Run From the Hillbillies!

The Southern accent is getting bigger and bigger. The attitudes towards it, however, are still fairly negative, or at least condescending. As one who has an inexplicable drawl and throws out "y'alls" all over the place, I guess I'm part of the trend. I don't think it's anything to worry about, though. I like some Southern accents (the article really doesn't get into the fact that "The Southern Accent" is really a collection of different accents with similar features but are, nonetheless, distinct). To be frank, I find the "standard" Midwestern accent much more offensive than the Southern. And, while Northern in-migration may not eradicate the accent in any way (as the article states), it may very well change it in unexpected ways. That's just part of the glory of language!