I travel quite a bit these days. 2011 has me in the cities of London, New York, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Washington DC, Raleigh, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, San Antonio, Destin, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Tulsa, Toronto, and many more.
Everywhere I go, people marvel at the fact that, although I spent roughly the first half of my life in Oklahoma, and the second half in Texas, I don’t have much of an identifiable accent. This is fairly common among residents of the two places I have lived the most, Tulsa and Dallas.
Few can even agree on whether these places are considered to be in the Midwest, Southwest, or South. Personally I’ve always considered Tulsa more Midwest, and Dallas more Southwest. But that’s just how they feel. A Google search will leave you confused as to what is technically accurate.
I think regional accents in this country are fading somewhat. You wouldn’t know it by media stereotypes, or even most of our Presidents. But are we slowly becoming less distinct? If so, that makes me nostalgic for the good old days when it was clear from whence you came, and not just based on whether you said soda or pop.
I’m a little jealous of folks with a good, strong, American accent, even though in the UK I’m told I have one. I know better. My accent is generic, and I’m tired of it. It’s bad enough that I’ve had to recruit and hire people with cool accents from all over the world. I don’t even have a cool accent from my own country. So I’m going to start speaking with a very fake, and totally inappropriate "native" accent wherever I go. Yes, just like Madonna in England.
When I travel to Atlanta this week to speak at the HRevolution conference, I’m going to talk just like Foghorn Leghorn. And when I hit San Francisco the week of May 17th to speak at the Social Recruiting Summit, I’m going with Keanu Reaves. Totally. And in Vegas the week of May 24th for the HR Demo Show, I’m going to sound exactly like Christopher Walken – I know he’s from Queens, I just really want to do his accent.
You dare me? Tell me your favorite American accent. Maybe I’ll work it in on one of my upcoming trips. Dude.
When most of us Canadians speak our point(s) of origin tend to not be easily discernable to others, unless you hail from the Maritime Provinces. I suppose this is why so many American television news stations recruit Canadians to anchor the news.
I'm not always identified by my accent as a Native Texan, but two beers and I cannot escape it.
I'm glad you get it.
more cowbell…