Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My mom is from Alabama, my dad's from Arkansas, I was born in Texas, and to me the only difference between an Alabama accent and a Texas accent is that they talk slow in Alabama.... fast in Texas.
That is an interesting observation. I have a very good friend of mine who I will call Sarah (since that is her name! LOL) who is originally from North Alabama. When she married, she and her husband moved to central Mississippi.
Well, she went to work for the local school district and one day a lady asked my friend where she was from, originally. When she jokingly rejoined "What makes you think I am not from here", the other replied something like that her speech just didn't mark her as being a native of that part of Mississippi!
Anyway, Sarah told the woman that she was born and raised in North Alabama. The other nodded and said "I was going to say, either North Alabama...or Texas."
Point is that many people in northern parts of Alabama have a certain "twang" in their dialects that is akin to what is often considered the stereotypical "Texas accent." (the variety spoken in rural West Texas). This as opposed to folks in southern parts of Alabama who generally have more of that soft "moonlight and magnolias" drawl commonly associated with the Deep South of Gone With the Wind fame. (our friend AlaTex might back me on this one...?)
As BlueSkies alluded to earlier, pioneers from far north Alabama and other parts of the "Mountain South" (Tennessee in particular) were a huge part of the settlement of western Texas, and for that reason, the dialects are linguistically kin (first cousins, perhaps) to one another.
When I have talked to Sarah on the phone, I have noticed this. Her accent is noteably more "Deep South" than mine...but by and large she could easily fit into Texas, accent wise, if she wanted to! LOL
This as opposed to folks in southern parts of Alabama who generally have more of that soft "moonlight and magnolias" drawl commonly associated with the Deep South of Gone With the Wind fame. (our friend AlaTex might back me on this one...?)
Yes, the northeastern parts of Alabama is more like eastern Tennessee and western Virginia and Carolina - more of what one would think of as a "country and western music" accent - still recognizably "southern" but definitely a faster pace, "twangier," and with sharp "R" sounds - kind of like a cat being neutered by a xylophone.
My mother had one of those old "moonlight and magnolias" Deep South accents like you mentioned. You don't hear it much anymore, especially in the cities.
Some old coastal southerners have a little different twist on that accent. Old-timers in Alabama can tell someone from a coastal city like Mobile from people in other parts of the state.
The slower southern accents of the middle and lower and older south aren't nearly as pronounced in most younger people (especially in cities), who generally try to conform more toward a "generic American accent" as people are not nearly as isolated as in generations past, when travel was more difficult, economies were more local, and the media was not so prevalent. It's still recognizably "southern" in most cases, just not nearly as pronounced.
Yes, the northeastern parts of Alabama is more like eastern Tennessee and western Virginia and Carolina - more of what one would think of as a "country and western music" accent - still recognizably "southern" but definitely a faster pace, "twangier," and with sharp "R" sounds - kind of like a cat being neutered by a xylophone.
ROFLMAO. I gotta admit, Alatex, I cracked up laughing REAL time over this analogy! Good one, my friend!
Of course *considers*...since I have one of those "twangy" thick Texas/Southern accents, I am not sure whether to keep laughing or be insulted! (just kidding!)
TexasReb would know better than me but from what I understand, Texas was settled by those from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, etc. from all over the South. The Southerners mixed with the Germans and Czechs and also the Tejanos who were already here. I saw a program on tv about language and the linguist said that the Texas accent is a mix of Southern accents. Alot of original settlers in the Fort Worth area were from Tennessee.
Well, not exactly (though TexasReb would say exactly, I imagine).
If the Southerners came here and mingled with the Germans and Czechs and Tejanos who were already here, they hardly settled it, now, did they?
Texas is made up of all of those influences, which is what makes us unique. Pretending that we're just part of the Glorious South is wishful thinking. And I say this being born and growing up in East Texas, which probably has the closest claim, out of all of the many parts of Texas, to being close to like the South. Even there, we knew that we were Texas, NOT the South, which started long about Louisiana. We were the ones who LEFT the South to come to Texas, or in many cases, simply came through the South - better traveling in winter - to get here from somewhere else yet.
originally from North Alabama. When she married, she and her husband moved to central Mississippi.
Well, she went to work for the local school district and one day a lady asked my friend where she was from, originally. When she jokingly rejoined "What makes you think I am not from here", the other replied something like that her speech just didn't mark her as being a native of that part of Mississippi!
Anyway, Sarah told the woman that she was born and raised in North Alabama. The other nodded and said "I was going to say, either North Alabama...or Texas."
