposure to TV shows and movies like 'Clueless' that exclusively feature a subset of California youth.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Yes. I have lived many places and people have accents everywhere,

whether they realize it or not. Not everyone has an accent anywhere, but most do. Some people's accents are stronger than others in any area.

A high school friend of mine has lived in CA since right after graduation and definitely has a California accent now.

Just a touch but it's there.

I have to say that most actors and actresses do horrible Southern accents. They exaggerate way too much. I've lived in seven Southern states and been to all the others, and never heard anybody talk like most do in movies and on tv.

And whenever a tornado or hurricane hits in the South, the media seem to choose to interview people who have really strong country accents and don't use proper grammar. We do NOT all say things such as "We done went to the store" or "Me and him was going down the road."

[RebelOne]

10. I have lived in the South most of my life.

I grew up in Miami, FL. Moved there when I was 4 years old from Philadelphia. Have lived in Georgia since 1989. But I have never lost my Philadelphia accent.

[aikoaiko]

11. a belated quibble -- Paula Deen isn't lowland or coastal -- she's from Albany

Well, maybe she's picked up a few things while in Savannah.