Southern accent.?
Posted by CurioMind_@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 46 comments
Hi y’all! I’m a 26m from Saudi Arabia, and I’m looking for a native American English speaker with a Southern accent. I really love Southern accents and want to practice speaking more naturally. My English isn’t perfect, but I can understand, talk, and express myselfI just need to get better with practice. In return, could I teach you Arabic (Modern Standard, Saudi, or Gulf dialects) and share about Saudi culture and traditions? I’m motivated to learn and would love a friendly language partner to chat, practice, and exchange cultures with. Would you like to make learning fun together
MsPennyP@reddit
Which type of southern accent? There's a good many.
PerformanceOk9689@reddit
Bless your heart
ghoulsbuddy@reddit
Just DMd you. I do this for a living.
MacaroonSad8860@reddit
Good luck becoming a Saudi cowboy!
Mr_Salty87@reddit
Howdy Arabia
NecessaryPopular1@reddit
Or the other way around, having a cowboy become a Saudi 🤭.
BusinessWarthog6@reddit
Did you not watch the new KOTH? Hank goes to Saudi /s kida
Its_me_hannah_@reddit
If he then films a movie in the Rub al Khali desert is it a Kabsa Western?
herblady99@reddit
you should move to Houston, there you get both, Saudis and southern
xnatlywouldx@reddit
Do people in Houston really have strong southern accents these days? Maybe in some of the surrounding areas? Houston is so huge, urban, and international these days. I don't hear many southern accents when I go there. When I think of "Texas accent", I'm more likely to think of Fort Worth or maaaaaybe (big maybe) San Antonio - but Houston? Not so much.
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
You’re right, moving to America these days can be really difficult due to the circumstances, but I truly appreciate your suggestion! May god protect your country and continue to bless it with growth and prosperity. As for me, I’m currently preparing for the TOEFL test
Not_Write_Now@reddit
Whatever you do, don't use the movie Gone With The Wind to emulate a Georgia accent. Vivian Leigh was a British person faking it. (I'm originally from Georgia.)
beamerpook@reddit
Hahaha I'm a transplant from SE Asia, but I have a slight southern accent from living there for most of my life.
I almost made someone faint because she's never heard someone say "y'all" in real life, much less than from an Asian person 🤣
Genius-Imbecile@reddit
There's an Asian comedian (can't remember his name) with a southern accent. I know a few Vietnamese with different New Orleans accents, depending on what part of the city they grew up in.
I imagine OP will get some amusing reactions when he comes to the US. Bonus points if he's in traditional Saudi wear and busts out a "y'all" or "bless your heart".
friedcommy@reddit
I'm from the Great state of Georgia, grew up in the Woods, and served in they army. I know a bit of Arabic and wouldn't mind helping you out.
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your service! I truly appreciate your willingness to help me with English. It means a lot, and I’m looking forward to practicing with you!
Mint4Chip1@reddit
This is so cute. I love this 🥰
I can't help you out here. I have what some would say a thick New Yawk accent. Lol
Manatee369@reddit
Which southern accent? There are many.
blondie956@reddit
There are a lot of different southern accents. I speak daily in a neutral Southern, but my true accent is southern Appalachian Highlands.
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
That’s what I looking for, did you saw Skinwalker?
blondie956@reddit
I don’t normally watch those kind of movies. There is a good series on YouTube called the language and life project that focuses on the North Carolina accents. You have to understand that accents can vary based on a small region. The county I grew up in has nine documented accents. My accent is completely different from someone who grew up in the lower end of the county.
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
That’s really interesting! It’s amazing how accents can vary so much even within small regions. I can imagine how the nuances of your own accent would be different from someone in another part of the same county. It’s cool that there’s a series like The Language and Life Project to highlight these variations, especially for something as specific as North Carolina accents. It really shows how language is tied to culture and geography in such unique ways! Do you feel your accent has influenced the way people perceive you, or is it something you’re proud of?
blondie956@reddit
I ran from my accent for a long time. I’m 53 so in college, I was told that I had to neutralize my accent. And I regret doing that now. So now I speak to my grandmother and other family members as much as possible to reclaim it. But when you are blonde, they deduct IQ points when meeting you. More or deducted because you are female. And when you open your mouth and the accent falls out, even more IQ points are deducted. I didn’t change. I grew up in a time and started my career when I was still expected to also get the coffee for all the men.