Point is that many people in northern parts of Alabama have a certain "twang" in their dialects that is akin to what is often considered the stereotypical "Texas accent." (the variety spoken in rural West Texas). This as opposed to folks in southern parts of Alabama who generally have more of that soft "moonlight and magnolias" drawl commonly associated with the Deep South of Gone With the Wind fame. (our friend AlaTex might back me on this one...?)
As BlueSkies alluded to earlier, pioneers from far north Alabama and other parts of the "Mountain South" (Tennessee in particular) were a huge part of the settlement of western Texas, and for that reason, the dialects are linguistically kin (first cousins, perhaps) to one another.
When I have talked to Sarah on the phone, I have noticed this. Her accent is noteably more "Deep South" than mine...but by and large she could easily fit into Texas, accent wise, if she wanted to! LOL
Yep. My inlaws are from Northern Alabama (as is my Birmingham born husband - I know, I know I did not marry a Native Texan). My mother-in-law, her sister and all of the other relatives have more of a "country" accent vs. a "sweet as magnolia sugary drippin" slllllllloooooooooooooow Southern accent.
After studying my genealogy and being a Native Texan here is what I found (and my ancestors were some of the first to land over here in the "New World"). They settled up north first (shocking I know but we are talking 1600's here). They then moved down to North Carolina and then South Carolina. From SC they dispersed to either Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi or Missouri (only one branch went to MO). Over the years each family had a branch that drifted further West. Some went straight to Utah from places like Alabama (AL was a HOTBED of recruiting ground for the Mormons), California or Texas. But the branches I'm related to came to Texas from TN, GA, AL, MS. This was of course after a generation or two of living in those states after arriving there from South Carolina. They didn't tend to move from amoungst those states but they instead went far West and skipped other "Southern" states w/ the few exceptions that went to Florida. Does any of that make sense????
TexasReb would know better than me but from what I understand, Texas was settled by those from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, etc. from all over the South. The Southerners mixed with the Germans and Czechs and also the Tejanos who were already here. I saw a program on tv about language and the linguist said that the Texas accent is a mix of Southern accents. Alot of original settlers in the Fort Worth area were from Tennessee.
Well, not exactly (though TexasReb would say exactly, I imagine).
If the Southerners came here and mingled with the Germans and Czechs and Tejanos who were already here, they hardly settled it, now, did they?
Texas is made up of all of those influences, which is what makes us unique. Pretending that we're just part of the Glorious South is wishful thinking. And I say this being born and growing up in East Texas, which probably has the closest claim, out of all of the many parts of Texas, to being close to like the South. Even there, we knew that we were Texas, NOT the South, which started long about Louisiana. We were the ones who LEFT the South to come to Texas, or in many cases, simply came through the South - better traveling in winter - to get here from somewhere else yet.
THL? You are fun to argue and debate with, and I respect your intelligence, but sometimes, with all that due respect, it seems to me it is you, not me, who has the "greater need" to prove Texas not Southern than anyone else I know does to try and prove it to be so. (which is a question which will forever be unsettled, anway).
I don't personally care if you consider yourself Southern, or if Texas is part of the South or not. Many Texans don't (well, not MANY, because most actually consider themselves to be Southern..but as may be) and I have no problem with that.
However, you seem totally commited -- when you and I discuss/debate this topic -- to ignoring that I AM proud of, and agree with, that Texas is, first and foremost, TEXAS! Show me any post I have ever made which says different....?
Yet, when it comes to regional affiliation, IF such is to be done, then Texas is essentially a Southern state. It is NOT a melting pot like California, nor some bland mix of all cultures being equal in influence. It is not "west" like Colorado or Arizona, nor Plains like Kansas. It is Southern in all the general ways when it comes right down to it. Even LBJ, who ran for president in 1964 as a "westerner" because he feared the "baggage" of being Southern, was under no illusions. In his memoirs, he frankly stated as much, and spoke of how proud he was of being a Southerner and that Texas was part of the South. That is to say, as he put it, "Texas is part of the South...in the sense it shares a common history and outlook different from the Northeast, Midwest, or Far West..."
Texas was overwhelming settled by people from the southeast and it was that culture which dominates...whether you like it or not.
Is it a typical Southern state? Emphatically and absolutely No! Not at all. Too big for one thing. But the Southern influence on Texas is the dominant one. And this is shown in every way from speech patterns, to religious affiliation to eating blackeyed peas on New Years Day.
What do you even mean when you say that those who settled Texas "left" the South? This makes no sense at all from an historical perspective. If such were true, then Texas would not have been one of the original Confederate States, all out for secession.
