4. The Deep South: Y’all C’mon Back Now, Y’Hear?
Lack of enunciation is also what makes a Southern drawl annoying to many people. I, for one, find Paula Deen’s accent almost as indigestible as her donut burger.
The South contains wide variations in its accents, but there are some generalizations. It’s a lethargic kind of speech, the kind that doesn’t require much energy on a sultry summer day. Southern folk don’t close their mouths on “r”s, so “stork” sounds like “stalk.” And while they’ll use a light “wh” instead of the heavier, New York “w,” their vowels seem to just roll off the tongue without any effort. That makes it difficult to understand someone speaking, since “pen” sounds just like “pin,” “feel” like “fill,” and “fail” like “fell”.
Just Stop Tawking!
Accents can irritate us for different reasons. They may be difficult to understand, they may feature harsh or repetitive sounds, or they may make us feel something about the person speaking. These are just a few of the possibly annoying accents; any mode of speech different from our own may make us want to scream, “Just talk normally, people!” after hearing it for too long. But learning a bit about the different accents and their origins can help us grow an appreciation for diversity.
