Note: This program originally aired on April, 21 2025.
The Southern accent is one of the most recognizable in the country — but some research indicates it’s also quietly fading away.
In Georgia, one study found that “white English speakers’ accents have been shifting away from the traditional Southern pronunciation for the last few generations,” according to Margaret Renwick, associate professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of linguistics. The study attributed the shift to demographic changes in Georgia and throughout the South…