There’s something powerful about a southern accent. Perhaps it’s the cultural identity attached to it or the trust that is built by a few drawn-out words.
The rest of the nation — the non-Southerners — can’t get enough. Just take a look at the recent accents we’ve put in the Oval Office: the Bush 41 & 43 Texas slur, the Bill Clinton Arkansas rasp and the good ole’ Georgian slow-talk of Jimmy Carter.
But the southern accent is found outside the political realm as well. The entertainment industry is dominated by country music, a style that was limited to our region just a few decades ago. Who would’ve foreseen a Tim McGraw concert coming to California? Or who could have imagined the international popularity of Comedy Central’s “Blue Collar Comedy Tour?
Yep, the southern accent is everywhere – in churches, mechanic shops, barbershops and hair salons. And it’s here to stay.
You would conjecture that accents of all types would be drowned out by the indistinctive roars of TV spokesmen and the increased movement of American citizens. Yet, current research shows just the opposite.
According to The Atlas of North American English, a first-of-its-kind study of all prevailing speech patterns in the U.S. and Canada, regional dialects are becoming more pronounced. That’s right. Phrases like the Midwestern “Chi-caaa-go” and the Massachusetts “Bahston Hahbah” will only become more noticeable in the upcoming years.
There are several explanations for this language phenomenon, but common sense reasoning describes it best. Americans have new desires to set themselves apart and define who they are.
An accent can tell hundreds of characteristics of peoples’ identities — where they’re from, what they value and how they view the world. We want to sound like our friends and families. We want to be connected to our communities.
Now, the academic elites and the “anything-to-promote-equality” liberals have viciously discriminated against the southern accent for its entire existence. They say that those of us who speak slowly and slur our speech are dumb, ignorant and uneducated. We clearly haven’t read enough books or been exposed to enough of the world’s cultures.
How wrong and ignorant they are.
Those who attack the southern accent are hollow and empty. They sacrifice their values for equality. They give up their identities for universal respect. And they drop their own accents so that they can transform into robotic, elitist intellectuals.
Don’t believe me? Go visit your friends at UNC-Chapel Hill.
There is no shame in an accent. In fact, I’m more prone to trust and befriend those of you who have a unique speech pattern. Nothing makes me smile more than a phone conversation with my friends from Iowa, Massachusetts and New York.
What citizens from around the world tell me is that our southern accent is one of the most defining. They call it “charming,” “funny” and “comforting.” And their fascination is demonstrated by their repeated attempts to copy it. Of course, it goes without saying that their imitations result in failure every time.
Whether it’s through Louis Armstrong, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Clinton or Dolly Parton, the southern accent has transformed the culture and progress of our country. It represents family, faith, agriculture and a simple way of life.
Unfortunately, our society now encourages younger generations to strip themselves of anything that has value — religion, opinions and fundamental cultural traditions. This trend is advocated in the name of peace and equality, but its end effect is a society of bland individuals with nothing left but a want for material gain.
Fortunately, the strengthening of accents is evidence that Americans are fighting against this philosophy. We should be proud of our accents — especially the southern variety. They’re here to stay.
Let Forrest know what your favorite accent is at [email protected].