America is home to many regional accents, which have developed from multiple waves of immigration over the course of American history.
It might surprise you to hear how different people sound when you travel to another region of the US.
A New Yorker, for example, will probably speak English in a different accent than a native Texan.
Below is the transcript of the video.
There are many accents in the United States. But where did they all come? American accents have evolved over hundreds of years. Despite the fact that Americans sound quite different today, this is where some of these iconic accents originated.
New England
Let's begin with New England. This region was the first to adopt an American English accent. A speaker from New England might ask, "Was it your intention to plagiarize the entire thing for us?" Do you have any thoughts on the matter? You go to a bar, read an obscure passage and then pretend that you are the owner.
New York
New York City has many distinctive accents for such a small geographical area. Its accents are a mix of English and Dutch roots, as well as many waves of immigration.
New York's modern speakers won't sound anything like the ones you see in movies like "Hey! I'm walking!" "I'm walking here!"
They are more likely to say that deep dish pizza is better than New York pizza.
Delaware River Valley
New York's New Jersian neighbors and Pennsylvanian neighbours sounded very different.
Today, a Philly resident might say that they are a normal family. We can watch Philly jawn on television. We head down to the Jersey Shore. We go to Lee's Hoagies of Horsham, PA for great hoagies and great beer prices.
Southern Coast
Let's take an in-depth look at what happened down south.
There are many accents on the southern coast of America. Southern coast white is one example. "What worries me about American media is the incessant...endless attempt at labeling the guy a kook."
African American
Some of the original remnants were preserved by other southern dialects. They come here to get oysters and clams, and then they go fishing. They are right in Brunswick, Savannah, or Jacksonville.
Later, an influx of African Americans from the American South to the North brought about a new wave of immigrants, mixing their accents. "I am a Brooklyn-born kid. My aunt God bless her soul, she used to take me to The Rockettes, you know, the Easter and Christmas shows.
Appalachians
Many American dialects of the South and West were influenced by the Ulster-Scots. Today, an American from Tennessee may sound something like this. "I am who I am now. I am not always kind. I choose to be positive. Because I want people to understand, I choose to be positive. I'm a girl of many colors."
Midwest
Appalachian settlers moved west and their accents merged with North American speech patterns.
There are many accents in the Midwest. A speaker from the Great Lakes may say, "I was born in mid-century in the middle country; a classic Baby Boomer."
Or, perhaps more famously, "We got half a tank of gasoline, half a packet of cigarettes, it is dark and we are wearing sunglasses."
While another from Wisconsin/Minnesota/the Dakotas might say "If either of these men draw, I'm gonna be forced to shoot some people, and I don't want to do that."
Texas
A distinct accent was developed in Texas. We all know the famous Texan accent from movies such as "They shot and murdered a state senator named Bibs" in Waco, Texas. things have started to level out. Houston is a big city and visitors might be surprised to hear "Thank You to all who worked so hard for the profundity of deep Southern culture."
California
The West Coast is last but not least. It had a different mix of immigrants than the East Coast. California isn't close to having a distinct accent. Modern-day speakers might sound something like, "We woke up on his actual birthday the next morning." I told him that I would take him to lunch to celebrate his birthday. Or, "What's so compelling about this novel? Everyone has their own interpretation of these characters."
These are only a few American accents...and the list is still growing. To see the next evolution, we'll need to go back in about a century.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: This video was first published June 18, 2018.
