There are numerous seaside redoubts in downeast Maine and mountain hamlets here in New Hampshire where people still sound just like that. Most of them are my age or older. Unfortunately, many of the younger folk in southern New England increasingly sound like sitcom TV characters.
The old accents are colorful, while the new ones just fade into bland sameness. I still enjoy giving directions to lost visitors from New York and the mid-Atlantic, if only to smile and offer: "You cahn't get they-uh from hee-uh". Sometimes, I wish I was wearing my old black-and-red plaid jacket and the hat with ear flaps, just to complete the image for them.
My daughter grew up in New Zealand from age 2 1/2 to 7. She had the cutest accent that was lost almost immediately after returning to the U.S. That was so disappointing. It’s sad that we’re losing dialects. It’s a loss of culture, and sadly, most of us now sound like Californians.
Ayuh.
And a faux Maine accent, grates on my ea-ah. Don't get me stahted about the co-rect pronunciation and usage of "Ayuh". And listening to Mrs WBill try to spit out "Boooo-th Bay Hah-Bah" is like fingernails on a blackboard.
I moved out of state close to 20 years ago. I suppose that Southerners say the same thing about me, when I (quietly and tenatively) try to say "How're yew?" :-)