I love my accent. I love the accent of my people. And there are certain words that I will use, because I code switch my language, and have to remember that not everyone knows what I’m talking about.
I’m always happy to chat about the nuances of the western North Carolina language. And there are a couple of podcasts that really show the North Carolina accent, without the regional influences, I can share
Saskita@reddit
You would actually said “have you seen” or “did you seen” not “did you saw”
Interesting_Bunch323@reddit
Not “did you seen” it’s “did you see”
Saskita@reddit
Typo
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
Thanks, did you see it’s so easy
Saskita@reddit
I’m learning Spanish and make similar mistakes all the time and feel when someone points it out to me it clicks better. Your English is really good though!
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
It’s OK we are here to learn.
coffeegrindz@reddit
Hey! I’m a 39y old Muslim revert woman, grew up in rural North Carolina, so Appalachian accent if you want to search it . I need an Arabic speaking partner actually as I’m struggling to learn myself. Feel free to DM me
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
Sis, Hey! It’s so great to meet you. I’d love to help you with your Arabic learning journey! I know how challenging it can be, but with practice, you’ll definitely improve. Feel free to reach out anytime I’m here to chat and practice together.
Substantial-Wind4683@reddit
Ohh I would go with something classic south there like Georgia accent. Louisiana might be a little too French and hard to understand. Mississippi is close to Louisiana. Alabama is really thick. Maybe one of the Virginia’s but you’re almost out of the south then.
BuildNuyTheUrbanGuy@reddit
Louisiana has many accents btw.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
Too true. New Orleans alone has at least 4 major accents and minor distinctions within those: The uptown/upper class white southern accent, the downtown/lower class white "yat" accent which sounds like Brooklyn if it were in the south, the downtown/upper class Black "Creole" accent which is soft and genteel, and the uptown/working class Black accent which most people have heard spoken by the Hot Boys like Lil' Wayne.
Wide_Breadfruit_2217@reddit
This is a pretty fun idea y'all. Hope you find somebody. Maybe there's an app to match language learning buddies.
lisasimpsonfan@reddit
There are apps that do exactly what OP wants. Tandem is one of them.
lisasimpsonfan@reddit
There are language apps that let you learn a new language by chat. I have heard Tandem is good and will connect you via video/audio call with people all over the world.
notmywheelhouse@reddit
I was initially very confused by “native American” with a southern accent.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
There are a lot of different southern accents, related to region and also to race and social class. The Texas "howdy" twang is not the same as the Jawja upper class accent. Black people from Memphis do not sound like Black people from Southern Louisiana. The stereotypical "redneck accent" you might find Kid Rock using is actually national and found all over the rural U.S. - its associated with being white and low income, but southerners don't necessarily consider it a southern accent. There's also a strong debate about the use of auto-tune - "auto-twang" - coming out of country music in Nashville right now. I guess my question would be - which accents do you like the most? Can you think of any characters or famous people with an accent you like?
Prestigious-Comb4280@reddit
Do you have the old TV show The Dukes of Hazard? I don't have a southern accent. I am doing a live show on my YouTube channel and she is embarrassed by her accent. I told her not to worry about it,
Warren_Puffitt@reddit
If there is any, how different are southern Saudis' accents from northern Saudis accents'?
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
The difference between the accents of Saudis from the north and the south is kind of like the difference between lemons and oranges! Each one has its own unique flavor and character. The difference is mostly in pronunciation and some unique expressions; for example, in the south, you might hear certain words or phrases that aren’t commonly used in the north. But in the end, we’re all Saudis!
As for Warren Buffett, I bet if he heard our accents, he’d wonder if investing in the southern accents is better than the northern ones, since each one has its own special value!
Plaidismycolor33@reddit
curious what southern us tv shows do you or have watched?
alot of my foreign friends learned english this way by watching certain shows.
greattimes99@reddit
Phishing
CurioMind_@reddit (OP)
Don’t worry, don’t redeem it,
itadapeezas@reddit
I love this so much! I wanted to learn Arabic and found another girl on Reddit who wanted to learn English so we practiced together for quite awhile. It was a lot of fun. Good luck to you my friend!