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I grew up in Madisonville and have relatives in the Louisville area -- western Kentucky is very southern Louisville I would say certainly more southern than midwestern..... the accents are southern for sure. But as others pointed out it does change the closer you get to Cincinnati. As I have lived up north for many years now I can hear southern talk once you go anywhere south of I-70. Always going to and from home on I-57 through Effingham IL where I-70 meet it changes fast from Champaign to there. Evansville and thru southern Indiana southern influence...
Bloomington, IN and Columbus are south of 70 and no Southern accents to be heard there. Southern accents in Indiana start at about Seymour but they are mild. More like possibly Southern influenced Midwest accents but definitely no drawl.
As far as Illinois goes it's the same. Heck I would say no real Southern accent exists in Illinois really anywhere. Southern lite at best. The O sounds get longer for sure. Maybe similar to accents heard in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Southernish but not Southern.
If south of I 70 people had Southern accents that would mean Cincinnati accents are Southern but they are not.
But I do agree Louisville is more Southern than Midwest. Even the most culturally Midwest parts of the South End and central regions you still find a lot of Southern influence. Occasionally some Louisville residents will say they are Midwestern but it isn't a crazy amount. Contrast that with most of the NKY residents who don't see any sort of cultural affinity to the South. Not even a little bit.
Bloomington, IN and Columbus are south of 70 and no Southern accents to be heard there. Southern accents in Indiana start at about Seymour but they are mild. More like possibly Southern influenced Midwest accents but definitely no drawl.
As far as Illinois goes it's the same. Heck I would say no real Southern accent exists in Illinois really anywhere. Southern lite at best. The O sounds get longer for sure. Maybe similar to accents heard in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Southernish but not Southern.
If south of I 70 people had Southern accents that would mean Cincinnati accents are Southern but they are not.
But I do agree Louisville is more Southern than Midwest. Even the most culturally Midwest parts of the South End and central regions you still find a lot of Southern influence. Occasionally some Louisville residents will say they are Midwestern but it isn't a crazy amount. Contrast that with most of the NKY residents who don't see any sort of cultural affinity to the South. Not even a little bit.
Effingham is bad with the accent as compared to northern Illinois....
My wife who is from Minot ND...when I took her to visit relatives in Louisville we stopped in Seymour and she about died as so many of the southern slang.
So at least from me having lived for years since moving out of Kentucky in the Upper Midwest the talk is a lot different
What is odd I grew up and I never had a southern accent to the extent that my parents and brothers and sister's did. I remember as a kid so many kids at school asking where I was from and I eventually said northern Illinois as I didnt talk any like the other kids in class. Maybe too much TV.
My sister in law who grew up J-town east side of Louisville metro is like a southern belle in her talk. At least from my persepective.....
I guess to me if I hear someone do y'all that is southern to me.... vs you guys.
Effingham is bad with the accent as compared to northern Illinois....
My wife who is from Minot ND...when I took her to visit relatives in Louisville we stopped in Seymour and she about died as so many of the southern slang.
So at least from me having lived for years since moving out of Kentucky in the Upper Midwest the talk is a lot different
What is odd I grew up and I never had a southern accent to the extent that my parents and brothers and sister's did. I remember as a kid so many kids at school asking where I was from and I eventually said northern Illinois as I didnt talk any like the other kids in class. Maybe too much TV.
My sister in law who grew up J-town east side of Louisville metro is like a southern belle in her talk. At least from my persepective.....
I guess to me if I hear someone do y'all that is southern to me.... vs you guys.
Anyone from North Dakota is gonna hear a Southern accent if it's from Iowa and further South. That's just perception. Kind of like how Minnesotans think that St. Louis is in the South. They're just not used to hearing that speech so when they hear the fronted O sounds and slight glide deletion they think Southern.
The Upper Midwest has such a distinct sound not heard in most of the Midwest so they think a typical Midwest sound is Southern. People in Cincy have more of a typical Midwest accent but in ND it will sound Southern in comparison.
Kind of like when I first heard people from Philly I thought they sounded kinda Southern but now that I live in the South my perception has changed.
Anyone from North Dakota is gonna hear a Southern accent if it's from Iowa and further South. That's just perception. Kind of like how Minnesotans think that St. Louis is in the South. They're just not used to hearing that speech so when they hear the fronted O sounds and slight glide deletion they think Southern.