The South was, literally, from a migration perspective, an extended family. Governor Francis Lubbock described it that way in his memoirs. I mean, think about it? Did the settlers who moved west into Mississippi and Alabama from Georgia and South Carolina stop being Southerners? And then all of them into Louisiana? Then into Texas?
No. They were Southerners moving west. They brought their culture with them. It didn't drown in the Sabine River. To have told one of those early Texans they were not Southern would have been almost like telling them the moon is made of green cheese.
The Texas accent is one of many varieties of what is known as Southern American English. It is SOUTHERN in basic origin and influence, reflecting settlement patterns. Go north above Oklahoma, west into New Mexico and the type accent and idiom common will not be anything like that ordinarily spoken in Texas. On the other hand? Go east even into Alabama and Missisisppi -- definitely Tennessee -- and the general way of speaking and the slang used will be much more on the same plane. "Coke" and "y'all" and "fixin to" and such is a very surface example of the kinship which forms SAE.
This is not just my opinion. In fact, my own opinion is unimportant in this realm. I am citing what experts in the field say. I have done so before and will do again. That is, paste this one:
The most basic explanation of aTexas accent is that it’s a Southern accent with a twist,” said Professor Bailey, who has determined that the twang is not only spreading but also changing. “It’s the twist that we’re interested in.” The preeminent scholar on Texas pronunciation, Bailey hails from southern Alabama; he has a soft lilting drawl that, for the sake of economy, will not be phonetically reproduced here but is substantially more genteel and less nasal than Bob Hinkle’s twang. The broadly defined “Texas accent” began to form, Bailey explained, when two populations merged here in the mid-nineteenth century. Settlers who migrated from Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi brought with them what would later become the Lower South Dialect (its drawl left an imprint on East Texas), while settlers from Tennessee and Kentucky brought with them the South Midland Dialect (its twang had a greater influence in West Texas). Added to the mix of Anglo settlers from the Deep South and Appalachia who began talking to each other was an established Spanish-speaking population and an influx of Mexican, German, and Czech immigrants. “What distinguishes a Texas accent the most is the confluence of its influences,” said Bailey.
Yes, as noted, there ARE other influences...but the Southern element is the dominant one.
BTW -- that "glorious South" comment was totally unnecessary. In fact, it had a ring of uncalled for sarcasm. Yes, I am proud to be both Texan AND Southern. I see no contradiction whatsoever. And I don't think of the South as "glorious" so much as I think of it as Home. My extended family. I don't need to "wishful think" about it. Anymore than I need to wishful think I am kin to a favorite uncle, aunt...or kissing cousin..
To loosely paraphrase Pat Conroy? A Texan is, a Southerner is, and we knows we is!
Gotta agree with TR on this one, his post was very informative. And IMHO to say that the influence that the pockets of czech's, germans & spaniards had in Texas somehow equates to or overshadows the cultural presence of white southerners, would not be too much different than saying that blacks settled in Texas so their cultural influence somehow equals to or negates the fact that the overwhelmingly dominant culture is that of Southern Anglos. Im from East Texas as well, and Im a Texan who is also a Southerner.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,680,542 times
Reputation: 1974
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alatex
Yes, the northeastern parts of Alabama is more like eastern Tennessee and western Virginia and Carolina - more of what one would think of as a "country and western music" accent - still recognizably "southern" but definitely a faster pace, "twangier," and with sharp "R" sounds - kind of like a cat being neutered by a xylophone.
Thanks for the visual. You definitely got your point across.
Gotta agree with TR on this one, his post was very informative. And IMHO to say that the influence that the pockets of czech's, germans & spaniards had in Texas somehow equates to or overshadows the cultural presence of white southerners, would not be too much different than saying that blacks settled in Texas so their cultural influence somehow equals to or negates the fact that the overwhelmingly dominant culture is that of Southern Anglos. Im from East Texas as well, and Im a Texan who is also a Southerner.
I suggest that you venture out of East Texas and check out the rest of the state, and you might change that opinion. While it MIGHT be true of East Texas (and remember I'm an East Texas girl born and bred myself and I still say MIGHT), it's certainly not the case in a large part of the state that the "white southern" influence dominates. No matter how much some might wish that were the case.
I respect, and acknowledge, all the contributors to the unique culture that is Texas. And I don't pretend that there hasn't been a great influence on this culture by those who didn't get here by way of the South (and who were here before) - just as great, in some areas, as that Southern influence is on the parts of Texas that most closely adjoin it geographically.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I did not marry a Native Texan). My mother-in-law, her sister and all of the other relatives have more of a "country" accent vs. a "sweet as magnolia sugary drippin" slllllllloooooooooooooow Southern accent. 
You definitely got your point across. 
