Do Oklahomans typically have a Southern or Midwestern accent? (Oklahoma City: apartment, homes)

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

You're spot on even though many of the Midwest Snoots that hate associating Oklahoma with the South in any shape, form, or fashion will disagree.

Oklahoma's accent is decidedly Southern, or a derivative of the South. Like much of North/West Texas, our accents can be quite nasally. It's a more Redneck version of the Southern accent; most Oklahomans will not speak with the aristocratic Southern accent of say a Billy Graham or others from the Southeast. Some of those accents sound a bit fakey, The Gone With The Wind types. But Oklahoma definitely has a strong Southern influence to it and the accents of the majority of Native Okies reinforces this assertion. Oklahoma has a Western/cowboy/ranching heritage making it much more SOUTHwest in its leanings, but it is still a derivative of the South like the westside of Arkansas or North/West Texas.

As far as Okies and a Midwest accent, I'm guessing it's virtually not existent unless they're relatively recent transplants or they were educated in a private school. Heck, even most Kansans and Missourians sound different than Okies (with the exception of a small sliver in NW OK like Eddie G alludes to). I was in Branson just last week and noticed that the obvious Midwesterners (like KS or MO or Iowa) had different speech patterns for the most part.

Why do people associate Texas with Southern? Most of the history of Texas is decidedly very different from the South. Ranching is more Western anyway and people from the West don't have Southern accents unless they're from Bakersfield or something. I get what you guys are saying but alluding to Oklahoma's Western culture doesn't really build the case for it being more Southern.

Lots of Midwestern people sound nasal anyway. Twangy accents aren't indicative of Southern heritage.

However I will not discount Oklahoma's Southern history and culture. I am just simply pointing out that alluding to Texas to seem more Southern is a misconception because Texas is by far not representative of the South in a major way. Houston, yes. The rest of Texas? Hardly.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Why do people associate Texas with Southern? Most of the history of Texas is decidedly very different from the South. Ranching is more Western anyway and people from the West don't have Southern accents unless they're from Bakersfield or something. I get what you guys are saying but alluding to Oklahoma's Western culture doesn't really build the case for it being more Southern.

Lots of Midwestern people sound nasal anyway. Twangy accents aren't indicative of Southern heritage.

However I will not discount Oklahoma's Southern history and culture. I am just simply pointing out that alluding to Texas to seem more Southern is a misconception because Texas is by far not representative of the South in a major way. Houston, yes. The rest of Texas? Hardly.

I wasn't associating Texas to make Oklahoma seem more Southern. Just that Oklahoma is like North/West Texas. Like Oklahoma, most of Texas is not the Deep South...I don't know many who would argue that (although eastern and SE Oklahoma can feel extremely Southern even like northern Louisiana in parts).

If the "true" South = Deep South then Oklahoma (almost all of Texas, and much of Arkansas too and several other historically understood states) ain't it. Oklahoma is a derivative of Southern culture with a lot of Western semblances mixed in. The majority of accents of Natives?...quite Southern, however.

Oklahoma, as many will say is the Western South or as I like to say the SOUTHwest (designating some distinctions with NM and AZ).

As for Bakersfield, most of it is filled with ol' migrant Okies, Texans, and Arkies...further proving my point.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

I wasn't associating Texas to make Oklahoma seem more Southern. Just that Oklahoma is like North/West Texas. Like Oklahoma, most of Texas is not the Deep South...I don't know many who would argue that (although eastern and SE Oklahoma can feel extremely Southern even like northern Louisiana in parts).

If the "true" South = Deep South then Oklahoma (almost all of Texas, and much of Arkansas too and several other historically understood states) ain't it. Oklahoma is a derivative of Southern culture with a lot of Western semblances mixed in. The majority of accents of Natives?...quite Southern, however.

Oklahoma, as many will say is the Western South or as I like to say the SOUTHwest (designating some distinctions with NM and AZ).

As for Bakersfield, most of it is filled with ol' migrant Okies, Texans, and Arkies...further proving my point.

South isn't just Deep South because the Upper/Mountain South is also very Southern in its own way. That's the Southern of Appalachia and to a lesser extent the Ozarks.

I know lots of Okies identify as Southern and I won't take that away. But theirs is a mild Upper South accent akin to that of the Ozarks. Sort of South Midland bordering on pure Southern.

But yes for Midwesterners they would sound quite Southern yet for the South they sound a bit Midwestern. It's not that different from the Southern infused accents of many people who are from Missourah.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

As far as Okies and a Midwest accent, I'm guessing it's virtually not existent unless they're relatively recent transplants or they were educated in a private school. Heck, even most Kansans and Missourians sound different than Okies (with the exception of a small sliver in NW OK like Eddie G alludes to). I was in Branson just last week and noticed that the obvious Midwesterners (like KS or MO or Iowa) had different speech patterns for the most part.

Where you will find non southern accents mostly is where the Mennonites settled. Say around Cordell and Fairview. There are a lot of people who sound as if they are from the upper plains in through that area. You will find non southern accents in the areas surrounding Enid/Alva. Panhandle is a mixed bag. There are certainly people with southern accents in that part of Oklahoma as well, it's just not as dominant.

There is no doubt that the rest of the state is mostly southern accents although I would say there is maybe less along the cities that border the Kansas line as well in north central and northeastern Oklahoma.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Where you will find non southern accents mostly is where the Mennonites settled. Say around Cordell and Fairview. There are a lot of people who sound as if they are from the upper plains in through that area. You will find non southern accents in the areas surrounding Enid/Alva. Panhandle is a mixed bag. There are certainly people with southern accents in that part of Oklahoma as well, it's just not as dominant.

There is no doubt that the rest of the state is mostly southern accents although I would say there is maybe less along the cities that border the Kansas line as well in north central and northeastern Oklahoma.

Agreed, most of my wife's friends (she is from NW OK) speak with a neutral, mid-Plains accent. Except both my brothers-in-law and my father-in-law (her side). They're not Mennonite, and their accent is Southeastern OK/southern Arkansas; not sure where that came from, all raised around Fairview, Okeene and Isabella.

[Johnhw2]

SE Oklahoma use to be called Little Dixie due to its southern accent and ways. Not sure if it is still called that and move ins from Tx are more prominent there now

[Oklahomagirl74]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

SE Oklahoma use to be called Little Dixie due to its southern accent and ways. Not sure if it is still called that and move ins from Tx are more prominent there now

yes, its still called "little Dixie" , my brother and his family live down there. They love it!

[Oklahomagirl74]

I think of Oklahoma as the crossroads where the south meets the southwest and the Midwest. We have it all here!

[Jesska]

I’m from Georgia and currently live in Oklahoma and my opinion is that Oklahomans try to hard to be southern. I have never in my 15 years of living here met somebody with a southern accent. I’m laughing when people that have never been to or lived in an actual southern state think that Oklahoma is southern. In Rossville Georgia there are more trailers than houses, in Tulsa Oklahoma it’s just suburbs filled with apartments and homes. Georgia has Hardee’s and Oklahoma has Braums, stop comparing at best a southeastern state to a true southern state. Btw Oklahoma was Native American Territory and Native Americans fought with the confederacy. Stop fooling yourselves.

[Jesska]

Also if you ask anyone from Oklahoma/Alabama/Tennessee/etc. they will tell you Oklahoma is not a southern state.