Exploring the Linguistic Roots of the Southern Drawl

Word Smarts ^ | 01/10/2025 | Jennifer A. Freeman

[SeekAndFind]

A person from Boston speaks differently than a person from New York City, to say nothing of the difference between Midwestern and Southern accents. While all of these are American, the roots of the Southern drawl have a unique colonial history.

While many countries have geographical differences in accents (for example, a posh London accent versus the rough-and-tumble Cockney accent), America’s various accents are particularly pronounced. A person from Boston speaks differently than a person from New York City, despite their relative geographic closeness, to say nothing of the difference between Midwestern and Southern accents. While all of these are American, the roots of the Southern drawl have a unique colonial history. Let’s examine what makes this distinctive accent so quintessentially American.

Call it a drawl or a twang, but one of the primary hallmarks of Southern American English (SAE) is a melodic, relaxing quality. A marketing firm conducted a survey of global English accents, and the Southern accent was voted the most pleasant. (New York and Boston accents were voted the least pleasant — sorry, New Englanders.) 

Some may attribute this laid-back melody to the slower, more relaxed pace of life the South is supposed to have compared to northern regions, but there’s more at play. The specific qualities of the Southern accent (and all accents) developed through the intersection of cultural exchange, geography, and evolving linguistics.

Importantly, there is more than one type of accent within SAE — Texans sound different than Virginians, who sound different than Louisianans. But they all share an origin story in the mingling of British colonists and enslaved Africans. 

The final “r” sound in words such as “four” and “here” is very important to linguists. If speakers drop the final “r,” that’s called “non-rhotic” as opposed to “rhotic,” wherein the “r” is pronounced. In the mid-1700s in the plantation system, using non-rhotic speech to match upper-class British accents was considered “prestigious” speech (“prestigious” being a way linguists classify certain accents as culturally preferred over others). 

As accents have changed over time, it’s more common now for white Southerners to pronounce the final “r” and use rhotic speech and for Black Americans everywhere to use non-rhotic speech. In Southern states outside of the former plantation system, it’s more common to use rhotic patterns. 

The so-called “Southern drawl” can also be explained in linguistic terms. The stretched-out sounds come from vowels — a diphthong is when a vowel shifts from one sound to another. For example, in the word “boy,” the “o” sound shifts into an “i.” The Southern accent prominently features monopthongization, which is when a diphthong, or two-part vowel sound, is flattened into a single vowel sound. 

In a recorded example from a University of Georgia linguist, you can hear how the word “five” changes from a standard diphthong (with an “i” transitioning to an “ee,” as in “me”) to a monophthong in SAE. “Five” is flattened into an elongated “ah” vowel sound. 

Finally, the Southern accent is marked by unique lexical choices and grammatical variations — a Southerner might say “I reckon” or “I might could” instead of “I might be able to.” (For further examples of this, we recommend Instagram personality Landon Bryant, who makes learning Southern slang and lexicon as easy as drinking a glass of sweet tea.)

The Tidewater accent, which sounds particularly gentle and rhythmic, is rooted in early British settlers, and can be found in pockets of Virginia and North Carolina. It has non-rhoticity and a glide in long “i” sounds (“ride” sounds like “royd”). 

The Piedmont accent is found in more urban areas than coastal regions. For example, the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem are known for Piedmont accents. It’s somewhat of a stereotypical Southern accent, differentiated by a subtle drawl, rhotic pronunciation of the letter “r,” and elongated vowel pronunciation (“cat” sounds more like “caat”).  

The Appalachian accent is characterized by a Scotch Irish influence. It preserves certain aspects of Elizabethan English through distinctive pronunciations — for example, “like” sounds like “lack.” A musical quality comes from initial syllable stress, which is when the emphasis is shifted to the first syllable of a word.

The areas around the Gulf of Mexico (in particular, Louisiana) have French and Spanish influences, but we’re not talking about the distinct dialects of Louisiana French or Gullah. The SAE accent found in this region is distinctive for a specific vowel shift that linguists call the “PEN/PIN merger.” With this accent, both “pen” and “pin” are pronounced the same, with an “ih” vowel. Another example of this is how the word “feel” might be pronounced like “fill.”

The Texas accent, meanwhile, combines elements of Southern and Western English. A unique characteristic of the Texan accent is the “caught-cot merger,” which displays elements of nasality and sharpness. As with “pen” and “pin,” this linguistic merger makes “caught” and “cot” sound alike (along with other words with these vowel sounds). 

This is just a brief overview of what makes SAE (and its many variations of Southern accents) so special, but any of the linguistic topics mentioned here have layers of nuance and study behind them. We reckon that’ll do it for now.

[Inyo-Mono]

this linguistic merger makes “caught” and “cot” sound alike

You mean they are supposed to be pronounced differently?

[Charles Martel]

Of possible interest...

[packagingguy]

When I moved to Tidewater Virginia years ago there was a guy who needed a translator. He spoke English but used an Elizabethan grammar and accent.

Plants were “plunts”. Stance was “stonce”, etc.

Later in life I learned that’s how people talked in the 1600’s as the colonies originally started.

