Did the British have a southern accent?
Older Southern English (which has evolved to what we think of as a southern accent today) was a mix of the dialect of immigrants from the British Isles with the dialect of early African slaves who learned English to communicate.
Where did the Southern American accent come from?
The Southern accent derives from their people original language from the British Isles. The sound progressed and changed as the people moved westward. When groups were more isolated, the accents stayed closer to the original, when in an area of other accents, such as New Orleans, those accents merged with their own.
Which accent came first British or American?
The “American English” we know and use today in an American accent first started out as an “England English” accent. According to a linguist at the Smithsonian, Americans began putting their own spin on English pronunciations just one generation after the colonists started arriving in the New World.
When did the American southern accent develop?
By the time of the American Civil War in the 1860s, many different Southern accents had developed, most notably in eastern Virginia, the Lowcountry (namely Charleston), Appalachia, the Black Belt (the major plantation region), and the secluded islands along the Atlantic coasts of the Southern states.
Why did the Southern accent develop?
The Southern Drawl, like any accent, developed over the course of hundreds of years. There were many factors that contributed to its evolution including: plantation and farm life, Western expansion, immigration, and an increasing number and size of American cities.
Which American accent is closest to British?
Possibly the closest US American accent to British (sounding and geographically) is mid-Atlantic. This is typically spoken by a US American who has lived a long time in Britain, or vice versa a Brit who spent years in the US.
What state has the most Southern accent?
Alabama and Mississippi are where your “Deep South” accents come from, and what most of the world thinks the entire Southeastern US sounds like. These areas are where “the twang” really becomes prominent, and the smooth drawl of previous states becomes a more aggressive, urgent, unfamiliar sound.
Where is the thickest Southern accent?
For more common dialects, look no further than the Cajuns of the far-southern Mississippi/Louisiana border. Not only is it an incredibly thick accent, but on top of that, most residents only speak a little bit of English, preferring their fascinating old dialect of French for daily use.