What associations does hearing a Southern (American) accent trigger in you?

A giggle…..but then I have to listen a bit more to figure out if I’m giggling with or at the person. Usually I think southern accents are cute and pleasant, but it can come across as a bit simple or old-fashioned.

I think they’re probably from the South.

i dont necessarily think less of said person, but i will say i hate the sound of southern accents

“i recon them here city slickers with them fancy ipod’s n what not might be causin’ a lil trouble here, cleatus”

i don’t realy like the accent, but i do think it’s funny

i feel like im at home. i was born and raised in southern middle tennessee. my accent isnt as strong as some but its there. i think its sexy when a girl has that drawl. i do notice less educated southerners have thicker accents and use improper grammar. a dumb southerner might throw a rock at his neighbors dog peeing on his tree and say something like, ” i’‘ll learn you by Gawd!” a lot of southerners cant stand the accent of someone from michigan or rhode island. they think sound arrogant and obnoxious. they say “You Guys” all the time instead of Ya’ll . a yankee’s accent is abrasive sounding to a lot of southerners.

I live in Texas so I only notice the thick accent and God forgive me I always think small town hicks. Not there’s anything wrong wit it. :)

i also can tell by someones accent what kind of cornbread they cook. sweet cornbread= nonsoutherner. unsweet cornbread= southern accent

i’m from the south and some southern friends of mine took a trip to New York City several years ago. They said everyone would just stare at them and listen to them talk when they were out eating in restaurants. I would never consider these friends to have thick southern accents, but I guess it was enough to intrigue the yankees. I agree with buster, a lot of us southerners do find northern accents annoying and snooty.

I believe there is a difference though between southern and redneck. Southern is usually more dignified and more appealing. Think Gone With the Wind. Redneck sounds more uneducated and annoying. Jeff Foxworthy, etc. Then somewhere in between there is everyone else in the south.

I moved to Kentucky last year (I’m from Minnesota originally) and at first I really found everyone’s accents really distracting. Even if you know intellectually that “Southern accent” does not equal “provincial and uneducated,” Southern accents ARE used as a shorthand for those things in movies and on tv so much that it’s hard not to have that association. (I think Cockney English accents are often used in a similar way.)

Now I don’t even notice anyone’s accents anymore, it’s interesting how your ear gets accustomed to hearing certain things.

I grew up in Texas, too. It has always interested me how variable the degree of accent could be among people of similar background, and even within families. My brother had a classic Texas accent and I, by objective third-party accounts, don’t have a trace. My mother’s sister’s accent is much more pronounced than my mother’s.

See now Texan accents are something else! They’re so fantastic! love ‘em! I’d move to Texas just to pick up the accent!

That’s interesting that you can pick up the difference, wildflower. Most people just lump the Texas accent in with the Southern.

No, there’s a big difference between the ‘howdy y’all’ (cowboys) and ‘why I do declare!’ (dandies). Then again, I have met a fair few Texans and I loved “North and South” (I just lurve a man in uniform!) and “Gone with the wind”. I also have most of the series “Dallas” on DVD.
yes I’m aware I have issues

Some good sippin’ moonshine,
Ever Clear….
White Lightning….
Yum…
Been a while since I’ve tasted the corn squeezin’s….

Honest people