You’ll hear this also in North Carolina.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“America’s various accents are particularly pronounced”

As if they aren’t in England. I visited South Yorkshire several times for business in the mid 80s for a research project. I swear those people were speaking anything BUT English. You needed an interpreter.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“If speakers drop the final “r,” that’s called “non-rhotic” as opposed to “rhotic,” wherein the “r” is pronounced.”

What about people who ADD an “r”? As in “I’m going to warsh my clothes.” Is that “neu-rhotic”?

[FamiliarFace]

*** Call it a drawl or a twang, but one of the primary hallmarks of Southern American English (SAE) is a melodic, relaxing quality. A marketing firm conducted a survey of global English accents, and the Southern accent was voted the most pleasant.***

Last summer I was visiting family in my hometown (Gainesville, FL), but we stayed at a nearby hotel because it is a large family, and no longer room to hold all of us. As I exited one day, I was chatting with a gentlemen while my husband pulled the car around for us. He told me that I had a very pleasant accent, and wanted to know where I was from. He was very surprised when I said, “Here!” I guess my Southern accent has become a blend of Southern and Midwestern. Still, he said it was most pleasant, and it very much seemed genuine when he said so.

Siri still doesn’t understand me though, so I don’t often use voice to text. Too many corrections need to be made.

(Oh, and check my tagline.) ;-)

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Bookmark

[FamiliarFace]

Also, my husband is from Long Island, and he insists these words are all pronounced differently: merry, marry, and Mary. For me they are all pronounced the same. When he says them, they do sound slightly different. He can tell which one I mean based on context.

It’s a funny thing, but we just agree to disagree on this.

[Macho MAGA Man]

I speak Cajun!

[SunkenCiv]

• White House Has 'No Idea' About Kamala Harris's Use of Southern-Fried Drawl [09/04/2024]
• Kamala Harris Deploys Fake Southern-Fried Twang with Michigan Auto Workers [08/09/2024]
• Why do Southerners have a drawl? [09/18/2015]
• Hillary is in a South Carolina 'chicken and waffles' joint -- and sounding like it -- [05/28/2015]
• Hillary Brings Back Southern Twang for South Carolina Visit [05/27/2015]
• Hey y'all, what's wrong with a drawl? [08/02/2014]
• Curfew considered after massive brawl in downtown Greensboro [07/02/2013]
• Country music gets its day at the White House; Obamas to showcase legends, contemporary stars [11/20/2011]
• The Southern drawl -- is it spreading? [09/19/2007]
• US In Thrall To Southern Drawl (Fred Thompson) [06/10/2007]
• Cows also 'Have Regional Accents' [08/24/2006]
• Grand Ole Opry pre Christmas Show was EXCELLENT (repeats today) [12/18/2005]
• Top Five Country & Western Songs of All Time (Shamelessly Shameless Vanity) [08/25/2005]

[Deaf Smith]

The article starts off with the natives of Massachusetts speaking differently.

It is not a Massachusetts accent but a form of ebonics parents teach their kids.

Learned this during my time there studying the natives.

Found a way to make them speak perfect english and it pisses them off.

[Pythion.net]

I grew up in a sort of crossroads of Southern culture, language, and cuisine. My father from one end of the spectrum and my mother from the other. My mother to her dying day had a full on non-rhotic Southern drawl, while my father kept very little of his redneck accent and had what you might call a "cosmopolitan" Southern accent.

My daughter tells me I sound like a redneck, so I somehow absorbed more from my father than my mother.

In college there was this couple I knew. The wife was from England, but had been in the South long enough that her British accent had melded with a Southern accent. Her voice was like music to my ears, LOL. It was just so lovely to listen to.

[Yardstick]

As with “pen” and “pin,” this linguistic merger makes “caught” and “cot” sound alike...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I definitely merge “pen” and “pin”. Also “caught” and “cot”... but this one seems pretty common outside of the South.

[Tired of Taxes]

Some say Southern accents are closest to those of the original colonists. On the other hand, Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic accents seem to have been influenced more by later immigrants.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

I’m from Pittsburgh, my wife is from the mountains of north Alabama. When our oldest daughter was little she had loads of fun mocking both of our accents - she would say a word like I say it then like mom says it and just laugh (dog....dawg). Funny thing - she’a a high school English teacher now.

[SamuraiScot]

A person from Boston speaks differently than [??????] a person from New York City. . .

You go back and look at the byline again and scratch your head:

Word Smarts ^ | 01/10/2025 | Jennifer A. Freeman

Smarts?

Try again. It's "differently from . . ."

Every time.

Got that?

[lurk]

People in Iowa and Missouri speak the most straight up American.

[FamiliarFace]

Is it pronounced Mi-zur-ah, or Mi-zur-ee?

[rellic]

Born and raised in southern California.
No accent what so ever.
Stationed in the South I picked up the “Drawl”.
I can pick it up whenever.
I can understand most every accent in the USA.
Including Canadian or South American.
If you speak English I’ll figure it out.
English is one of the most difficult languages
in the world to learn as it has so many roots.
That is probably why we talk so slow.
We have to think about what we say.
It takes a lot of words to say in English, what a single word in Mandarin conveys.