The accent comments are starting to get old! As you all know, I grew up in southwest Louisiana, less than half an hour from Texas. There were a couple of towns between Westlake, LA and Texas but for some reason, the folks in those towns talked normal but those of us in Westlake all seemed to have this Texas drawl. People thought I was from Texas way before I ever moved to Texas.
As most who have lived other places have experienced, after having been in Kentucky for 9 years, my friends in Louisiana thought I talked funny. I don’t think we were in Missouri long enough to pick up any accent and honestly, I don’t notice people here having any kind of an accent but they surely seem to notice mine.
We were in Texas for 9 years. Since I stayed at home so much, I don’t think I was around people enough to pick up the Texas accent. Who knows.
Yesterday I called to make an appointment to have more work done on my car.
Me: I wanted to make an appointment for you to check the alignment on my car and I’d like to do it next week if possible.
Car Man: OK . . let me get some info from you. What’s your name?
Me: Gave it to him – spelled last name.
Car Man: What’s your phone number?
ME: Told him . . when I say “four” and “nine”, both of which are in my phone number, I know I put about 5 syllables in each word. I heard him kinda snicker and I knew what was coming.
Car Man: What’s kind of car do you have?
Me: 2007 Toyota Highlander
Car Man: What state is your license plate from?
I thought that was a weird question but I said “Texas”. He started laughing and said “I knew it! You have that Texas accent down! If I had any doubts about where you were from, when you said “nine”, that did it for me!
Me: Actually, I’m from Louisiana and people from my part of Louisiana talk like this!
Car Man: Hmmm . . sounds like Texas to me.
Me: Well, after a few years in MO, maybe I’ll talk like everyone else.
Car Man: I doubt it!
He was laughing. He was joking and being nice so I wasn’t offended but it does make me think twice before saying anything. The crazy thing is that the harder I try to NOT have an accent, the more “Texas” things seem to sound.
I told Vince “I think I’m going to stop talking to people!” He laughed and said “That will never happen! You’d talk to a telephone phone!” I said “At least the telephone pole wouldn’t laugh at my accent!”
Valerie Zagami says
I understand I am from Massachusetts so I will go and pahk the cah! No matter where I am people say oh, your from Boston!!
Tee says
I have lived in the other side of the world from the US and my accent was recognized by every American I encountered. I was on a flight to Bali and a guy 2 rows back from me said out loud “Hey, lady in the second row, what part of Minnesota are you from?”. Haha!
You should record something and post it for us. Make sure it has plenty of “nines” in it!
Carolyn Sands says
I’ve lived in Texas for 20 years and people tell me that I have an accent all of the time. And I’m from Michigan!
Dottie Newkirk says
When I was a young teen (junior high), I lived in Colorado for 2 years. My Spanish teacher was having us recite various phrases and when it was my turn he said “Dorothea” you CANNOT speak Spanish with a Texas accent, LOL. The class laughed, I kind of laughed and thought to myself “do you have any idea how many Spanish speaking people live in Texas?”.
montanaclarks says
Most people are very kind about our accents and I’ve never (never) been offended. Now my ex–he was always offended when people commented on his Texas accent–but then he was offended about a lot of things! 🙂 🙂
QuilterBea says
I love them! You can talk to me anytime!
Vivian K Oaks says
I married my hubby while we were in the Army. I’m from upstate NY. He’s from Western PA. He still remarks about my NY accent. No matter where you live, everybody else talks funny!!
annie says
I love your accent, don’t ever change it!
Sharon says
I am from Texas but when I was a flight attendant I spent a lot of time in Atlanta, Savannah and Charleston. I picked up the southern accent. People started commenting on my southern accent. One early morning I started making my announcements in NY and people started giggling. I stopped and said “well you talk funny to me.” Everyone just started laughing. It made for a fun flight to Atlanta.
