Everyone has an accent. They may not think they do, but they do. I've had peeps here tell me they have no accent. Really? Let's tape record you and play it back.![]()
A few years ago the kid that lived across the street growing up found me and we talked on the phone a bit. He said he couldn't get over my "Southern accent". I said you sound like an extra on the Soprano's. Growing up, I didn't think we had an accent, but we did.
I do not have an identifiable American accent (southern, NY, Boston, Cajun, etc). You would not be able to pin where I'm "from" by my speech patterns or inflections. Here's why: I'm not from anywhere. My formative years (age 5 - 16) were overseas in a very international community, including Americans from all over the US. So, I was not exposed to any particular American accent for any period of time. My mom's side of the family is Canadian, eh?
Now, my youngest brother and sister, who did grow up mostly in Arkansas, definitely have southern accents.