Atlanta’s distinct Southern drawl, a dialect instantly recognizable across the United States for its elongated vowels and softened “r” sounds, has faded across generations, even within the same family.
Susan Levine, raised in Atlanta during the 1940s and 50s, recalls her New York relatives turning her accent into a novelty act, charging friends a quarter to hear her speak.
Yet, her two sons, born over 25 years later and also raised in Atlanta, grew up without a trace of the same Southern cadence. “My accent is nonexistent,” said Ira Levine, her eldest son. “People I work with, and even in school, people didn’t believe I was from Atlanta.”…