Growing up in Atlanta during the 1940s and 1950s, Susan Levine often found herself an unwitting star during visits to her family in New York City. Her cousin would invite friends over, charging them 25 cents each to hear Levine’s distinctive Southern accent. Levine’s two sons, however, did not inherit this hallmark of regional speech. Born a generation later, they grew up without the classic Southern twang, now recognized for its drawn-out vowels and gentle “r” sounds.
“My accent is nonexistent,” stated Ira Levine, Susan’s oldest son. “In both personal and professional circles, people were skeptical about my Atlanta origins.” Across portions of the South, the traditional Southern accent is diminishing as people from various parts of the United States and the globe relocate to the area. A series of studies published recently documented the erosion of regional accents among Black residents in Atlanta, white working-class individuals in New Orleans, and natives of Raleigh, North Carolina. The region has witnessed a significant influx, with over 5.8 million newcomers moving to the South in the 2020s, eclipsing the collective migration to the nation’s other three regions.
It’s believed that mass media has had minimal impact on these linguistic shifts, which typically begin in urban centers before extending into rural locales. The surge of migration in the latter half of the 20th century profoundly influenced these accents. The archetypal white Southern accent peaked with baby boomers (1946 – 1964) but lessened in subsequent generations, particularly among Gen Xers (1965 – 1980). Subsequently, a newer dialect, emerging from California in the late 1980s and observed in places like Canada, has intertwined with other American regions, such as Boston, New York, and Michigan, leading to a decline in their distinct accents.
In places like Raleigh, North Carolina, the downturn of the Southern accent coincided with the establishment of the Research Triangle Park in 1959. This extensive research and tech hub magnetized numerous educated professionals from beyond the South. Research indicates that young white residents in this area, born post-1979, do not typically possess a Southern accent. There is a perception that a Southern accent is wrongly linked with a lack of education, prompting some youths to distances themselves from such stereotypes. “Today’s younger generation, particularly the educated ones, strives for a more ambiguous accent, wishing to project a non-local, mobile identity,” emphasized Georgia Tech linguist Lelia Glass.
In Atlanta, the decline in the Southern dialect among Black populations is largely attributed to the “Reverse Great Migration”. This phenomenon recognizes the movement of African Americans back to Southern regions like Atlanta, following their ancestors’ migration during 1910-1970 to cities up north. The returnees are often college-educated, leading to a decline in Southern accents among Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012. This follows similar findings among white Atlantans.
Michelle and Richard Beck, Gen Xers settled in the Atlanta area, still retain their Southern accents. In contrast, their sons, born in 1998 and 2001, do not. Richard Beck notes a clarity in their speech, lacking the Southern drawl he carries.
Meanwhile, the distinctive “yat” accent in New Orleans, associated with the white working-class, is dwindling not due to new arrivals but rather because many locals left post-Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This accent, noted for its similarity to Brooklynese rather than Southern speech, saw a dramatic decrease as the disaster uprooted residents. The hurricane initiated a linguistic shift, affecting particularly those who were adolescents when it occurred, as they were at a crucial point for language development.
Cheryl Wilson Lanier, who grew up in the New Orleans suburb of Chalmette, fears the loss of the unique regional speech would also mean losing part of the area’s identity. “It feels like we’re shedding a piece of what makes us unique,” she expressed.
Even as the Southern accent fades in urban centers, it is unlikely to vanish entirely. Accents serve as significant identifiers, communicating personal histories and regional ties, according to linguist Margaret Renwick from the University of Georgia. Instead, it appears that the younger generation’s sense of Southern identity is evolving, with accents no longer as pivotal. “The vision of the South held by today’s youth in places like Atlanta or Raleigh differs considerably from that of their predecessors,” Renwick noted.