Worst American Accent

[HooperScooper]

Boston, hands down. Gorgeous woman opens her mouth and there's a thick Boston accent and it's an automatic deal breaker.

I can buy this. I live near Boston but almost nobody I know talks like that.

The New York accent is even worse. Anytime I see a good looking girl start talking with a New York accent it makes me cringe.




I rest my case.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The worst
In the North
New York City / LI
Boston / Eastern Mass
for some reason I kind of like the RI Eastern CT accent
Southern
New Orleans / Southern Louisiana / How they un understand each other is a mystery.
Favorite
Southern
North Carolina
SouthWest
Texas
Northern
Connecticut / Western Mass because I’m a Homer
Western
Hawaiian

Speaking strictly accent, the worst I've ever encountered was from the corner where Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia meet. Back when I was doing a syndicated outdoors radio program, I had a bunch of interviews with anglers from that area that I absolutely could not use, because no-one from anywhere else could understand it.

But part of accent issues is really regional dialect. I did a paper once on the concept that save for slight differences in accent, regional dialects can be very similar in disparate locales -- especially rural areas. The phrase "I'm a fixin' a git," may sound a little different in backwoods Maine than in Texas cattle country, but it always means "I'm getting ready to leave."

Rural areas have a flair of their own .
i noticed those similarities even in a towns like Monroe CT ( (pronounced Menroe by the old timers ) among the rural areas
throughout the country I dubbed it 4H speak.

 

[husky429]

Speaking strictly accent, the worst I've ever encountered was from the corner where Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia meet. Back when I was doing a syndicated outdoors radio program, I had a bunch of interviews with anglers from that area that I absolutely could not use, because no-one from anywhere else could understand it.

But part of accent issues is really regional dialect. I did a paper once on the concept that save for slight differences in accent, regional dialects can be very similar in disparate locales -- especially rural areas. The phrase "I'm a fixin' a git," may sound a little different in backwoods Maine than in Texas cattle country, but it always means "I'm getting ready to leave."

That is exactly where my wife grew up. She's in NC but less than an hour from GA and Tenn. It is unintelligible. My wife literally has to translate for me. It's awkward as hell.

 

[uconnfan68]

I'm not a big fan of the exagerrated Queens' accent. Was set up on a blind date with a girl. She was pretty, but once she started talking, I was in hell. Her voice wasn't as nasally, but she sounded a lot like Fran Drescher. Man, I could not wait to drop her off and get her out of my car at the end of the evening.

A young Fran would have been worth earplugs.

 

[temery]

The Old Money, Ivy League Accent.

 

[DFW HOYA]

The Old Money, Ivy League Accent.

Last spoken by the likes of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. Lampooned by Jim Backus on Gilligan's Island.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

I’m voting Staten Island or Queens. Just dirty sounding. Had to deal with it every weekend when visiting my Pops growing up. I thought after a while I’d get used to it, but never did.

 

[dennismenace]

Last spoken by the likes of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. Lampooned by Jim Backus on Gilligan's Island.

That brings back hilarious memories. Thurston B Howell lll and his wife Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell. Some of the shows from that era like Gilligan's Island and The Beverly Hillbillies had that lampooning of would be upper crusters. On the Hillbillies (Milton Drysdale the phoney/greedy bank executive and Miss Jane Hathaway the spinster secretary with the hots for Jethro). Rocky and Bullwinkle show etc. An interesting and creative mix of entertainment that could appeal to any age group.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So, what I have learned is certain chicks, no matter how hot they are, can absolutely become cringe worthy just by speaking.

I also learned that a Baltimore accent is a thing.

Swamp People. Only show filmed in America using American people speaking which required subtitles.

 

[dennismenace]

Brooklyn. Speaks for itself. Adding non existent "r's" and dropping ones that do exist. Same problem with Boston (Cuba = Cuber) (corner = cawnah).

 

[Chin Diesel]

The New England mine=Mayan.

 

[temery]

So, what I have learned is certain chicks, no matter how hot they are, can absolutely become cringe worthy just by speaking.

I also learned that a Baltimore accent is a thing.

Swamp People. Only show filmed in America using American people speaking which required subtitles.

Reminds me of this bit from Band of Brothers. Malarkey talking to the English guy. There's a certain English accent that needs subtitles.

 

[methodology]

I remember reading a study of accents across the United States years ago by some linguistic professor. It pretty much said every state has an accent or dialect it uses and that Connecticut (even though there were some accent/dialect variation across the state) spoke the most proper English without an accent as a whole.

Having been to about 35 of 50 states I would have to agree with those findings. Think the worst accent I’ve come across is the Tallahassee/pan handle area of Florida. Knew someone from that area and it would take like 3-4 times for them to say something for me to understand what was being said. After a while I got accustomed to it and could understand it better but if when I didn’t talk/see them for a few months there was a learning curve to understand it again without it being repeated 3 times

 

[Lefty2one]

The Old Money, Ivy League Accent.

Word to George Plimpton.

My father is from Long Island and I attended college in Boston. For a while there in my 20s I morphed into some subtle yet hellish combination of those. Thankfully I've gotten back to normal.

My wife is from California and I've been told a few times by folks out West that I have a Connecticut accent. I wasn't aware that was a thing.

 

[UC4L]

Baltimore for sure

I’m from Baltimore, whenever I’m out of state and I tell people that they ask me to say words like “do” “two” and “hulu”

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't know my New York accents, Brooklyn, LI, whatever, but I don't like any of them. Whatever Fran's was on the Nanny (she was still hot), or "Linda Richman"...not a fan. Pittsburgh's accent isn't great either. I suspect most of them are dying out. Very few folks in Boston still have the accent now. Most southerners I meet don't have much of one either.

 

[UConNick]

This video gets me every time. When he becomes self-aware it’s like he’s broken the simulation

 

[UCLJ0211]

Central Pennsylvania- I’ve never heard anywhere else pronounce the word “pull” like “pool.”

Pennsylvanian: “You want a pooled pork sandwich?”
Me: “Is it served with a side of chlorine?”

 

[SoFla Steve]

Down here in Florida there is a mix of everything. Being a transplant from "The Insurance Capital of the World", the one thing that really irks me is when people want financial protection for their homes and cars, they buy "IN-surance." Ouch!

 

[Chin Diesel]

I don't know my New York accents, Brooklyn, LI, whatever, but I don't like any of them. Whatever Fran's was on the Nanny (she was still hot), or "Linda Richman"...not a fan. Pittsburgh's accent isn't great either. I suspect most of them are dying out. Very few folks in Boston still have the accent now. Most southerners I meet don't have much of one either.

Pittsburgh with the dialect for "yinz" and a few others is neat to me. You think a person is talking normal and they throw 12-6 curveball buckling your knees with some of their words.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Pittsburgh with the dialect for "yinz" and a few others is neat to me. You think a person is talking normal and they throw 12-6 curveball buckling your knees with some of their words.

I don't really remember it to be honest. Should have said I dislike it. Growing up we had family friends who moved to CT from Pitt, and they all sounded weird. Maybe especially so since we had moved there from KC. It was unique for sure.

 

[ctchamps]

When did axe me become the norm instead of assk me?

 

[superjohn]

When did axe me become the norm instead of assk me?

Since Chaucer.

 

[HooperScooper]

Since Chaucer.

Oh I thought it was from ClifSpliffy.