Dude, I so call bullshit on that.
I can't understand half the people I meet in Dallas when I'm there.
There is an accent. It is Texan.
Texan phrases
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I can't understand half the people I meet in Dallas when I'm there.
There is an accent. It is Texan.
Well I haven't heard it here in Houston, or when I was in Austin. I guess Dallas is the exception.
I suspect your familiarity with it is more likely the reason. To claim that there is no accent in a city is like me saying I don't have a Canadian accent because I'm not from the Maritimes.
The accent is there. You just don't hear it when you're used to it or using it.
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This. I don't notice it when I'm in Texas. But if I'm away for awhile and go back? It stands out a lot. I also didn't ever think I had a Texas accent until I was in the Midwest (or Japan) and people would comment about my accent when I talked to my family.
It's not ridiculously strong and it's not as stereotypical as what you might hear hicks saying on TV, but there is an accent.
edited: see below and just listen to WriteKnight, my original post was rather grumpy for some strange reason.
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This. I am a Native Texan from Dallas (and, yes, Native is capitalized in front of Texan
), but I moved to northeast Florida 3 years ago. I never noticed my accent when I lived in Texas because, well, we all had one. However, I could distinguish as to wether someone lived in the city or in the back-woods of east Texas. Much more "countrified". Now that I'm in Florida, people comment on my Texas accent all the time.
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Accent is different from slang and expressions, colloquialisms. As a writer, unless you're Robert Burns... writing in accent is difficult, and annoying to read. I think what the OP was looking for was regions specific phrases. Most of the ones listed, are generally 'southern'. There are of course, CITY specific phrases. But those change over time. Areas of the city might have slang names. "SoHo" for instance, is South Houston, the CITY of South Houston ... distinct from the City of Houston proper. While I now live in the "Bay Area" that is San Francisco/San Jose/ Oakland... IN Houston, the "Bay Area" includes the cities around Galveston Bay, including Galveston.
When giving directions, one often says "Inside the loop," "Outside the loop" "Inside the beltway, Outside the beltway" You rarely refer to the freeways by their numbers, more often they are called names. "North Freeway" instead of 45 North. "Gulf Freeway" instead of 45 South. "Southwest freeway" instead of 59 south. "EastTex" freeway... and so on. Areas of town are known for the landmarks. "The Medical Center" "The Galleria" "The Ship Channel" "Downtown" "Uptown" "MidTown" and when it was the Domed Stadium, "The Dome Complex" or even "Astroworld" - but that's gone now, and "RELIANT CENTER" is the area.
As I said, aside from a few southern expressions, and perhaps droppin the 'g's from a few words... you can't 'write' a Houston accent.
When giving directions, one often says "Inside the loop," "Outside the loop" "Inside the beltway, Outside the beltway" You rarely refer to the freeways by their numbers, more often they are called names. "North Freeway" instead of 45 North. "Gulf Freeway" instead of 45 South. "Southwest freeway" instead of 59 south. "EastTex" freeway... and so on. Areas of town are known for the landmarks. "The Medical Center" "The Galleria" "The Ship Channel" "Downtown" "Uptown" "MidTown" and when it was the Domed Stadium, "The Dome Complex" or even "Astroworld" - but that's gone now, and "RELIANT CENTER" is the area.
As I said, aside from a few southern expressions, and perhaps droppin the 'g's from a few words... you can't 'write' a Houston accent.
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I've had occasion to mention that to French friends.
Honestly, the Texans I've known talk pretty much like other Southerners. My friends from Houston don't sound appreciably different from my friends in Austin. As others have said, people might have any sort of accent in a big city like Houston. I've even conversed with Canadians.
Even though you might distinguish the sound of a Memphis accent from a Texan one, I'd have a hard time writing so as to distinguish them. You hear people who sound like Hank Hill in Austin, and maybe they sound different from Elvis Presley. But capturing the timber of the voice is different from repeating the words.
WriteKnight has some pretty good points about the terms used to describe the city. If you think, most cities have their own jargon for locales, directions, neighborhoods, etc, since that's what sets them apart.
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Actually, yeah. All this. I commented on a manuscript the other day about Interstate-10 being I-10, and then you have all the areas known for various landmarks, like you mentioned. Then you have fun things like Kuykendahl that no one outside the city would have a clue how to pronounce.
I still can't believe they closed Astroworld. Ugh. Such a crime.
Thanks guys, this is exactly what I needed.
I already have her dropping her Gs and saying Y'all once in a while so I've I sneak in some of these phrases you've mentioned it should be alright (without making her sound like a hick).
Thanks again everyone!
I already have her dropping her Gs and saying Y'all once in a while so I've I sneak in some of these phrases you've mentioned it should be alright (without making her sound like a hick
).Thanks again everyone!