How did accents come about?

[Vegetarian Zombie]

People have accents, all over the world. English, Southern, West Coast, and Northern.

How did people come to acquire these different vernaculars because of living somewhere? I lived in New York for about four years and had a very light Northern accent, and used a Northern speech pattern. Now, I have lived in Georgia for almost five years and have completely lost my Northern accent, although I still have the Northern speech pattern pretty often. I am actually saying a couple words with a slightly Southern accent now... It's kind of creeping.

Anyway, accents. Why do we have them?

[Ad Bot]

[Joker Card]

I was born in Southern California. but I have the accent of someone born in Lousiana.

[Stocking]

Americans used to talk like British people but they realized that British people were cigarettes so they started talking differently.

Then southern people inbred until they could only talk in southern drawl.

Then yankees were on speed 24/7 so they started talking really fast and so their children started talking really fast.

Then west coast people started talking really slow and clear because their hipster stuff music damaged their ear drums and made it hard to hear.

That's why.

[Joker Card]

Its all about pronunciation. Basically in Britian they say rant and r-aunt. In America, we say it as r-ant.

[Man 2]

Parents with accents teach their children to speak English like they do.
For example.

Parent in Ohio: "Twelve."
Child in Ohio(repeating): "Twelve."

Parent in Kansas: "Tway-ulve."
Child in Kansas(repeating): "Tway-ulve."

[Blastdown]

redneck accents are the most fun to laugh at.

[Vegetarian Zombie]

Parents with accents teach their children to speak English like they do.
For example.

Parent in Ohio: "Twelve."
Child in Ohio(repeating): "Twelve."

Parent in Kansas: "Tway-ulve."
Child in Kansas(repeating): "Tway-ulve."

Well, okay, but how did they start in the first place?

[Man 2]

Well, okay, but how did they start in the first place?

People with speech impediments, I imagine.

[Joker Card]

I have a theory, but I'm not going to save it to save a religion war.

[Night Fox]

Then southern people inbred until they could only talk in southern drawl.

;~;

wait does that still count if I don't have a drawl

[Roknrollwill]

redneck accents are the most fun to laugh at.

That's rude.

[Vegetarian Zombie]

People with speech impediments, I imagine.

There was that many of them?

[Jubel]

Well, okay, but how did they start in the first place?

I would image it dating back to a long time ago, where when someone spoke another language, they would speak wrongly, not on purpose of course. And these speech impediments for said language caused accents over time.

[Jacky]

It's just a cultural thing. I guess there really isn't any explanation to it.

[dUMBELLS]

GFGI: http://linguistlist.org/ask-ling/accent.cfm#why