After taking root with the earliest European settlers, the New England accent held surprisingly strong for several generations. Our forefathers may not have actually pahked cahs in Hahvahd Yahd, but they likely did send boats up and down the rivah.
But what stood the test of time for centuries is now rapidly unraveling, according to researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin. Each time the New England accent’s geographic reach has been mapped in the past, the Green Mountains of Vermont have acted as an important dividing line. West of that line, Ma likes eating lobster; east of it, Mar prefers lobstah. The new study, however, found that the line of demarcation has moved several miles east, and the reach of the New England accent has diminished. Its disappearance is especially notable among young people, who told the researchers they associate thick accents with “old-fashioned” people.
Comments
All accents are fading. It's not just in New England, but also in the Mid-Atlantic and West. Greater mobility may be a factor, but I personally think it's television. Local accents have disappeared for local TV stations along with most locally produced programs. A similar thing has happened to radio. We pick up our accents from those we hear speaking and most of those we hear nowadays have a "generic" accent. That generic accent, like the Queen's English, must have its origin somewhere. Anybody have a guess?
Hey Mar, whadaya want with ya lobstah? Tonic or a frappe?