Talk Dirty To Me: Why Do We Find Certain Accents Attractive?

And why it has nothing to do with linguistic aesthetics

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When I was growing up in South Carolina, I repressed my Southern accent for as long as I could. I refused to say “y’all,” opting instead for “you guys,” a product of my mother’s Long Island roots. I told people I was from the north, but North Carolina is still part of the American South, despite having “north” in the name, much to my dismay. I adopted an over-emphasized Southern accent only when I wanted to tease or call attention to the fact that I did not talk like that.

One of my best friends did something similar when she moved to Charleston from California in fourth grade. She recently told me her parents told her not to speak with a Southern accent so she wouldn’t sound “uneducated,” “stupid,” or “ghetto,” clear and negative stereotypes of this accent.

Early on, we all learned that how we speak has far-reaching implications for how others perceive us. Sound too Southern, and someone might think you’re dumb or poor, but someone else might love your drawl. Sound too Northern, and someone might think you’re uppity, but someone else might love the way you say “chowder” (“chow-da!). Sound like you have a foreign accent, and someone might tell you you don’t belong, but someone else might love the…