Can confirm, southern accents aren't heard much in Atlanta. Friends that grew up here last century do not speak with a Southern accent. My kids have a general urban accent.
Hearing a Southern accent in Atlanta is a sign of someone from the sticks.
I'm from Lafayette, LA. I don't sound remotely like anyone from Cajun country. So I agree. It's like the French language, slowly being a disappearing act
I was just talking to my girlfriend about this - black Atlanta’s southern accent is distinct bc it increasingly has elements from a bunch of southern states outside Geoefia
Interesting article and makes sense. Thankfully rural areas will help keep these accents alive. The beauty and cultural importance of accents and dialects can't be overstated.
In “American Tongues” (a fantastic Frontline documentary about accents/regional dialects from 1987), they talked a bit about the homogenization of accents. So this has been an acknowledged trend for at least 40 years
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See The Nononsense show podcast
Hearing a Southern accent in Atlanta is a sign of someone from the sticks.
https://youtu.be/SgSEzCjN2dg?si=83tNhjxknj1uWZuP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36KuvCSmc8&pp=ygUMYmViZSBmcmFzaWVy
The Atlanta metro has almost as many residents as Alabama and Mississippi combined.