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Southern American English is a group of Dialect s of the English Language spoken throughout the Southern Region of the United States , from Virginia , West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast , and from the Atlantic coast to throughout most of Texas . The Southern dialects make up the largest accent group in the United States.1 Southern American English can be divided into different sub-dialects (see American English ), with speech differing between regions. African American Vernacular English (AAVE) shares similarities with Southern dialect due to African American s' strong historical ties to the region. The Southern American English dialects are often stigmatized (as are other American English dialects such as New York-New Jersey English ). Therefore, speakers may Code-switch or may eliminate more distinctive features from their personal Idiolect in favor of "neutral-sounding" English ( General American ), though this involves more changes in phonetics than vocabulary. OVERVIEW OF SOUTHERN DIALECTS The range of Southern dialects includes the Confederate states that seceded from the United States during the American Civil War , plus those that were divided by the conflict. Southern dialects substantially originated from immigrants from the British Isles who moved to the South in the 17th and 18th centuries. The South was known for being largely settled by English from the South West - the West Country . (The West Country dialects of England also have similarities to the Southern dialects.) Settlement was also made by peoples from other parts of the British isles, particularly by Protestants from Ulster and Scotland. Southern dialects in some form can be found chiefly in the States of Alabama , Georgia , Florida , Tennessee , Mississippi , Louisiana , Arkansas , Texas , Oklahoma , Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Kentucky , West Virginia , the Ozark and Little Dixie areas in Missouri . There are also places in Kansas , New Mexico , Colorado , Arizona , Montana , and the San Joaquin Valley of California where the prevailing dialect is Southern in character or heavily Southern-influenced, due to historical settlement by Southerners. Also, the speech patterns of most of the southern counties of Ohio , Indiana , and Illinois - settled by Southerners and Southern Appalachians - have a predominately Southern influence rather than Midwestern . Southern dialects are also common in areas associated with the oil industry of Alaska . In the second half of the 20th century, concurrent with the development of the oil industry and pipelines, large numbers of Gulf Coast , Texas and Oklahoma petroleum workers moved to Alaska for high pay and adventure - and many stayed. Phonology Few generalizations can be made about Southern pronunciation as a whole, as there is great variation between regions in the South (see the Different Southern American English Dialects section below for more information) and between older and younger people. Upheavals such as the Great Depression , the Dust Bowl and World War II caused mass migrations throughout the United States. Older SAE The following features are characteristic of older SAE, and the younger a speaker is the less likely he or she is to use these features:
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{{cite Book Author |
Hazen, Kirk, and Fluharty, Ellen chapter=Defining Appalacian English editor=Bender, Margaret |
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