Southern Culture
Today's society is dominated by stereotypes and misconceptions; the way that we talk, walk or even look has a large impact on the way other human beings judge us. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that some people associate the Southern accent with a lack of education or laziness. Despite this fact, Southerners continue to maintain their unique dialect, and ignore stereotypes that they are often forced to undertake. In fact, to many southerners their dialect is more than a way of speaking, it is a long standing tradition that goes far beyond the language.The Southern dialect is the product of a wide array of cultural and ethnic influences. Both the French and African slaves had a large impact on the Southern way of speaking. Because the French dominated most of the Southern and Western American regions during the 18th century, their way of speaking was highly influential on the Southern culture. Just as the French significantly contributed to the Southern dialect so too did the African slaves. The large populace of African slaves played a large role in today's Southern accent. Furthermore, because the South is largely agricultural, the people tended stay in one location thereby allowing for the development of a de
This is a stereotype that many Southerner would gladly refute. The "Coastal Southern" dialect includes words such as dope (soda) and doughnuts (cookies) which are terms that are not used in other Southern regions. How do kids learn to read from phonics programs when so many of the words are pronounced with a southern ski slope at the end?" Although some Southerners may take offence to this joke, it is obvious that the tone of the author is not intended to be hurtful. In fact, the tone of most Northern writers towards the Southern way of speaking was much more relaxed. Furthermore, because the Northern and Southern dialects are what many people consider to be the fundamental difference between the two regions, some Southern feel very strongly about maintaining that barrier. The Southern dialect was a large part of the old South and is a large part of the new South, and although it is no longer as "Southern" as it used to be, it still distinguishes two different geographical locations. " The prior quotation sounds more like a motivational speech given by General Robert E. Perhaps the reason for this is largely due to the outcome of the Civil War. The Northern perspective towards the Southern accent is frequently regarded as lighthearted or comical. " The particularly descriptive language used by the writer clearly reveals the importance of the southern dialect, and how the south should spurn the "Yankee" way of speaking. One particular website went as far as to say "So don't conform dammit! Don't let the Northern establishment grind you beneath it's heel; stand up to the attacks of Yankee capitalism and commercialism upon who you are as a person. I believe that eventually this barrier will be broken, and the contempt by some Southerners to Northerners and vice-versa will go away. The Southern accent today is ever changing and even within the south there are a wide variation of accents. Although a variety of different Southern dialects exist, the general stereotypes that Southerners speak slower and mispronounce their vowels will remain consistent.
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