West Virginians participate in many dialects, with some variant of what is often called Appalachian English being heard in much of the state. While it is not spoken in all places nor by all West Virginians, this is what people think of when they think of a West Virginia dialect.
What kind of accent does West Virginia have?
West Virginians do not speak a universal dialect — unlike those who hail from New Jersey, New York, and Pittsburgh. The minute they say, “Hello,” we can pin them to their New Jersey, New York, or Pittsburgh roots. West Virginians keep people guessing.
Where does the West Virginia accent come from?
Dialect variations can be traced to immigration patterns. The southeastern coalfields of West Virginia were settled by miners immigrating from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Along the Ohio River, which was more industrialized, a large number of the immigrants came from Eastern Europe.
How do people in West Virginia talk?
Listen to people from the U.S. state of West Virginia speak English in their native dialect.
Do Virginia people have an accent?
Virginia, settled mainly by affluent English men, is home to 3 strong and unique southern accents. The Piedmont, Appalachian, and Tidewater. Modern Virginians’ voices are softer than their past counterparts due to immigration, social media, and transient populations.
What is a Tidewater accent?
The Tidewater accent is a variety of English spoken in the Tidewater region of Virginia. It’s a subvariety of Southern American English and features include: non-rhoticity/R-dropping or variable rhoticity.
Why do they call it a holler in West Virginia?
“Holler” to a West Virginian means a remote road or area. Even if you don’t “live up a holler,” you definitely know what one is. You folks probably just know it as a “hollow.” The Mountain State’s combination of mountains and streams make for quite a few remote areas and lots of hollers!
Are Appalachians inbred?
The eastern mountain people of Kentucky are called the Appalachians have been known to inbreed. This means that they marry and have children with their blood relatives. For Appalachian people, inbreeding is a stereotype. However, it is also true that many Appalachians have committed incest.
How do people from Appalachia say it?
App-uh-latch-uh
Appalachia has several different pronunciations across the United States, but the two most common (and contentious) are “App-uh-latch-uh” and “App-uh-lay-shuh.” The former has traditionally been linked with the south, while the latter is more associated with the north. So, who is right?
Why are West Virginians called Hoopies?
The term is derived from the belief that many of these migrants or their ancestors had found employment making hoops in the cooper shops that supplied the potteries with barrels for packing chinaware. Today, it may refer to anyone from West Virginia and is used in a similar manner to ”hillbilly” or ”redneck.
What it means to be a West Virginian?
a native or inhabitant of West Virginia.
Where does the Appalachian accent come from?
The origins of Appalachian English can be traced back to Scottish-Irish ancestors, and include unique grammatical and lexical differences Appalachian English can be found in the following states: West Virginia; Eastern Kentucky; North Carolina; Northwestern Georgia; Northern South Carolina; western Virginia; Alabama;
What does a Californian accent sound like?
Their accent is indeed similar to General American, meaning it sounds to American ears like it isn’t an accent at all. Everyone has an accent, however. As with most accents, the vowels are what really set Californians apart.
What is the accent of Virginia called?
The Old Virginia accent is one that is primarily heard in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Traces of this dialect and its characteristic drawl can also be heard in adjacent states, including words that are pronounced differently, such as “out” and “house.”
Do people in VA have southern accents?
“Mr. Jackman responded to a question from one of his blog readers about whether or not people in Northern Virginia had southern accents in the 1800’s. He answered something along the lines of this part of Virginia has never had accents like the southern part of the state. That is simply not true.
What is a Maryland accent?
A Baltimore accent, also known as Baltimorese (sometimes jokingly written Bawlmerese or Ballimorese, to mimic the accent), commonly refers to an accent or sub-variety of Philadelphia English that originates among blue-collar residents of Baltimore, Maryland.
What is Tidewater raising?
Then there is Virginia’s ‘Tidewater raising,’ a similar situation to Canadian Raising whereby the vowel in words like ‘mouth’ is raised before voiceless consonants (so that ’bout’ may sound a bit like ‘boat’). None of this is new, but it’s interesting to see an actor adopt an accent that reflects this history.
What is the poorest part of Appalachia?
Hidden world. Eastern Kentucky falls within that part of Appalachia that has come to epitomise the white underclass in America ever since president Lyndon Johnson sat down on the porch of a wood cabin in the small town of Inez in 1964 and made it the face of his War on Poverty.
Are there hill people in West Virginia?
Like a sea. Most of the state’s nearly 2 million people live in narrow mountain valleys called hollers. Get out of the cities and towns in West Virginia into the remote hills and hollers where the roads dead-end and it’s a step back in time.
What is a hollow in Appalachia?
hollow noun A small, sheltered valley that usually but not necessarily has a watercourse. The term occurs often in place names, especially informal ones, as Hell’s Holler (NC) and Piedy Holler (TN). [ DARE labels this pronunciation holler as “chiefly South, South Midland, especially Southern Appalachians, Ozarks”]
What is the most inbred state in America?
Generally, inbreeding is more common in the southeast region of the U.S. and more rural states. Approximately 70% of inbred families live in desolate areas. Inbreeding is common, specifically, in the eastern part of Kentucky, and the region is plagued by the stereotype that every family is an inbred family.