Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 17:56:08 -0400

From: Allan Metcalf AAllan[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Questions from inside: Southern accents



An inmate at Alabama State Prison sends a note with these questions:



"I have a question concerning dialects in the U.S. In the last few years

I've noticed a change in the speech of students in suburban schools. There is

not a 'Southern' accent anymore at these schools. It sounds as if it were

homogenized with other dialects around the country. Do you have any

information on this phenomenon?

"Another question I would like to ask. What happened to the old Aristocrat

Southern accent? Thank you for your time."



These seem reasonable questions to raise on ADS-L. If anyone has good

answers, I'll send them on to the questioner. - Allan Metcalf