While many countries have geographical differences in accents (for example, a posh London accent versus the rough-and-tumble Cockney accent), Americaโs various accents are particularly pronounced. A person from Boston speaks differently than a person from New York City, despite their relative geographic closeness, to say nothing of the difference between Midwestern and Southern accents. While all of these are American, the roots of the Southern drawl have a unique colonial history. Letโs examine what makes this distinctive accent so quintessentially American.
Where the Southern Drawl Came From
Call it a drawl or a twang, but one of the primary hallmarks ofย Southern American Englishย (SAE) is a melodic, relaxing quality. A marketing firm conductedย a survey of global English accents, and the Southern accent was voted the most pleasant. (New York and Boston accents were voted the least pleasant โ sorry, New Englanders.) 
Some may attribute this laid-back melody to the slower, more relaxed pace of life the South is supposed to have compared to northern regions, but thereโs more at play. The specific qualities of the Southern accent (and all accents) developed through the intersection of cultural exchange, geography, and evolving linguistics.
Importantly, there is more than one type of accent within SAE โ Texans sound different than Virginians, who sound different than Louisianans. But they all share an origin story in the mingling of British colonists and enslaved Africans.
Theย final โrโ soundย in words such as โfourโ and โhereโ is very important to linguists. If speakers drop the final โr,โ thatโs called โnon-rhoticโ as opposed to โrhotic,โ wherein the โrโ is pronounced. In the mid-1700s in the plantation system, using non-rhotic speech to match upper-class British accents was considered โprestigiousโ speech (โprestigiousโ being a way linguists classify certain accents as culturally preferred over others).
As accents have changed over time, itโs more common now for white Southerners to pronounce the final โrโ and use rhotic speech and for Black Americans everywhere to use non-rhotic speech. In Southern states outside of the former plantation system, itโs more common to use rhotic patterns.
The so-called โSouthern drawlโ can also be explained in linguistic terms. The stretched-out sounds come from vowels โ a diphthong is when a vowel shifts from one sound to another. For example, in the word โboy,โ the โoโ sound shifts into an โi.โ The Southern accent prominently featuresย monopthongization,ย which is when a diphthong, or two-part vowel sound, is flattened into a single vowel sound.
In a recorded exampleย from a University of Georgia linguist, you can hear how the word โfiveโ changes from a standard diphthong (with an โiโ transitioning to an โee,โ as in โmeโ) to a monophthong in SAE. โFiveโ is flattened into an elongated โahโ vowel sound.
Finally, the Southern accent is marked by unique lexical choices and grammatical variations โ a Southerner might sayย โI reckonโ or โI might couldโย instead of โI might be able to.โ (For further examples of this, we recommend Instagram personalityย Landon Bryant, who makes learning Southern slang and lexicon as easy as drinking a glass of sweet tea.)
Southern Accent Variations
Theย Tidewater accent, which sounds particularly gentle and rhythmic, is rooted in early British settlers, and can be found in pockets ofย Virginia and North Carolina. It has non-rhoticity and a glide in long โiโ sounds (โrideโ sounds like โroydโ).
Theย Piedmont accent isย found in more urban areas than coastal regions. For example, the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem are known for Piedmont accents. Itโs somewhat of aย stereotypical Southern accent, differentiated by a subtle drawl, rhotic pronunciation of the letter โr,โ and elongated vowel pronunciation (โcatโ sounds more like โcaatโ).
The Appalachian accent isย characterized by a Scotch Irish influence. It preserves certain aspects of Elizabethan English through distinctive pronunciations โ for example, โlikeโ sounds like โlack.โ A musical quality comes from initial syllable stress, which is when the emphasis is shifted to the first syllable of a word.
The areas around the Gulf of Mexico (in particular, Louisiana) have French and Spanish influences, but weโre not talking about the distinct dialects of Louisiana French or Gullah. The SAE accent found in this region is distinctive for a specific vowel shift that linguists call theย โPEN/PIN merger.โย With this accent, both โpenโ and โpinโ are pronounced the same, with an โihโ vowel. Another example of this is how the word โfeelโ might be pronounced like โfill.โ
The Texas accent, meanwhile, combines elements of Southern and Western English. A unique characteristic of theย Texan accent is the โcaught-cot merger,โย which displays elements of nasality and sharpness. As with โpenโ and โpin,โ this linguistic merger makes โcaughtโ and โcotโ sound alike (along with other words with these vowel sounds).
This is just a brief overview of what makes SAE (and its many variations of Southern accents) so special, but any of the linguistic topics mentioned here have layers of nuance and study behind them. We reckon thatโll do it for now.
Media Release/Word Smarts
