Learn the American Southern: Hard-R Accent

(102.2MB, 108 minutes) 2011 Edition

Hard-R Southern (need Soft-R Southern?)

This download includes a written examination of how to learn the American Southern "Hard-R" accent, and the following sound files featuring Accent Help coach Jim Johnson:

Play Audio Sample:

1. Introduction to Sound Placement, Intonation, and Helpful Hints (10:29)
2. Consonant sound changes for learning a Hard-R American Southern accent (9:01)
3. Vowel sound changes in a Hard-R American Southern accent (19:51)
4. changes in Diphthongs for American Southern (7:07)
5. Alternate pronunciations for words in American Southern (3:18)
6. Wrap up to learning a Southern accent (1:10)
7. Female from Albany Georgia reading (:56)
8. + her conversation (4:02)
9. Male from Cairo Georgia reading (1:04)
10. + his conversation (:51)
11. Female from Colquitt Georgia reading (1:04)
12. + her conversation (1:37)
13. Female from Savannah Georgia reading (1:07)
14. + her conversation (1:22)
15. Female from Cottondale & Sneads Georgia reading (:52)
16. + her conversation (2:44)
17. Female from Lanette Georgia reading (:58)
18. + her conversation (1:51)
19. Male from Dothan Alabama reading (1:06)
20. + his conversation (1:56)
21. Female from Pearlington Mississippi reading (1:06)
22. + her conversation (1:38)
23. Female from Natchitoches Louisiana reading (1:16)
24. + her conversation (5:15)
25. Female from Reydell Arkansas reading (:57)
26. + her conversation (1:53)
27. Male from Fifty-Six Arkansas reading (1:24)
28. + his conversation (3:38)
29. Male from Lebanon Missouri reading (1:09)
30. + his conversation (4:06)
31. Female from Berea Kentucky reading (:59)
32. + her conversation (4:38)
33. Female from Jellico Tennessee reading (1:11)
34. + her conversation (2:40)
35. Female from Boone North Carolina  & Bristol Virginia reading (1:18)
36. + her conversation (1:54)

American Southern: Hard-R covers a wide range of accents throughout the south, and it reflects the primary southern accent used today.  Our American Southern: Soft-R download covers the more classic southern sound, with a lot of final R-sounds being dropped (much like Standard British or Cockney - this is also present in many of the accents of New York City.)  The dropped-R or Soft-R accent is called "non-rhotic" whereas this Hard-R download covers the "rhotic" southern accent.

This accent covers such a wide range of speakers (and such a large geographic region) that there is another download of Hard-R southern accent recordings - including over 40 additional people from all over the American south.  In addition, we have downloads for learning Texas accents, Cajun accents, and the accents of New Orleans.  

Whatever accent you're working on, it's a good idea to get our FREE guide to learning accents and dialects - it will help you to get started with some basic terms and ideas for learning accents.  (It's also included with this download.)

Though these sound files have been remastered to reduce background noise, most of these recordings are made "in the field" so you will hear such things as birds, cars or other people in the background.  A transcription of the conversations is included to help you follow along.   This download also contains four versions of the written materials:  A printer-friendly pdf, a pdf that is in a larger format for use on a portable reading device, and both mobi and epub editions for other portable readers.