Is the Texas Twang Dyin', Y'all? Other Accents Blend In

[EddieDingo]

I thought this (click) might be of interest to a few of our members.

I'm a Texan but my drawl is not very pronounced.  I'm often encouraged to behave in a more Texas-Like manner. It comes out when I've been drinking (which I no longer do) or if I'm around other Texans who are eloquent drawlers.

The comments on this piece are interesting (many NSFW), but it seems that both Texans and non-Texans have plenty to say on the subject.

Do you think the Texas Twang should be saved?  How do you feel about your own dialect?  Would you hate to see it die?

(The video on this site is irrelevant to the subject IMO).

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/texas-twang-yall-hear-accent-fadin...

[Bob Stepp]

When I moved to Michigan last year my nephew told me very emphatically not to ever start talkin' like a Yankee.

Now...as long as there are folks born in Texas the drawl/twang will always be there.

And for all you folks not familiar with Texas,(how could that be?) Texas is so big dialects differ from one region to another

.

[darroll]

Allot of the south is loosing their drawl.

This is too bad.

[Aggie]

The reasons are predictable — immigration, urbanization, gentrification — and the shift is most noticeable in people who live in a city, or are younger than 25. Today, people who live in Texas cities sound more like accent-neutral Midwesterners.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20120924-university-...

[EddieDingo]

Aggie, I think your drawl is alive and well and I appreciate you helping me work on mine.

[Aggie]

Thank you, my father has a Germ-Tex drawl. My neice is getting a t-sip drawl in austin.

You still have a hint of Florida drawl.

[TeeBubbaDee]

[darroll]

Cute arm-a-dildo

[Aggie]

While in Germany a few years ago, my father after talking to some people in Germany said they do not talk good German.

[Stir Young]

Yah, I t'ink I'd be remiss if I di'nt veigh in on dis t'read wit' a liddle bit about da Yooper Accent.

Now as to dose Yoopers up aroun' da Keevanau, vhere a lot a' Finns seddled, dey had quite a' accent, eh?  It vas said dat da Finns couldnt pronounce certain combinations a' consonents, da tee an' da aitch bein' vun set, and da bee an' da are vas anudder.  An' den t'row in da fac' dat youz had a bunch a' French Canadiens an' Svedes an' Italians an' who knows vud else tryin' ta speak Ing'lish....vell it did't take long before youz had Yooper as a di'lect. 

Vell, mos' a' dem ol' firs yenaration Finns an' dose udder immigran's are dead an' gone, and t'ings have got preddy homogenized up dere now.  Oh, yah, youz still might 'ear a bit a' da old di'lec 'ere an' dere, but youz prob'lee ain' gonna 'ear nobody refer to Bruce's Crossing as 'Ruces 'Rossing dese days.

An' plus, dey have had a lahd a' trolls (dem folks live below da bridge...da Mackinaw Bridge) an' Chicago people dat 'ave moved up dere now.  Dose folks are like da new people ever'where, dey seem to t'ink dat da place vill fall apart if dey don't yump in an' try ta run t'ings.  Needless ta say, dose folks 'ave brought dere own lingo wit' 'em, including "buzz vurds" an' corp'rat speak, I suppose.

So, ta vind dis  down, I yoost godda say dat if youz vant' ta hear da Yooper Accent nowadays, you'll need ta vatch "Escanaba in da Moonlight", and frankly, dem 'ollywood types don't do it very good a' all.

I'm t'inkin' my ol' fren', Clod 'Opper vill know right vhere I'm comin' from wit' dis commentary on da state a' da lang-vedge. 

[TeeBubbaDee]

[Slim]

I wonder if clod is going to show up.

[Stir Young]

Yah, I 'ope so, me'n Clod come from da same place, excep' its diff'rent.