How to Develop a Southern Accent

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Last Updated: July 17, 2024 Fact Checked

There are several reasons that one may wish to develop a Southern accent. In the entertainment field, you may have an acting role for a character that is from the Southern United States. Whatever the motivations are for one wanting to develop a Southern accent, caution and sensitivity are urged so as not to offend or belittle those with a genuine Southern accent. With experience and hard work, you can master the Southern accent, whether you need to have one for a production of a play or you want to impress your friends.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Changing the Way You Speak

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People from the South are known for their slow drawl. They have a drawn out way of saying their words, especially their vowels. Part of sounding really Southern is matching the slow pace of southern speech.^{[1]
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Mix your vowels. Another aspect of a Southern accent is mixing together some of your vowels. For example, “pen” and “pin” should sound the same, like a mixture between the two words. It’s the same with “tin” and “ten.” "Get" comes out "git," and "just" as "jist" or "jis" (almost drop the t).^{[2]
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- Voice Coach Patrick Muñoz agrees, adding that, when you're speaking with a Southern accent, some of your vowels might shift. For example, instead of "I" sounding like a combination of "Ah" and "E," you would drop the "E," so a sentence like "I like fine wine" might sound like "ah lak fan wan".
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A Southern lilt involves drawing out vowels to the point where, sometimes, they sound like two syllables. For example, “bill” turns into “bee-hill” and “short” becomes “showat.”^{[3]
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Drop your “g”s. Say your words as though there is no “g” at the end. This is common to most Southern accents. For example, say “fixin’” instead of “fixing” and “fishin’” instead of “fishing.”^{[4]
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Research source} You don’t have to do this with words like “thing” or “dog,” but words with an “ing” should lose their “g”s.
- “Fixin’” is also a word commonly used by people with Southern accents, when you’re trying to do something. As in, “I’m fixin’ to go fishin’ this afternoon!”
Perfect a few phrases that you know you can say exactly correctly. Maybe they are phrases you learned from the book you read, ones you’ve copied from a movie you watched, or ones that you learned from a friend or family member from the South. Before you tackle the entire accent, work on these phrases.^{[5]
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Research source} "Jist-a-minute" and "Jist a second" are common.
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Be considerate. Remember that many people speak with genuine Southern accents. A person who speaks with a Southern accent does not have the option to switch it off. If you imitate a Southern accent with the intent of poking fun at the speech pattern, you might offend or otherwise disrespect people who speak with Southern accents.
- Consider also that the Southern accent is sometimes associated with certain stereotypes and subcultures. This is perhaps most notable in a particular stereotype of Southerners as ignorant, uncultured, and poor. Ask yourself whether it is discriminatory to imitate a Southern accent in this context.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Different Words and Phrases

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1
Use colloquial sayings. Every way of speaking and culture has its own sayings and colloquialisms. Try to learn some southern ones. Here are some examples:
- “Bless their little heart” sometimes means that someone is incompetent or that they did something sweet or thoughtful.
- “Dad burn it!” essentially means, “Gosh darn it.”
- “He chews his own tobacco” means that the person is independent.
- “He could talk a cat out of a tree!” means that the person is persuasive and convincing.
This means not using the words “is,” “are,” and “am” as much. For example, instead of saying, “Are you ready?” you would just say “You ready?”
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Relearn the word “done.” In southern speech, “done” can have a few different meanings. Here are some examples:
- It can be a substitute for “already,” as in, “I done let the dog out this morning.”
- It can also be used emphatically, as in “I done cannot do this anymore.”
- It can also mean “did,” as in, “I done my math homework tonight.” (This is archaic Southern; more educated contemporary Southerners don't say this.)
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Incorporate “might could” and “y’all” into your speech. There are lots of grammatical structures unique to Southern speech, and these are two examples. Use them when appropriate!
- Use “might could” or “might should” when you want to imply both that someone could and should do something. As in, “You might could put another log on the fire.”
- Use “y’all” instead of “you all.” As in, “Y’all should come here and look at this dawg!” ( Common) or "Y'all uns" almost said as one word "Y'all-uns need to stop that racket right now" - often towards children.
"Sir" and "Ma'am" are common, especially with child to parent (regardless of age), people in authority, people older than you, or people you don't know well. "Pardon me," "'excuse me," "Thank ya," or "Thankee much" are also common. "Yessir," "Yessah," and "Yes'm" are often meshed into almost one word.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Learning About the Southern Accent

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1
Research the specific Southern accent you want to adapt. Southern accents are different in many different parts of the South. Phrases and accents were different in Georgia in 1800s as opposed to modern day New Orleans. The slow Southern Drawl is more common in the past and in rural areas than in metropolitan areas like Atlanta or Birmingham. Usually, they are grouped into categories by region. Here are two major regions into which the South is divided as well as their differences in speech:
- Coastal/Lowland: Drop your "r"s at the end of words and blend them with the next word (as in, "bigguh dog" instead of "bigger dog"). Turn short vowels, like "dog," into longer diphthongs ("dah-wug").
- Inland/Mountain: Exaggerate the "oo" sound in words like "loose." Pay more attention to the "o" in words like "coat."^{[6]
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EXPERT TIP

Patrick Muñoz
Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz
Speech Coach

Our Expert Agrees: There are a variety of accents and differentiation for Southern speakers. For instance, in some places R's are pronounced harder, and in some they disaappear altogether. Have fun playing around with it to see what sounds right to you.
Get used to the way the Southern accent sounds. In the Netflix series House of Cards, Frank Underwood has a slight Southern accent, while in some movies, such as Forrest Gump, many of the characters have stronger Southern accents. The TV Show "Justified" has excellent modern day Mountain regional accents. Watch a variety of movies and shows to get a feel for different types of Southern accents.

EXPERT TIP

Try watching movies, TV shows, or YouTube videos with a Southern actor or country singer to study the way that they talk.

Patrick Muñoz
Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz
Speech Coach
If you know someone with a Southern accent, ask them to sit down and talk with you. If you don’t know someone with a Southern accent, ask around until you find someone who knows what you want to do and doesn’t mind talking to you for a little bit. Repeat the same words over and over again, and try to say the words exactly how the other person says them. Ask them to correct you on how you say certain words and to coach you on how to say these words.
Try reading The Complete Guide to Speaking Southern by Steve Mitchell, as well as the book’s sequel. You could also find a book for actors on perfecting accents in general. Reading about how to acquire and maintain a Southern accent will certainly help you when you try to speak with one.

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Why do I not sound like I have a southern accent with these tips?

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That's difficult to answer without more information. Spend some time listening to Southern people talk, and mimic their speech. You'll get it eventually.

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Is there a way I should move my tongue?

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You don't move your tongue in a different way, you just pronounce the words differently.

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Do people with a southern accent think people without a southern accent sound more intelligent?

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No, they don't.

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Tips

Dedicate at least a few weeks to this project. Learning an accent takes persistence over a long period of time.

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Find a friend to practice with!

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Warnings

Don’t offend people with southern accents. Emphasize to them why you’re learning this accent and make sure that they know you’re not making fun of them or they might "git their panties in a bunch."

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