The Chicago accent: it exists but none of US have it (Washington: moving, suburbs)

[LeotheOrangeCat]

I have the accent or so people from outside the area tell me. I don't hear it though.

[GraceKrispy]

I grew up in the Chicago area. When I moved out west after college, someone immediately pegged my origins because of my "accent." I always thought we didn't have an accent. Now that I've been living in a variety of other states for the past 20 years, I can really hear the accent in my family and friends who never left the area (I hear it in the vowels especially). My mom is the only family member who doesn't have the accent, but she spent the first 21 years of her life in Iowa.

[stillife]

I didn't think I had a Chicago accent, either. I grew up in Chicago and my mother (who grew up in Denver) told me one time that I sounded like Mayor Daley! I'm pretty sure she was just joking - I wasn't that bad! My father was from NYC and we used to make fun of his accent. Once I moved to NYC, I realized I did in fact have a Chicago accent. People can still spot it, 30 years later! I used to think Midwestern accents were totally neutral. Guess not!

Accents are very interesting. I'm fascinated by language experts (or just people with a good ear) who can tell exactly where you've lived and how long you lived there.

[Kamms]

''Sure hope the city doesn't raise TEE-Axes this year''; sure feel SORRry for working MEE-Oms''...Chicago accent 101.

[nephi215]

Imo Chicago and other Midwestern accents (with the exception of certain Minnesota accents) are subtle especially when compared to the the very identifiable northeastern accents (Philadelphia, New York, Boston) and Southern accents. Maybe this is because Midwestern accents are closer to General American English than Northeastern and Southern accents.

[EddieOlSkool]

Still trying to figure out what a "neutral" accent is. To a British person, I can guarantee you that practically all Americans don't sound neutral. If by neutral you mean can't be traced to a specific region, then why is even Standard American English traced to the Midwest where it is found most?

The phrase "neutral" accent and the phrase "no accent" make no sense.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by rzzz

I would say it's accents like:

Al Roker, Dan Rather, Anderson Cooper, the women on "the view," Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman

the characters on: Beverly Hills 90210, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show, Modern Family, Breaking Bad

also HGTV remodeling shows... I believe many of them are set in Toronto but I have a hard time figuring out where the people are supposed to be from or where the show is filmed, when they don't name the city.

A lot of famous people with "neutral" accents. I have no idea where they are from by listening to them

That way of talking is specifically known as Standard American English. It can be traced to the Midwest. Even if someone outside of the country hears it, they probably trace it to the US. Therefore, it is an accent.

Had New York English been decided as the Standard, everyone would be calling that an accent.

But to say that it's "not" an accent because famous people speak with it, makes absolutely no sense.

Definition:

ac·cent
noun
noun: accent; plural noun: accents
ˈakˌsent/
1.
a distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language, especially one associated with a particular nation, locality, or social class.

So, even Standard American English has an accent.

By the way, you think the women on the View all sound alike? Have you heard Barbara Walters' very East Coast way of talking???

[justalicious6989]

I get made fun of from our out of towners when they visit. I say "these one's." instead of "those". They tell me it must be a Chicago thing. I guess? Oh well, I laugh when they say Cawfee. lol

[rzzz]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

By the way, you think the women on the View all sound alike? Have you heard Barbara Walters' very East Coast way of talking???

Yeah. I guess I left Barbara Walters out of it. I don't think of her accent as East Coast, though. She's got that weird mush mouth baby talk "w" in there. I don't know what that accent is.

I miss the Mid Atlantic accent from old movies. Seems unpopular now. The last time I heard a character have it was on Frazier. I guess Stewie from Family Guy uses it, so it's just a joke now.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

The "Chicago accent" looks like it is scattered across the North.


Inland Northern American English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What slang (figures of speech) are unique to Chicago besides "Da Bears"?