A dying race- two Boston Brahmins converse (from AMERICAN TO

From the documentary AMERICAN TONGUES

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• louis
• alvarez
• andrew
• kolker
• cnam
• accents
• boston
• atheneum

[strangemenssana]

Some US accents are so beautifull.

[droidsURlooking4]

It's disappearing so whose to blame? Hollywood, MTV, television in general. They are trying to make everyone sound like Britney Spears.

[sdasbengal]

is john houseman in paper chase a boston brahmin accent?

[SharpEdges]

@droidsURlooking4 You're actually right, his accent has changed. But i wonder whether its just because the standard in broadcast was different back then and that he only had that accent because it was the ideal manner of speech back then.

[SharpEdges]

One theory has it that children are the ones who determine the accent and how it changes. There's a documentary on YouTube about the development of Australian accent. The title of the documentary is "Australian Accent Part 1".

[MickyG4444]

@droidsURlooking4 Fuck the Giants

[droidsURlooking4]

@MickyG4444 Correct. Maybe I didn't explain my point very well. That being; the original accents changing from British (12 families if we are going with that (much more than that really)) to a huge mass of immigrants influenced by that same British accent. Maybe that's more accurate. Additionally, there were loads of Brits that came over even after the Revolution, that were working class so the entire Boston/Brit thing was never completely aristocracy; just the Brahmins.

[MickyG4444]

@droidsURlooking4 Yes but those twelve families didn't have boston accents they had British accents. The Boston accent developed over time and has not stopped developing. The Brahmin accent is just the halfway point on the journey from British accent to Pahking my Fuckin Cah in Hahvard squard dood.

[droidsURlooking4]

for interesting piece of Boston history search youtube user: shawmutfinlay

[droidsURlooking4]

@eddiebax Was just in town and visited there. Not supposed to be able to get in but my sister is a member. Ate at Locke-Ober too! I even stayed at the Parker House. I'm not making this stuff up. That town was something before the demo'd Scollay Square

[droidsURlooking4]

@MickyG4444 Yes but where do you think that accent started? Boston WAS started by 12 families. The modern 'Boston Accent' is a bastardized version, adopted by all the immigrants; primarily irish, italian & others. Working class people. There are hints of those accents there, but go to Ireland or Italy and they don't speak that way. Go to another big American city with those ethnic groups (NYC, Chicago) and they don't speak that way either. Our WASPy grandmothers spoke this way too.

[RichardPCManns]

I agree with @youngfogey1; no upper-class Brit would ever pronounce "I'm" as "Aaa'm", as the man on the left did. Makes him sound a little Southern (to someone who's never travelled beyond Manhattan in the States).