The South will never be the same again

[Dave W]

From Uwe's latest out-of-office reply: "Yeehaw! Howdy! I'm on a road trip with my 20 year old son in the Grand Old Deep South: Borat would say: "Cultural Learnings of America for make Benefit of his Glorious Blues Guitar Playing!" I will catch up on your emails in the evenings in seedy motels and diners on unmapped roads, when fending off alligators or whilst consoling him how legal drinking age in the Land of the Free is - ooops - 21."



Wondering if he packed those assless chaps...

[Highlander]

Blues guitar... Southern States... hmm...

Are they coming home via Chicago to give them a proper grounding in the blues or are they just taking the scenic route...?

[TBird1958]

I truly wish I could be there too!   

[Pilgrim]

Maybe #1 son is the designated driver. 

[Grog]

Wondering if he packed those assless chaps...

My wife & I are heading down as far as Missouri & Tennessee for a week, starting this Saturday. On the long shot that I might get mooned by a Global Moderator, I'm bringing my sunglasses.......... (Is he going to stop by Gibson & give Henry J. a piece of his mind??) 

[Pilgrim]

Maybe he'll get some partners and buy Henry J. out! That would certainly open up new possibilities for ze kollekshun.

[66Atlas]

in my best Foghorn Leghorn voice:

"Tennessee, the deep south?! As a suthun gentleman from the great state of Georgia I am o-ffended sir! A fine ally during the terrible war of northern aggression but the deep south Tennessee is not!"

Alright, I'll go back to being a transplant from Minnesota now...

[Dave W]

in my best Foghorn Leghorn voice:

"Tennessee, the deep south?! As a suthun gentleman from the great state of Georgia I am o-ffended sir! A fine ally during the terrible war of northern aggression but the deep south Tennessee is not!"

Alright, I'll go back to being a transplant from Minnesota now...

They are going to the deep south. After Nashville they were going to travel down the Mississippi Delta.

Foghorn would never say that, but the character who inspired him would. Senator Beauregard Claghorn was a character voiced on the old Fred Allen radio show. The man behind the voice, Kenny Delmar, was actually from Boston.

[westen44]

I often find the British actors to be the best at doing Southern accents.  In general, they do a better job than American actors and actresses who aren't Southern.  You've got the standard stereotype of Plantation Southern English.  But there are many different Southern accents.  Even Mississippi and Alabama are very different.  I recently found these examples. 

Here is Alabama.  This is North and Central Alabama.  South Alabama would be very different. 




Here is Mississippi.  The difference from Alabama is easily noticeable. 

[Dave W]

Having lived in Mississippi, I don't find that video accurate. But there are noticeable differences within different parts of the state, just as there are here in Minnesota. I assume the same is true almost anywhere else.

[westen44]

Being from Alabama, I was a little shocked once I started spending time in Mississippi.  I had a job that required me to work in different areas.  I ended up working for months in places such as Jackson, Port Gibson, Clarksdale, and Gulfport.  I was in all these places for months at a time.  I was in Port Gibson the longest.  It's close to Vicksburg.  While I was in Port Gibson, I even briefly talked to an English professor (who wasn't from the South.)  I told him that I had always assumed that Alabama and Mississippi were about the same, but that I was actually having a problem understanding people in Mississippi sometimes.  It was so long ago, I can't remember the details.  But he did go through some kind of explanation on why the Mississippi accent might sound indistinct to my ears.  On the other hand, I'm really not very fond of the Alabama accent.  As far as I'm concerned, the Mississippi accent might even sound better.  However, I do think that lady in the video is admitting she is only doing a stereotype in the Mississippi video.  Her Alabama accent is very accurate. 

[Pilgrim]

While living in Texas, I could tell at least four different accents, with Deep East Texas being the most multi-syllabic and closest to a "deep south" sound. As you travel west in Texas the accent moderates.

[Lightyear]

While living in Texas, I could tell at least four different accents, with Deep East Texas being the most multi-syllabic and closest to a "deep south" sound. As you travel west in Texas the accent moderates.

Yes sir about four plus!  East Texas is most probably closer to the stereotypical Texas accent. 

[nofi]

i worked in central rural mississippi for while and thought the accents very mild, almost like the maryland, delaware coastal region. i was quite surprised.

that accent lady is laughable. mississippi, indeed.

[Lightyear]

What many of the experts can't get right is the local vernacular and the way certain words are commonly used used.  For example my first trip to New England I kept getting directions to take the "rotary", pronounced raWTry, and "jug handle"   After the first time I got it but damn was I one confused Texas boy when I started trying to communicate with locals - the locals were equally baffled