The Southern accent is one of the most recognizable in the country — but some research indicates it’s also quietly fading away.
In Georgia, one study found that “white English speakers' accents have been shifting away from the traditional Southern pronunciation for the last few generations,” according to Margaret Renwick, associate professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of linguistics. The study attributed the shift to demographic changes in Georgia and throughout the South.
As new populations move in and cultural influences shift in Charlotte and North Carolina, one may notice traditional Southern speech patterns are blending, softening or altogether disappearing.
The Charlotte region's population is predicted to explode from 3 million to 4.6 million people over the next 25 years, according to research from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. That research includes 117 new people moving to the area every day.
On Monday’s episode, we explore the evolution of Southern dialects — and what these changes reveal about identity, culture and belonging. We examine the forces shaping the way Southerners talk today, from migration and media to education and economic mobility. We also consider how language serves as a powerful symbol of belonging — and how its loss can stir questions about who we are and where we come from.
GUESTS
Tom Hanchett, community historian and author of "Sorting Out the New South City: Race, Class & Urban Development in Charlotte"
Corey Mitchell, Tony Award-winner and founder and artistic director of Theatre Gap Initiative
Walt Wolfram, professor of English at North Carolina State University and the director of the North Carolina Language and Life Project
