the Tidewater Accent (natives of Tidewater) (Norfolk, Chesapeake: apartment, home, university)

[Serenity2019]

My dad always had this distinct southern type accent , and I still have it, as did my Dad's whole side of the family. I found it interesting and I visit Va. beach (I still call it Tidewater, and once and I hear my friend's I grew up with speaking it, but never young people or the people that moved from another area.

Tidewater accent

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The Tidewater accent, also known as Tidewater English, Tidewater Dialect or the Chesapeake Accent, is a specific dialect of Southern American English. While the dialect is said to have roots up and down the eastern seaboard, it is primarily concentrated in the southeastern part of Virginia, otherwise known as the Tidewater Region. This region consists of the Hampton Roads, parts of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and parts of the eastern shore of Virginia, Maryland, and Southern Delaware and also on the Western shore in remote peninsular areas of Southern Maryland in St. Mary's County, Maryland [1] and Calvert County, Maryland.[2]

Contents

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• 1 History
• 2 Chesapeake Bay islands
• 3 Features of Tidewater English
• 4 Current projects
• 5 See also
• 6 Notes
• 7 References
• 8 External links

History[edit]

This dialect of American English has evolved over a period of four hundred years from the English that was spoken by those who initially settled the area. Given that language is an entity that is constantly changing,[3] it is accurate to say that the English of the colonists was quite different from any variety of English being spoken today. The colonists who initially settled the Tidewater area spoke a variety of English known as Early Modern English. (This is not to be confused with the form of English spoken today known as Modern English or Present-Day English, or with the English of Chaucer, which is Middle English.) Even within Early Modern English, there was immense variation among its speakers.[4] This variation could have been due to several factors such as geographic location, social class, age, race, etc. within England itself.
Chesapeake Bay islands[edit]

While the speech of the region has evolved and changed over time, it is worth noting a distinct "other" in the group, spoken on the small, marshy islands of Tangier and Smith Island in the lower Chesapeake Bay. These dialects are unique in that they seem comparatively untouched by linguistic evolution, still bearing characteristics of the 17th-century western English dialects of their original settlers.[5] Geographic isolation and a historically small population have meant that these close-knit communities have been able to retain a significant amount of their native dialect through the centuries.
Features of Tidewater English[edit]

One of the traditional features of Tidewater English is that it is non-rhotic. This may be heard in such words as Norfolk pronounced by many natives as /ˈnɔːfɪk/. Many visitors to the area may pronounce the city's name as /ˈnɜrfoʊk/ or even /ˈnɜrfɪk/, the "l" being silent. The latter of these two is even appearing in younger generations native to the Tidewater area.
Another traditional feature of the area is the use of /oʊ/ for /aʊ/.[6] For example, words such as "house" and "about" may be heard in the Tidewater area as "həuse" and "abəut" respectively, especially among older speakers. Given that there are over 2.8 million people in the area,[7] it is difficult to account for all variants. Also, the area is home to several large military bases such as Naval Station Norfolk, Little Creek Amphibious Base, Oceana Naval Station, and Dam Neck Naval Base. Since a significant portion of the area's inhabitants are actually natives of other areas, there is constant linguistic exposure to other dialects. This exposure could be a reason why the younger generations do not exhibit as many of the traditional variants. These variants can, however, still be found in the youth of the more rural areas of Tidewater as well as many of the adults throughout the Tidewater region.
Current projects[edit]

There is currently a linguistic survey and study occurring in the Tidewater region. A project devised by Old Dominion University Assistant Professor Dr. Bridget Anderson entitled Tidewater Voices: Conversations in Southeastern Virginia has recently[when?] been initiated in the area. In collecting oral histories from natives of the area, this study offers insight to not only specific history of the region, but also to linguistic phonetic variants native to the area as well. This linguistic survey is the first of its kind in nearly forty years.[8] The two variants being analyzed the most closely in this study are the /aʊ/ diphthong as in house or brown and post-vocalic r-lessness as in /ˈfɑːðə/ for /ˈfɑːðər/.

[lammius]

I don't know anyone under the age of 50 who has that old Tidewater accent. Some younger Tidewater natives have a bit of southern accent but it's more like general "NASCAR southern." Most have very little southern at all.

For example, a really old native might live in "Naw-f**k" but most younger natives would call it "Nor-fick" the non-rhoticity is all but gone.

I think the old tidewater accent has become so rare that many (most?) natives under the age of 30 probably wouldn't recognize it if they heard it.

[Serenity2019]

Well man , I still hear it , and I am in my 40's. I would change it to 40's not 50. That is sad to hear though.

[ZER0]

I never got it and I was born in Newport News. So I'm not terribly sure if there is one. I would blame that on all the military bases. This area is such a melting pot of people and locations that it's barely able to maintain it's own identity.

[Serenity2019]

Well, I lived in Va. Beach, and my father was from Norfolk, and my father's side was all from Norfolk. It surely is spoken in Norfolk, and some parts of Va. beach, particularly Norfolk and Southern Chesapeake , I believe.

[11KAP]

Originally Posted by coastalbum

Well, I lived in Va. Beach, and my father was from Norfolk, and my father's side was all from Norfolk. It surely is spoken in Norfolk, and some parts of Va. beach, particularly Norfolk and Southern Chesapeake , I believe.

Yeah the southside has a stronger accent than the peninsula.
They are almost like two different worlds.

[Serenity2019]

Originally Posted by 11KAP

Yeah the southside has a stronger accent than the peninsula.
They are almost like two different worlds.

Exactly, this is what I should have titled the thread, Southside Tidewater Accent. I grew up on the Southside, and when I refer to Tidewater I am always talking about the Southside - Va. Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, P-town, and Suffolk.

I should have titled it this. Thank ya!

[rafaelnajae]

I've never heard that, but I rarely hear anybody with a defined southern accent.

[Serenity2019]

Well, I was there visiting Va. Beach, and went to lunch with my Aunt, and she surely has the ol' Tidewater accent. She's grew up in Norfolk and lives in Va. beach.

[lammius]

Here's a good example. Years ago I rented an apartment from an elderly couple in Norfolk and they sounded much like this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RzVKCWXrRA