English Accents

Originally posted by expuddlepirate
Southern american english has ties to celtic languages and uses a lot of dipthongs and glide vowels. While some words are drawn out others are contstricted.

example of older more rual speech: 'At thar feller overair tain't got nairy a good hunt'n dawg woth thang.'
(translation: That fellow over there hasn't got a single dog of any value.)

As far as Afro-American english, there is an influance but it stands as its own sub-dialect.

The technically correct/PC term I was taught is African American Language, not dialect. But who cares? These terms fluctuate so much nobody can be expected to know them.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
The technically correct/PC term I was taught is African American Language, not dialect. But who cares? These terms fluctuate so much nobody can be expected to know them.

I have heard the term 'ebonics' but not sure off hand of its orgin.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
The technically correct/PC term I was taught is African American Language, not dialect. But who cares? These terms fluctuate so much nobody can be expected to know them.

Eh? So it's not even the English language? That sounds so PC it's un-PC!

Originally posted by expuddlepirate
Southern american english has ties to celtic languages and uses a lot of dipthongs and glide vowels. While some words are drawn out others are contstricted.

example of older more rual speech: 'At thar feller overair tain't got nairy a good hunt'n dawg woth a thang.'
(translation: That fellow over there hasn't got a single dog of any value.)

As far as Afro-American english, there is an influance but it stands as its own sub-dialect.

LOL I live in the South and I never meant anyone who speaks like that! A little exaggerated don't ya think?

*Use of "over yonder" in place of "over there" or "in or at that indicated place," especially when being used to refer to a particularly different spot, such as in "the house over yonder." Additionally, "yonder" tends to refer to a third, larger degree of distance beyond both "here" and "there," indicating that something is a long way away, and to a lesser extent, in an open expanse, as in the church hymn "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder." (The term "yonder" is still widely used in British English.)
*Use of the verb "reckon" to mean "perceive." For example "I reckon there's a chance of rain." The term "reckon" is also still widely used in British English.
*Use of "to love on someone or something" in place of "to show affection to" or "be affectionate with someone or something." For example: "He was lovin' on his new kitten."
*Use of the term mosquito hawk for a dragonfly or a crane fly (Diptera Tipulidae).
*Use of the word "young'un" instead of "child" or "kid".
*Use of the word "tote" instead of carry. Example: "Tote that bucket over to me."
*Use of archaic hit for it.
*Use of the word "trade" to mean "shop" as in, "I got to go to the store and trade or we won't have nary a bite to eat in the house."
*Word use tendencies from the Harvard Dialect Survey:
**Likely influenced by the dominance of Coca-Cola in the Deep South, a carbonated beverage in general is referred to as coke, cocola, or even dope (as Coca-Cola contained minute amounts of cocaine) [1][2], even if referring to Pepsi-Cola. Soda is also used, but in parts of West Virginia the word "pop" is used.
**The use of singular nouns as if they were plural as in, "Pass me those molasses." or "Did you get your license?....Yes, I got them."
**The push-cart at the grocery store as a buggy (or less often, jitney or trolley).
**The small freshwater crustacean in lakes and streams as a crawdad, crawfish, or crayfish depending on the location (note: the pronunciations of crawfish and crayfish can be inverse to the spelling; i.e. crawfish pronounced as though it was spelled crayfish and vice versa)😲

Originally posted by Palynka
Eh? So it's not even the English language? That sounds so PC it's un-PC!

I know, ridiculous isn't it? I'm taking graduate courses in this sort of topic; I'll have a Master's with an emphasis on "Social Justice". I guess I'm closer to an expert on PCness than most.

Originally posted by utherpendragon
LOL I live in the South and I never meant anyone who speaks like that! A little exaggerated don't ya think?

*Use of "over yonder" in place of "over there" or "in or at that indicated place," especially when being used to refer to a particularly different spot, such as in "the house over yonder." Additionally, "yonder" tends to refer to a third, lar spelled crayfish and vice versa)😲

That's why I wanted people who were intimately familiar with the accent 🙂

Does this guy sound southern?

YouTube

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
That's why I wanted people who were intimately familiar with the accent 🙂

Does this guy sound southern?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klxGFAnY4nI

No. That would be ebonics.Mostly, inner-city-ish african american dialect.

Originally posted by utherpendragon
LOL I live in the South and I never meant anyone who speaks like that! A little exaggerated don't ya think?

*Use of "over yonder" in place of "over there" or "in or at that indicated place," especially when being used to refer to a particularly different spot, such as in "the house over yonder." Additionally, "yonder" tends to refer to a third, lar spelled crayfish and vice versa)😲

My grandmother spoke in the fasion I posted, not regularly but at times she would go very rual in her accent which was a mixture of both southern Mississippi and northern Louisiana speech patern (mostly lost in large towns and cities).

I think 'coke' for ANY carbonated soft drink is almost universal in the south.

I can't recall the name but a Louisiana Tech professor did a paper on the celtic influance on the regional dialect. Mostly scot and ulster irish. There is an isolated community in Deleware that still holds a close pronounciation patern to a village in England.

Crawfish is both the spelling and pronounciation here but I have heard crayfish. Mudbug is VERY common in usage.

I have also heard 'ovair' used in place of 'over there', but mostly from elderly rual relatives.

Didn't Mark Twain do a grammer on southern english once?

A German trying to speak English:

YouTube

I hope my English doesn't sound quite as bad...

Originally posted by Nordlys
A German trying to speak English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBAGuiLcA4E

I hope my English doesn't sound quite as bad...

I have some friends from the (former) East Germany and their English is much better...but you can still hear the accent.

The don't say "zee" for "the" for example.

Of course, we have our Austrian population in CA...

YouTube

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I have some friends from the (former) East Germany and their English is much better...but you can still hear the accent.

The don't say "zee" for "the" for example.

Of course, we have our Austrian population in CA...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzI-UQ-JsaQ

I think California has an austrian govenor too.

East German does seem a bit more pure, closer to what one learns in in school in the states.

Originally posted by Nordlys
A German trying to speak English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBAGuiLcA4E

I hope my English doesn't sound quite as bad...

i've lost mine. 🙁

I sound like a female hugh grant now. Still I was so young when I was cruelly snatched away.