Karen K says
I love a good southern/ Texan accent!
patti says
and it’s not only just the accent, but also the phraseology. i’ve noticed over the time you’ve been in texas i can hear those “fixin’ to” and “i’ll tell you what” sneaking in. with your already established louisiana accent, i can see someone thinking you’re from texas.
Judy Laquidara says
Fixin’ is big in Louisiana. Even people in central Texas laughed at me for saying that. It was when we got to Kentucky that I learned not everyone says that.
Liz says
My mom was from Latvia, so she had an accent. Side note – I could never hear it, since she spoke like Mom. She would occasionally get tired of being asked where she was from, so she would reply “Detroit”. That got some surprised looks.
Judy Laquidara says
That’s interesting! I never knew that your mom was from Latvia! Growing up, the lady across the street was from Germany and I loved listening to her stories and seeing the different foods they ate. I was a child so, of course, I don’t remember much of that now.
Cindy F says
I love accents! My mom was Japanese and had one, my MIL is from Germany and has one. Growing up military we moved all over and never spent time in places with distinctive accents so I never picked up one. My older sister, moved to Arkansas as an adult and after spending over 20 years there has an accent. I am so envious! I find that those of us who don’t have accents find those that do charming. And I’m convinced my friends with southern accents get more personal service because of it! 🙂
Carolyn B. says
The day I can’t use “fixin to” I’ll be in a whole bunch of trouble. It is what it is and you can’t get Texas out of this old gal. Have a blessed day no matter what you’re fixin’ to do.
Ruth says
Noticing an accent means there’s a connection between the speaker and the listener. Like your “fixin’ to” phrase, another I’ve heard is “carry me”, meaning give me a ride. And “I’ll carry you to the meeting.”
“Do you want a poke?” from the cashier, means do you want a bag to carry your items in.
It’s so interesting to meet someone with an accent!! I once met an Irishman who talked just like the Irish characters in the books I read. Amazing!
My second roommate in college was from New Jersey, and once she slipped up and said something like New Joisey, and I knew that accents were real.
cindy says
I spent almost 62 years in and around Houston and then my son and daughter in law moved to Indiana. I like being a native Texas and “fixin to” and “a whole nother” are terms I grew up with. The 7 yo girlie hear has picked up at least one things from up here already (she has been in Indiana for four and a half years) and I hate it. They say ki-en and leave out the middle t sound. Doesn’t seem to occur with any other middle sound but T. Fortunately, the 5 yo girlie hasn’t picked it up and so teaching her phonics and sounding out words hasn’t become a problem. Y’all have a good night, ya hear.
Nelle Coursey says
I had a friend from Delaware Ohio that I met several years ago. She was on staff at Ohio Wesleyan and had even been appointed to a chair. She did a sabbatical to a college in Alabama and taught there for 1 year. She asked me if I knew what a Lemon Meringue Pie and her hand had in common. I told her no and she said “My rang”!! She loved the Southern accent. I never think of myself as having one but I know I do!
Linda in NE says
My paternal grandmother’s family immigrated from Germany when she was a small girl. She had a VERY strong German accent. My cousin lived in Texas for a while and it wasn’t six months before she had the accent. My dad’s cousin grew up in New Jersey & when he calls I immediately know who it is. No mistaking that “Joisy” accent. I’ve lived in Nebraska my whole life and don’t know if I have an accent or not! LOL
Sherry in NC says
I was born in Virginia but raised in Pennsylvania. When I moved to NC, I purposely tried to pick up the southern accent like my VA relatives. I loved saying “y’all” instead of “younz.” My southern relatives used to laugh at me for saying “pop” instead of “soda.’ That made me just do it more.
Rebecca says
I have a friend who was born, raised, and lived in Escondido (about 30 miles from San Diego) ALL her life. However, her family was from Arkansas, including her parents. One time a customer asked her where she was from, and she said “Here.” He said, no, I mean where did you grow up? LOL
Like someone else said, you don’t hear an accent in your parents…it’s just the way they talk. Clothes weren’t clean unless she “warshed” them, though.