USA Dialects

Hello all. We spoke on Friday about different dialects both nationally and internationally. One dialect that we discussed was the dialect of the southern USA. Sometimes this is called country 'twang or a drawl because many people often speak slower and prolong the vowels. Although there is a general "southern" sound, there are a variety of different dialects along the south.

*This is a video of a man giving an impromtu mini-lecture about a particular southern dialect of the western Piedmont area of North Carolina. His accent really isn't that strong, but he delivers alot of good points. He explains the use of words such as "aint," "y'all," "fixin,'" and "reckon." Instead of saying the word hollow, they may instead add an r and it's pronounced as "holler." Watch the video and let me know if you can understand what he saying and you understand his pie ce. At one point he says, "If you want to speak like a southerner, you have to learn to use extra words..." He points out the fact that a southern accent and southern grammer does not sound intelligent, but it does not indicate intelligence. Anyhow, watch it for yourself.
*I don't know who this girl is but she is another person simply addressing comments made to her about her accent. Again, she is claiming that people think she is stupid just because of her accent.
*This is an example of northearst USA dialect. Particularly, this is the dialect from Boston, Massachusetts. There is some swearing language in this video clip but it's the best video that I can find. This is a famous accent in the USA, many people even find it annoying. Nevertheless, pay attention to the ending of words and how vowels with an r following are pronounced (yard=yahd).

This is the best collection of links and information about American and Canadians. It may seem a little daunting at first look, but it's organized really well and full of good information.

Anyhow, I hope that this could provide you with some helpful information and further enhance your understanding of USA dialects.