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There are several reasons that one may wish to develop a Southern accent. In the entertainment field, you may have an acting role for a character that is from the Southern United States. Whatever the motivations are for one wanting to develop a Southern accent, caution and sensitivity are urged so as not to offend or belittle those with a genuine Southern accent. With experience and hard work, you can master the Southern accent, whether you need to have one for a production of a play or you want to impress your friends.
Steps
Speak slowly. People from the South are known for their slow drawl. They have a drawn out way of saying their words, especially their vowels. Part of sounding really Southern is matching the slow pace of southern speech.[1]
Mix your vowels. Another aspect of a Southern accent is mixing together some of your vowels. For example, “pen” and “pin” should sound the same, like a mixture between the two words. It’s the same with “tin” and “ten.” "Get" comes out "git," and "just" as "jist" or "jis" (almost drop the t).[2]EXPERT TIPPatrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.Speech Coach
Patrick Muñoz
Speech CoachOur Expert Agrees: When you're speaking with a Southern accent, some of your vowels might shift. For example, instead of "I" sounding like a combination of "Ah" and "E," you would drop the "E," so a sentence like "I like fine wine" might sound like "ah lak fan wan."
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Speak with a lilt. A Southern lilt involves drawing out vowels to the point where, sometimes, they sound like two syllables. For example, “bill” turns into “bee-hill” and “short” becomes “showat.”[3] Practice using a lilt onEXPERT TIPSlow down your speech and stretch out some of your vowel sounds, and slide your voice from high to low as you speak.
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.Patrick Muñoz
Speech CoachPatrick Muñoz
Speech Coach
Drop your “g”s. Say your words as though there is no “g” at the end. This is common to most Southern accents. For example, say “fixin’” instead of “fixing” and “fishin’” instead of “fishing.”[4] You don’t have to do this with words like “thing” or “dog,” but words with an “ing” should lose their “g”s.- “Fixin’” is also a word commonly used by people with Southern accents, when you’re trying to do something. As in, “I’m fixin’ to go fishin’ this afternoon!”
Perfect a few phrases first. Perfect a few phrases that you know you can say exactly correctly. Maybe they are phrases you learned from the book you read, ones you’ve copied from a movie you watched, or ones that you learned from a friend or family member from the South. Before you tackle the entire accent, work on these phrases.[5] "Jist-a-minute" and "Jist a second" are common.
Be considerate. Remember that many people speak with genuine Southern accents. A person who speaks with a Southern accent does not have the option to switch it off. If you imitate a Southern accent with the intent of poking fun at the speech pattern, you might offend or otherwise disrespect people who speak with Southern accents.- Consider also that the Southern accent is sometimes associated with certain stereotypes and subcultures. This is perhaps most notable in a particular stereotype of Southerners as ignorant, uncultured, and poor. Ask yourself whether it is discriminatory to imitate a Southern accent in this context.
Use colloquial sayings. Every way of speaking and culture has its own sayings and colloquialisms. Try to learn some southern ones. Here are some examples:- “Bless their little heart” sometimes means that someone is incompetent or that they did something sweet or thoughtful.
- “Dad burn it!” essentially means, “Gosh darn it.”
- “He chews his own tobacco” means that the person is independent.
- “He could talk a cat out of a tree!” means that the person is persuasive and convincing.
Reduce your use of the verb “to be.” This means not using the words “is,” “are,” and “am” as much. For example, instead of saying, “Are you ready?” you would just say “You ready?”
Relearn the word “done.” In southern speech, “done” can have a few different meanings. Here are some examples:- It can be a substitute for “already,” as in, “I done let the dog out this morning.”
- It can also be used emphatically, as in “I done cannot do this anymore.”
- It can also mean “did,” as in, “I done my math homework tonight.” (This is archaic Southern; more educated contemporary Southerners don't say this.)
Incorporate “might could” and “y’all” into your speech. There are lots of grammatical structures unique to Southern speech, and these are two examples. Use them when appropriate!- Use “might could” or “might should” when you want to imply both that someone could and should do something. As in, “You might could put another log on the fire.”
- Use “y’all” instead of “you all.” As in, “Y’all should come here and look at this dawg!” ( Common) or "Y'all uns" almost said as one word "Y'all-uns need to stop that racket right now" - often towards children.
