We are looking at relocating to Lexington… Can anyone give me any input on the Kentucky accent & dialect? Yes, I’ve listened to some of the Kentucky born horsemen on TVG/HRTV and all but want your input.
Would you say it sounds more southern or midwestern or a mix? (I am not a fan of a southern sounding voice - no offense to anyone!)
Any commonly used words, phrases or expressions that you can think of?
Thanks so much!!
I’m not from there but I just wanted to say how surprised I was to hear both accents when I visited there. Perhaps my sample size was too small to be of much relevance, but each person’s accent sounded either midwestern or strongly southern, and I didn’t hear a mixture!
I thought most southerners don’t speak with accents these days. Maybe mildly. I would think all that is something you would find out about once you moved.
[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8082030]
I thought most southerners don’t speak with accents these days. Maybe mildly. I would think all that is something you would find out about once you moved.[/QUOTE]
First of all, I’m a linguist, so I just have to mention that everyone speaks with an accent. Just had to get that out of the way.
Second, I have lived in the Deep South for over 20 years. There’s a huge variety of southern accents and dialects. Around here, the locals refer to the dialect characterized by deep drawl with regional expressions such as “fixin’ to” and “fuller n’ a tick” as speaking “country.” You hear it a lot still in the South, especially in rural areas. Some of my students use it.
In urban areas such as Atlanta, you’ll hear the country dialect more seldom. My upper-middle-class students from greater Atlanta tend to speak for the most part Standard American English with a hint of southern sound. Everyone here says “y’all”–it’s a useful word.
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8082013]
(I am not a fan of a southern sounding voice - no offense to anyone!)[/QUOTE]
Well, bless your heart.
It depends on where they grew up. Some people sound really “country”, but most… not so much. Towards Lexington I think there are more people from eastern KY, so you might hear a few more Southern accents. In general, I think the accent is a midwest/southern mix or none at all. I’m from upstate NY (no noticeable accent), but I’ve been here over 20 years. KY peeps tell me I sound like I’m from the upper midwest, so I must have picked up something.
[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8082030]
I thought most southerners don’t speak with accents these days. Maybe mildly. I would think all that is something you would find out about once you moved.[/QUOTE]
Then I invite you to come visit my town-- you’ll be very surprised! :lol:
Kentucky accents vary all over the state. Many of the rural areas of the state have a very strong accent which sounds similar to a southern accent. While the native Lexington accent doesn’t seem quite as strong to me, there are plenty of folks in the area that have that thick “rural Kentucky” accent.
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8082013]
We are looking at relocating to Lexington… Can anyone give me any input on the Kentucky accent & dialect? I am not a fan of a southern sounding voice - no offense to anyone![/QUOTE]
Of course accents vary across the state, but if you are vocal about not being a southern accent fan, then I don’t suggest relocating to Kentucky. :lol: My DH is from there, all his family is from there and they all definitely a country/southern twang. I actually have less of an accent and I’m eastern NC born and bred.
Yes, OP, if you’re going to move to a place characterized by regional dialects, you need an attitude adjustment. You’re not going to win friends or enjoy your new home if you can’t accept the way people talk. It really is a part of their identity.
I suggest you start by watching Do You Speak American? or the 80s documentary American Tongues if you can get hold of a copy. My students love it. There’s actually a section on Kentucky. People have uploaded parts of it on youtube.
The filmmakers traveled all over the country and interviewed lots of everyday people. They asked them questions like, “Who do you think talks funny?” and “How do you like the way you talk?” The results are fascinating: not only do viewers get to hear Pennsylvania Dutch, Cajun, Tangiers Island dialect, the many variations of Boston English, and many more, but most viewers end up admitting their own linguistic prejudices and learning a ton. It’s a great film.
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8082013]
We are looking at relocating to Lexington… Can anyone give me any input on the Kentucky accent & dialect? Yes, I’ve listened to some of the Kentucky born horsemen on TVG/HRTV and all but want your input.
