In the American South, a linguistic transformation is quietly unfolding. The iconic Southern drawl is gradually fading among younger generations in Georgia, despite its long association with the state’s charm and cultural identity.
Recent studies conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have revealed a change in how Georgians speak across different age groups. The traditional Southern drawl, characterized by extended vowel sounds and a distinctive twang, is becoming less prevalent among Millennials and Generation Z.
Margaret Renwick and Jon Forrest, linguists from the University of Georgia, published groundbreaking research in 2023 highlighting this linguistic shift. Their findings show that younger Georgians are less likely to have the distinctive Southern twang, despite the drawl being a longtime hallmark of the region’s speech patterns.
The Changing Sound Of The Southern Drawl
The researchers found that the pronunciation of certain words has evolved over generations. For instance, while Baby Boomers might pronounce “prize” as “prahz,” younger Georgians tend to say “prah-eez.” Similarly, “face” has shifted from “fuh-eece” to simply “fayce” among younger speakers.
The shift affects both urban areas and suburbs. Language is changing even in rural parts of Georgia, where the accent might be expected to be more preserved. While the pace of change is slower in these areas, the trend remains consistent across the state. The roots of this linguistic shift trace back to significant social changes following World War II.
The large-scale migration of people from Northern industrial cities to growing metropolitan areas in the Southeast introduced a variety of accents to the region. As a result, younger generations were exposed to a wider range of speech patterns.
Jon Forrest explains that children tend to adopt the speech patterns of their peers rather than their parents. This phenomenon, combined with increased mobility and urbanization, has contributed to the gradual erosion of the traditional Southern drawl.
Identity And Accent
The fading of the Southern accent has elicited mixed reactions from Georgians. For many, the drawl is deeply intertwined with their sense of identity and cultural heritage. Some express concern about losing an important aspect of their regional distinctiveness.
Lelia Glass, a linguist and assistant professor at Georgia Tech, notes in a news release that while the change is evident across the state, it’s more pronounced in some areas than others. “Our study includes speakers from across the state. And while we do see more Southern pronunciations in some rural speakers, even they sound far less Southern than even the urban speakers from the Boomer generation,” Glass explains.
