(hilarious) example of Southern American English

Question

If any English-learners out there would like to hear a strong Southern American accent, I highly recommend this clip by comedian Andy Griffith. Everyone else might want to listen to it too, just because it will make you laugh. Romeo and Juliet as retold by a Southern "country boy" ... enough said!

• Great! - JulianChivi Jan 29, 2011

Answer 1

You might want to mention that this accent is also somewhat contrived in that the character of "the down-home, backwoods boy from Carolina" was a staple of Andie Griffiths comedic act just as was true of contemporary fellow comedian, Jim Nabors of Gomer Pyle fame (although I suppose that Nabors shtick was more like the country bumpkin). Both men played up this accent for comedic effect, and outside of performing, neither of these men spoke with such strong pseudo-accents.

If you like this brand of comedy then you will probably also find his monologue, What it was, was football entertaining as well. This was the comedic monologue which started his career and solidified his image as the down-home, backwoods boy from Carolina.

In Spanish, if you are interested in comedic actors overplaying accents in a similar way, you can find numerous examples in the movies of Mexican actress, María Elena Velasco who was made famous by her recurring film role as la India María.

Several of these films are available on youtube

Tonta, tonta pero no tanto

La presidenta municipal

El miedo no anda en burro

El que no corre vuela

Ni de aquí ni de alla

Answer 2

Thank you for sharing this Valerie. I know that Izanoni said that both of these men were "playing up" the accent a bit. However, I have heard even stronger southern accents and often find it extremely difficult for a "Yankee" such as myself, to understand.

Although we are all speaking English, it is amazing just how many different accents and variations there are in the United States alone. When you add in other English speaking countries such as Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, etc., it is a wonder that people learning English can understand any of us.

I know that there are different Spanish accents as well. I would love to have the opinion of a native Spanish speaking person as to whether or not they ever have a difficult time understanding another Spanish speaking person because of their accent.

• I can tell you that the majority of the people that I know who are native Texans but speak Spanish usually tell me that when they go to visit family in Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador, they are often told that the talk strange. - Izanoni1 Jan 29, 2011

Answer 3

I know that Izanoni said that both of these men were "playing up" the accent a bit. However, I have heard even stronger southern accents and often find it extremely difficult for a "Yankee" such as myself, to understand.

The reason that I brought up the idea of "playing up accents" is that such accents (especially when done for comedic effect) are often merely caricatures of the group that is being "represented" in that they tend to exaggerate certain speech and pronunciation patterns in order to "peg" these characters with a specific stereotype. You can notice the same thing when you watch films which play up on the stereotypical urban black or Latino caricatures, the typical Bostonian, or the kid from Phillie or the Bronx. While it is true that numerous dialectical variations do exist within and across these particular groups, it is also evident that these accents are also usually played up for effect.