Would you say it sounds more southern or midwestern or a mix? (I am not a fan of a southern sounding voice - no offense to anyone!)
Any commonly used words, phrases or expressions that you can think of?
Thanks so much!![/QUOTE]
Are you doing research so you can go undercover as a native? Or are you considering not relocating there based on the accent? 
I work for a company that has its HQ in Lexington, and a substantial percentage of the employees are Kentucky natives. I’d call the accent “southern drawl light.” They definitely elongate some vowels and definitely noticeable but not annoying in the least. (I’m a midwesterner, so I don’t have an accent. ;))
I can’t think of any expressions they use that I don’t. But then we’re usually talking about business.
When I visited Kentucky a couple of times (Rolex and The Derby) we had a mutual admiration club going. They loved my accent and I loved theirs.
Would you really not move to someplace just because you didn’t like the local accents? Seriously?
You’re just trying to stir up a little drama here, right?
And you do get that saying “no offense to anyone” doesn’t really get you off the hook for saying you don’t like the way southerners talk, don’t you?
Accents in Kentucky, as others have already said, differ greatly as you move around the state. There are also rural vs urban differences. But yes, people in the Lexington area do have a southern accent. At least that’s what all my cousins in Michigan used to say when we went up there on vacation. :lol:
If this is true, then KY is probably not going to be a great fit for you. And for the love of all that is holy, do not drive more than 10 minutes from downtown Lexington. The farther out you get, the heavier the accent. My mom was born in KY and I still have tons of relatives there, albeit a couple hours south of Lexington. When you get back in the hollers, it can get tricky.
And the KY accent is far less melodic than Coastal South or Deep South accents
Oh dear, didn’t mean to stir the pot. Of course I would not speak of it to anyone there but I am allowed to have likes & dislikes. Apologies. As COTHers, we must get stirred up though, right? 
Shug McGaughey is a Lex native & I love his voice.
Chill & no tizzys, please.
"Would you really not move to someplace just because you didn’t like the local accents? Seriously? "
Now, where did you get that from, NSP? I think the opposite in fact.
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8082303]
Oh dear, didn’t mean to stir the pot. Of course I would not speak of it to anyone there but I am allowed to have likes & dislikes. Apologies. [/QUOTE]
I’m not actually hot, nor verging on any sort of hissy fit. I just found your statement that you don’t like southern accents to be somewhat incomprehensible. I can’t quite wrap my mind around the concept that someone would have an active dislike for an accent. Accents just are, like people’s skin color or hair color, and for me personally, I find no foundation upon which to base a judgment of like or dislike.
But, as you say, to each their own. People think lots of things that make no sense to me and I’m sure the reverse is true, as well. :lol:
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8082308]
"Would you really not move to someplace just because you didn’t like the local accents? Seriously? "
Now, where did you get that from, NSP? I think the opposite in fact.[/QUOTE]
Now I’m scratching my head in confusion. You said, in the OP, that you were thinking of moving to Lexington but you didn’t like southern accents and you asked if people there had southern accents. And note that I’m not the only one who reached that conclusion, as several other posters replied similarly.
I love learning about English and Spanish dialects.
This English dialect quiz is frighteningly accurate in that it correctly located my exact hometown.
http://www.tekstlab.uio.no/cambridge_survey/
[QUOTE=californianinkansas;8082357]
I love learning about English and Spanish dialects.
This English dialect quiz is frighteningly accurate in that it correctly located my exact hometown.
http://www.tekstlab.uio.no/cambridge_survey/[/QUOTE]
I’m disappointed. I did the survey expecting it to tell me where I’m from, but I have to click on individual maps.
It varies. My father is from Shelbyville (west of Lexington). For the most part, our family does not have a strong southern accent. I grew up in Western NY, visiting KY very frequently, and people tell me I have a mid-western accent which sort of blends the Great Lakes with the Mid-west accents.
I love Lexington. I would relocate there in a heartbeat!
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