Accent! What Accent?

Having grown up in the U. S. Deep South, I was at first intimidated by the reaction of the Michiganders I lived among in the mid '70s to my 'Southern Accent'.  Later I was more amused than anything else.  It seems that every region thinks outsiders are saying it all wrong.

What is referred to as an accent, often is much more complicated than that.  Different regions use different idioms, vocabulary, and sentence structure.  And yes, there is often a distinct way that syllables in words are stressed.  This was pointed out to me when a Northern friend commented on the difference between the way I pronounced the word 'Thanksgiving' and the way Bostonians did.  We say 'ThanksGIVing,' she said.  You say 'THANKSgiving.'  And I had to admit that she was on to something.  There really is a difference in the way southerners accent some words.

It's only natural to wonder how this came about.  My guess is that during the long evolution of English, with German and French intervention, certain areas of Britain produced words slightly differently.  Thus, when the language was transported to North America, certain settlers retained certain accents.

In general, I've found my Southern accent something that I can control, and also often a big asset.  When I lived in New York, most New Yorkers found a slight Southern accent charming.  They did not, on the other hand, like heavy accents--finding them too countrified.  When they did tease me about my Southern roots, I quickly brought to attention their own peculiar New York or, especially, Brooklynese.  Then they quietened down and became very self-conscious.