Remember that many Southerners are polite. "Sir" and "Ma'am" are common, especially with child to parent (regardless of age), people in authority, people older than you, or people you don't know well. "Pardon me," "'excuse me," "Thank ya," or "Thankee much" are also common. "Yessir," "Yessah," and "Yes'm" are often meshed into almost one word.
Research the specific Southern accent you want to adapt. Southern accents are different in many different parts of the South. Phrases and accents were different in Georgia in 1800s as opposed to modern day New Orleans. The slow Southern Drawl is more common in the past and in rural areas than in metropolitan areas like Atlanta or Birmingham. Usually, they are grouped into categories by region. Here are two major regions into which the South is divided as well as their differences in speech:- Coastal/Lowland: Drop your "r"s at the end of words and blend them with the next word (as in, "bigguh dog" instead of "bigger dog"). Turn short vowels, like "dog," into longer diphthongs ("dah-wug").
- Inland/Mountain: Exaggerate the "oo" sound in words like "loose." Pay more attention to the "o" in words like "coat."[6]
EXPERT TIPPatrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.Speech CoachPatrick Muñoz
Speech CoachOur Expert Agrees: There are a variety of accents and differentiation for Southern speakers. For instance, in some places R's are pronounced harder, and in some they disaappear altogether. Have fun playing around with it to see what sounds right to you.
Watch TV shows and movies featuring characters with Southern accents. Get used to the way the Southern accent sounds. In the Netflix series House of Cards, Frank Underwood has a slight Southern accent, while in some movies, such as Forrest Gump, many of the characters have stronger Southern accents. The TV Show "Justified" has excellent modern day Mountain regional accents. Watch a variety of movies and shows to get a feel for different types of Southern accents.EXPERT TIPTry watching movies, TV shows, or YouTube videos with a Southern actor or country singer to study the way that they talk.
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.Patrick Muñoz
Speech CoachPatrick Muñoz
Speech Coach
Try to find someone with a Southern accent. If you know someone with a Southern accent, ask them to sit down and talk with you. If you don’t know someone with a Southern accent, ask around until you find someone who knows what you want to do and doesn’t mind talking to you for a little bit. Repeat the same words over and over again, and try to say the words exactly how the other person says them. Ask them to correct you on how you say certain words and to coach you on how to say these words.
Read a book about speaking with a Southern accent. Try reading The Complete Guide to Speaking Southern by Steve Mitchell, as well as the book’s sequel. You could also find a book for actors on perfecting accents in general. Reading about how to acquire and maintain a Southern accent will certainly help you when you try to speak with one.
Community Q&A
- QuestionWhy do I not sound like I have a southern accent with these tips?
Community AnswerThat's difficult to answer without more information. Spend some time listening to Southern people talk, and mimic their speech. You'll get it eventually. - QuestionIs there a way I should move my tongue?
Community AnswerYou don't move your tongue in a different way, you just pronounce the words differently. - QuestionDo people with a southern accent think people without a southern accent sound more intelligent?Community AnswerNo, they don't.
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Tips
- Dedicate at least a few weeks to this project. Learning an accent takes persistence over a long period of time.Thanks
- Find a friend to practice with!Thanks
Warnings
- Don’t offend people with southern accents. Emphasize to them why you’re learning this accent and make sure that they know you’re not making fun of them or they might "git their panties in a bunch."Thanks
References
About This Article
While developing a Southern accent takes time and practice, you can change the way you speak by taking it slow and doing plenty of research. In general, people from the South are known for their slow drawl, so take your time when speaking, especially when sounding out vowels. For example, you can extend the vowel in “bill” to 2 syllables by pronouncing it as “bee-hill.” Additionally, drop the “g”s from words that end in “ing,” like “fixing” or “fishing,” and pronounce them like “fixin’” and “fishin.’” Another important part of developing a Southern accent is to be authentic without offending someone who naturally speaks that way, so research different dialects and regional variants online. If possible, find someone with a Southern accent and ask if they can help you get it down. For more tips, like how to say some common Southern phrases, read on!
Reader Success Stories
"I only have six days to take up a believable Southern accent for a skit I'm doing on Halloween this year. I believe that, with the tips in this article, I'll be able to do it in no time."..." more
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