Y'all have a Texas accent? Siri (and the world) might be slowly killing it

The Guardian ^ | 10 Feb 16 | Tom Dart

[SkyPilot]

Like the iPhone's highly temperamental Siri, Dragon and the rest of the dictation apps I tried steadfastly refused to understand pretty much everything I had to say. Apparently none of [Dragon's] coders have spent a natural minute below the Mason-Dixon Line. A smart person could make a lot of money by inventing a Siri for Southerners.

I suppose. But the first thing I thought about when reading this article was: "How does Siri deal with Ebonics and Ghetto English?"

[SkyPilot]

[Resolute Conservative]

I guess first I would have to use siri. It is the first thing I turn off on my apple stuff.

[discostu]

Accents have been on the way out since long before Siri. When TV decided the “normal” American accent was midwestern all other accents were on a ticking clock. Every generation is exposed less and less to their regional accent and more and more to the midwestern. Mass media does that.

[Jolla]

Texans don’t have accents, lot’s of folks outside the state kind’a sound funny but not Texans.

[BenLurkin]

The article conflates accent with jargon.

[BBB333]

“Mama don’t raise no chumps!”

[SkyPilot]

I knew a young man who went on a 3 week business trip to London.

When he returned he spoke in a faux upper class British accent. It was very, very awkward.

Some celebrities have done the same thing.

Madonna was one of the most famous phonies, but there are others.

Madonna putting on her infamous british accent!

[IronJack]

Man doan wan no hep, man doan git no hep.

[showme_the_Glory]

I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that. HAL

[discostu]

I used to find accents very contagious, I’d start picking them up in just a couple of hours. Then I worked for a company where the CEO was from Mexico, took about 3 months of fighting the urge to make it go away.

[SkyPilot]

The article conflates accent with jargon.

True.

[catfish1957]

They’ll have to pry my Texas drawl from my cold dead vocal chords.

[justlittleoleme]

In an article in a British newspaper. Using poor language is not the same as having an accent.

I grew up in the country in Northern Arkansas. I have a very thick accent. There is absolutely no chance of me ever loosing my accent. I don’t like Siri or any other dictation program, I can type faster than I can talk.

[Hugin]

No, Midwestern accents sound “hick”. Californian non-accent is the media default.

[SkyPilot]

Man doan wan no hep, man doan git no hep.

Second Jive Dude: Hey... knock a self a pro, Slick! That gray matter backlot perform us DOWN, I take TCB-in', man!

[Subtitle: DON'T BE NAIVE ARTHUR. EACH OF US FACES A CLEAR MORAL CHOICE]

[Buckeye McFrog]

[SkyPilot]

They’ll have to pry my Texas drawl from my cold dead vocal chords.

Lol. I had an Air Force flight instructor who was from Texas. He was fantastic. What I really like were his Texas colloquialisms of wisdom:

- You land like a cow pissin' on a flat rock

- Remember, wherever you go in life.....there you are

[discostu]

Nope. The general American accent used by the media is midwestern:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American#General_American_in_the_media

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Don’t want to sound like what ‘others’ want. When I lived abroad, I still said “no ma’am”, etc. even tho I was ridiculed. Instilled in me since birth. Will never deny my heritage or upbringing.