voltronfanficblog:

Writing Southern Accents 101

I’ve been getting a lot of requests for Keith with a southern accent (which I LIVE for)! Since I live in the southern us and have a pretty strong accent, I thought I’d give a few tips to anyone who wants to write people with a southern accent, especially someone like Keith who may not always have one.

– generally I have a proper voice, and try to keep the slang out of my words, much like Keith would had he been written with some kind of accent

– my accent really comes out when I’m angry, tired, comfortable around the people I’m talking to, or just don’t care anymore

– most accents are generally similar, but different parts of the south tend to have deeper or more pronounced accents (i.e. I’m from Tennessee, and Tennessee and Texas have IDENTICAL slang words and accents. Usually people ask if I’m from one of the two states when I’m out of town.)

– the south in America is Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and the very upper half of Florida that borders Georgia. Otherwise Louisiana and Florida aren’t included because they have very different versions of southern culture hat aren’t stereotypical.

– If you use slang, don’t over do it. Southern slang is actually kind of complicated and doesn’t really come naturally to anyone who doesn’t use it on a daily basis.

– not everyone with an accent uses slang. People from the south almost always have an accent to people who aren’t from here, even if they can’t hear it themselves.

– We tend to clip words that end in -ing (i.e. “Fightin’, Runnin’, Walkin’)

– Some common slang used is obviously the classic “y’all”, but also “yuns” (another form of you all. ex: what are yuns doin’ over there?)

– improper grammar is a classic too. I love English and can write and speak perfectly, but sometimes I find myself saying things like “that don’t even make no sense”

– Metaphors, Hyperboles, and personifications are massive parts of southern speaking

– “It’s hotter n’ the pits of hell in here”

– ain’t is used more often than y’all

– “that ain’t even correct” “well ain’t she just sweet”

– we still use modern slang and sometimes it sounds really weird throwing slang words like “finna” in with our accents lmao

– bless your heart isn’t a compliment and if someone from the south says that to you, they probably think you’re an idiot

– people with southern accents aren’t idiots and having an accent doesn’t make them one!

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!