The Upper Midwest has such a distinct sound not heard in most of the Midwest so they think a typical Midwest sound is Southern. People in Cincy have more of a typical Midwest accent but in ND it will sound Southern in comparison.
Kind of like when I first heard people from Philly I thought they sounded kinda Southern but now that I live in the South my perception has changed.
But in Louisville people can and do have drawls.
that I agree completely all about perspective....
I recall that when I went to college in Iowa I mentioned I was going to be put on my toboggan they really looked at me. I didnt know any different as that is what we called the knit cap on our head in the winter at least when I grew up in western KY.
You can also find those subtle dialect changes anywhere as rarely there is a very sudden shift from one line to another. More of a blending line .... Fun to study though.
I recall that when I went to college in Iowa I mentioned I was going to be put on my toboggan they really looked at me. I didnt know any different as that is what we called the knit cap on our head in the winter at least when I grew up in western KY.
You can also find those subtle dialect changes anywhere as rarely there is a very sudden shift from one line to another. More of a blending line .... Fun to study though.
Yeah the Northeast Illinois accent is very different but in Louisville the Southern Illinois accent still sounds not Southern in comparison to what is heard here. I am pretty sure anyone who grew up in the Northern part of the Midwest would hear a lower Midwest accent and think they sound super Southern.
Heck in Louisville everyone thinks I sound super Northern as if I was from Minnesota but I am not.
As many threads there are about Kentucky being southern or not, that I guessing it's not all that southern as many think it is.
My random thoughts on this:
1. There is no definitive border of when you are in the south. Its not like crossing the border into another country.
2. It's kinda like looking at those paint chip samples or the color spectrum. If the north is blue and the south is red, Kentucky is purple. It's kind of like everybody is different on the opinion of where one ends and another begins. No clear line here.
3. In terms of vegetation/trees/etc. where I live in southern Michigan looks a lot closer to Kentucky than it does in even northern Michigan, a lot closer to where I can't tell any different. When I drive for example in the U.P, I feel like I'm in another state.
4. When I think of the south I think gators, live oaks and Spanish moss.
4. Louisville is less than 2 hours from Indianapolis and about 6 or more to Atlanta. Point being logic would tell me it would have much more in common with the midwest city of Indy than southern Atlanta.
5. Where I live, we have rednecks in jacked up 4x4's with confederate flags flying in back and we enjoy sweet tea too. Does that make us southern? I think being "southern can be just a state of mind.
6. As time moves on and people move around the country, the line gets even more blurry.
So in the end if I had to categorize Kentucky in one or the other, I would say southern. But southern "lite" or purple on the color charts ;-)
As many threads there are about Kentucky being southern or not, that I guessing it's not all that southern as many think it is.
My random thoughts on this:
1. There is no definitive border of when you are in the south. Its not like crossing the border into another country.
2. It's kinda like looking at those paint chip samples or the color spectrum. If the north is blue and the south is red, Kentucky is purple. It's kind of like everybody is different on the opinion of where one ends and another begins. No clear line here.
3. In terms of vegetation/trees/etc. where I live in southern Michigan looks a lot closer to Kentucky than it does in even northern Michigan, a lot closer to where I can't tell any different. When I drive for example in the U.P, I feel like I'm in another state.
4. When I think of the south I think gators, live oaks and Spanish moss.
4. Louisville is less than 2 hours from Indianapolis and about 6 or more to Atlanta. Point being logic would tell me it would have much more in common with the midwest city of Indy than southern Atlanta.
5. Where I live, we have rednecks in jacked up 4x4's with confederate flags flying in back and we enjoy sweet tea too. Does that make us southern? I think being "southern can be just a state of mind.
6. As time moves on and people move around the country, the line gets even more blurry.
So in the end if I had to categorize Kentucky in one or the other, I would say southern. But southern "lite" or purple on the color charts ;-)
I have to politely disagree on some aspects or play devils advicate from the perspective of someone who was raised in Northeast Ohio.
1. I totally agree with this point as there is no magical line one crosses over that defines two different regions...its all very fluid and more of a transition and Kentucky certainly fits this being a border state.
2. Kentucky is purple in certain areas such as Northern Kentucky and maybe, parts of Louisville, but not too much purple. Southern and Western Kentucky may as well be Tennessee as the states are very similar.
