http://sionna-raven.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] sionna-raven.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] mary_j_59 2008-05-31 07:34 am (UTC)

The 'heart/court' example was mentioned in a course on English dialects all over the world I did ages ago; it was from Oklahoma. I remembered it , because it seemed so weird.
Funnily speaking Bavarian or the North coast 'Plattduitsch' in Germany are considered a matter of regional pride and therefore accepted, as along as it's made clear that you can speak High German and intentionally choose not to. However it's not a good idea to keep the smallest trace of a Saxonian accent. This is not only considered uneducated, but right out ridiculous and even well-mannered Germans tend to bite their lips not to smile, when hearing it.
The way you describe New York accent looks pretty much what I expected. Add German and Irish to a basic broth of English, stir, add a few dashes of Polish and Italian and let it simmer until it sounds English. The use of the 'r' is probably of German origin; we either drop or overdo it.

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