Are accents dying in America?

While waiting for the bombcast, I listen the Sunday Radio Show with Dave Snider and heard him comment about how accents must be fading away.  This got me wondering, are they?  I'm from the Heart of Dixie and I'm proud of my voice.  So here's the question I want to throw to the giantbomb community, "How do yall feel about this?"  Is it getting harder to differentiate regions of the U.S.  by their voice?

While waiting for the bombcast, I listen the Sunday Radio Show with Dave Snider and heard him comment about how accents must be fading away.  This got me wondering, are they?  I'm from the Heart of Dixie and I'm proud of my voice.  So here's the question I want to throw to the giantbomb community, "How do yall feel about this?"  Is it getting harder to differentiate regions of the U.S.  by their voice?

I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. Although it seems this is no longer relevant.

Yeah, to some extent. It comes from television. Also, I think we may have more of a problem with grammar...

Heh. I think everyone has an accent. I know that I sure do. = - P Unlike you, I hate my voice.

By the thread title I assumed you were not a native English speaker.  In general though, a lot of the US does have a relatively uniform accent, radio english, which is one of the most neutral english accents and is usually considered the default.

It only makes sense that as technology makes the world a smaller place all aspects of culture get more and more homogeneous.

Are accents dying in America? no

" Heh. I think everyone has an accent. I know that I sure do. = - P Unlike you, I hate my voice. "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" @Tireyo643 said:

" Heh. I think everyone has an accent. I know that I sure do. = - P Unlike you, I hate my voice. "

"Southern accents actually occurred because they had the slaves raise the children and their african dialect tinged english rubbed off on the children.If you notice singers who are trained formally sing in "American" accents as well. "

Nope.

"

                    Are accents dying in America? no

                   

                "

Accents in my America?

It's more likely than you think.

Of course they are, ethnic and racial stereotypes as well as accents are dying off one by one. Now excuse me comrades while i go eat some borscht,drink some vodka and ride a bear. 

I live in Virginia, I don't think I know a single person that speaks with the vanilla America accent. Honestly. There's a certain way most white people talk and a certain way most black people talk.

Of course there are accents. Just by speaking you have one.

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

I have a slight Boston accent on some words. I tend to not notice it, and since I rarely travel no one has ever commented on it because they pretty much speak worse, if not equally as badly as I do.

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

No, not really. Americans still have accents.

Are you looking for an answer or just random people's opinions? I don't think anyone here actually knows.

" Of course there are accents. Just by speaking you have one. "

I am from the Great country of Canada in the Great province of Ontario and I find myself losing whatever Canadian accent I have. I have a couple American friends that I talk to and play online with pretty much every day for a good five years now and I feel that I've lost a lot of what made my accent Canadian. At one time I would say "eh" quite often in conversation, now not so much. Though I still get shit for saying bagel "wrong"

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" While waiting for the bombcast, I listen the Sunday Radio Show with Dave Snider and heard him comment about how accents must be fading away.  This got me wondering, are they?  I'm from the Heart of Dixie and I'm proud of my voice.  So here's the question I want to throw to the giantbomb community, "How do yall feel about this?"  Is it getting harder to differentiate regions of the U.S.  by their voice? "

I wish I could fade that accent out of Paula Dean... with my 9-iron.

When I skype people back home, they say I\m picking up a Canadian accent, so even if people who live there can't hear it, people who live away from it can.

" Though I still get shit for saying bagel "wrong" "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

Read some Chomsky. He'll tell you the answer, albeit in a roundabout fashion.

Yeah everyone has a Spanish accent now.

" @Tireyo643 said:

" Heh. I think everyone has an accent. I know that I sure do. = - P Unlike you, I hate my voice. "

No not really.There was already an accent topic. Rhotic English is the base form of all accents.Did you know that the english didn't get their accents until after the 1800's when grammar schools and etiquette schools decided to teach a different form of speech to separate wealth classes.Yes the english spoke Rhotic english at one point in time without their classy accents.Southern accents actually occurred because they had the slaves raise the children and their african dialect tinged english rubbed off on the children.If you notice singers who are trained formally sing in "American" accents as well. "

Yes, because of TV and movies.  Television leans toward a standard American accent sometimes called the Nebraskan accent.  In the past, people were only exposed to their regional dialects and that was the norm, but now they are also familiar with a standardized pattern of speech and slowly, the local accents are fading.  There is also a more cross-regional integration to dilute accents thanks to mass transportation.  In other words, people have more options than living and dying within the same 30 mile radius in which they were born.  Moving halfway across the country is not a huge deal anymore.  A Bostonian marries a Texan and you've got two competing accents in one household.  The children will pick up a bit from both plus from TV and their local schools.  

The Oklahoman accent is in part influenced by the large German immigrant population that settled there. I grew up in Oklahoma, but I never got the accent, or so my friends here in California say. I can't even imitate it, though I can hear it in my memories.

As a person from Kentucky, I can guarantee you that accents are still well alive in America.  The bad thing is my Appalachian accent gets worse as the night goes on.  Eventually, people online have trouble understanding me.

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

" I don't know about accents, but grammar are dying. "

I'm fine with it. I'm not particularity fond of most local accents. I speak with a regular American accent.

I'm from the south, but I've lived all over the eastern part of the continent from the eastern Canadian provinces all the way down to Charleston, S.C. Trust me, accents are most definitely not on the way out.

The most difficult for me to understand: Boston townies, who simply cannot pronounce the letter 'R'. Had a cute neighbor while I was staying there who I would always ask for sugar just to hear her say 'shugah?' She was cute.

" As a person from Kentucky, I can guarantee you that accents are still well alive in America.  The bad thing is my Appalachian accent gets worse as the night goes on.  Eventually, people online have trouble understanding me. "

Everyone made this assumption when big broadcast media came about, but the truth is accents and dialects are actually increasing especially in urban areas. There is a bunch of academic literature in phonology and linguistics, but I'm too lazy to google it, you can do it yourself :)