3. There is a lot of overlap in flora and fauna in Kentucky and its bordering Midwest states, but it is much more Southern than Midwestern. Kentucky's climate belongs to the Humid Subtropical climate zone, albeit at its most notthern edge. There are bald cypress trees in the swamps of southwestern Kentucky, I have seen them myself while hiking the region, and around the Land Between the Lakes region. Also, I live in Louisville and my development has Southern Magnolias planted along the curb, a species very rare if not non-existant in the Midwest.
4. The South is more than gators, live oaks and spanish moss. In fact, those things are actually not common throughout much of the Southern states, mostly theh are found along coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico amd Atlantic Ocean. If you go further inland away from the coasts, these are not there.
4. Yes, Louisville is only 2 hours from Indy but its also only 2.5 hours from Nashville. I think this further represents Kentuckys status as a transition between regions.
5. 4x4 jacked up trucks and confederate flags are a stereotype perpetuated of the South. I wont dive into that topic here. I cant remember ever seeing a confederate flag flying while living in the North, but I have only seen a rebel flag flying on a few occadsions even in the South which I have traveled extensively in telhe last 10 years.
6. I agree...the line does get more blurry, but most places across this great nation hold onto their culture. I think the blending of cultures is good and i also believe that there is a gross over exaggeration of cultural erosion across the different regions.
Again, i think you bring up valid points but Kentucky mostly aligns with the Southern States. The dualect is there, geographically its there, culturally its there and historically it has leaned Southern. I was in Nashville for Labor Day weekend and felt that i had not even crossed state lines. The two States are almost indistinguishable from each other.
As many threads there are about Kentucky being southern or not, that I guessing it's not all that southern as many think it is.
My random thoughts on this:
1. There is no definitive border of when you are in the south. Its not like crossing the border into another country. There certainly are transition zones but the question is whether the line is consistent with the Ohio river or of it happens at different points. Parts of Kentucky like Newport are north of the transition zone where it could be said that Louisville is on the tail end of it
2. It's kinda like looking at those paint chip samples or the color spectrum. If the north is blue and the south is red, Kentucky is purple. It's kind of like everybody is different on the opinion of where one ends and another begins. No clear line here.
3. In terms of vegetation/trees/etc. where I live in southern Michigan looks a lot closer to Kentucky than it does in even northern Michigan, a lot closer to where I can't tell any different. When I drive for example in the U.P, I feel like I'm in another state. I didn't know that Detroit or Ann Arbor had magnolia trees or banana leaves. Also, the geographic center of the lower 48 is in Lebanon, Kansas. The entire state of Kentucky sits below this center. Heck the only part of the South above that center is the WV panhandle. Even the NKY region and Cincinnati sit below it albeit by maybe 45 miles or so.
4. When I think of the south I think gators, live oaks and Spanish moss. Atlanta as used in your example below has only one of those. I am pretty sure that you also see none of that in Nashville
4. Louisville is less than 2 hours from Indianapolis and about 6 or more to Atlanta. Point being logic would tell me it would have much more in common with the midwest city of Indy than southern Atlanta.
Louisville is closer to Nashville than it is to St. Louis because let's just pick arbitrary points on the map to make our point. Besides, NKY is the only region of Kentucky that is truly Midwestern
5. Where I live, we have rednecks in jacked up 4x4's with confederate flags flying in back and we enjoy sweet tea too. Does that make us southern? I think being "southern can be just a state of mind. Rednecks are a product of rural living. Nothing Southern exclusively. Nowadays confederate flags are a fashion and political statement. And everyone loves sweet tea. However things like Kentucky's preppy culture, good Ole boy mentality, Southern drawl (yes it is in Louisville), humid subtropical climate, large English/Scotch Irish population, and identity as a Southern state make it Southern. It is the only border state that has become culturally more Southern over time. Contrast that with Missouri and Maryland that have lost much of their Southern identity
6. As time moves on and people move around the country, the line gets even more blurry. Southerners have been moving North and vice versa since before carpetbaggers. It hasn't blurred the line then so why would it now?
So in the end if I had to categorize Kentucky in one or the other, I would say southern. But southern "lite" or purple on the color charts ;-) OK but you're gonna have to find me some 7a zone plants in Michigan while you're at it
Kentucky can't be Midwestern. Only one state separates it from the Atlantic!
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