I've noticed that before 2000 it seems like a lot more people in places like Boston, New York and the South had strong regional accents. Nowadays there are plenty of young people from those places, especially people under 30 that almost sound like they're from California.

I would imagine that the influx of immigrants to the Northeast and the migration of Northerners into the "New South" is also taking its toll on those area's regional identity.

With that said, the Northern Cities dialect of places like Chicago and Cleveland seems stronger than ever among the young, probably because not a lot of people are moving there. I have a friend from Chicago around my age who had a basketball podcast a couple years ago and he'd call it a "padcast", which always made me laugh lol.

There was a thread on this on city data. American accents aren't as thick as they use to be but you still have regional accidents it just depends on where you live. I know the Midwest was famous for calling soda pop but everyone I met from the midwest under 20 says soda. The NYC accent has certainly diluted in the past few decades but you still hear it in certain neighborhoods. The southern accent has decreased significantly in states like Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Texas. To where you have natives in the south who don't use the word y'all which is a bid staple to the south but in Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi the Southern accent is very thick.

There was a thread on this on city data. American accents aren't as thick as they use to be but you still have regional accidents it just depends on where you live. I know the Midwest was famous for calling soda pop but everyone I met from the midwest under 20 says soda. The NYC accent has certainly diluted in the past few decades but you still hear it in certain neighborhoods. The southern accent has decreased significantly in states like Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Texas. To where you have natives in the south who don't use the word y'all which is a bid staple to the south but in Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi the Southern accent is very thick.


That's depressing about "y'all" and "pop". I live in a northern state and I've also noticed a decline in the people who say pop over the past 15-20 years. In the early 2000s it was the norm for everyone to say pop but you usually hear soda now. Probably the California media influence.

I think it could be an urban vs. rural thing as well. I've noticed that people in bit cities tend to not have strong accents, as opposed to people living in suburban or rural areas.

Also, as a side note, a few years ago I made a short trip to Boston and I noticed that the local accent was more noticeable in older people than in younger people.

I think it could be an urban vs. rural thing as well. I've noticed that people in bit cities tend to not have strong accents, as opposed to people living in suburban or rural areas.

Also, as a side note, a few years ago I made a short trip to Boston and I noticed that the local accent was more noticeable in older people than in younger people.


Did the young people sound like Californians or still Bostonian, just less so?