This is a really frivolous and off-the-wall topic, but I was talking to a friend the other day about how regional accents seem to have "faded" from younger generations. I've noticed there are a lot of great examples of the "stronger" accents on UM:

-The Resurrection Mary segment: Chicago accent

-Sammy Wheeler: a bit of near-southern twang (among other things LOL)

-There was some segment I saw the other day (cannot remember it to save my life) where the interviewees had REALLY strong Philly accents. I know that's incredibly vague, but does this ring a bell for anyone? :happyface

The accents in the Jerry Strickland - Missy Munday segment were shockers. Those people to me seemed like backwards hillbillies. :eek:

This is a really frivolous and off-the-wall topic, but I was talking to a friend the other day about how regional accents seem to have "faded" from younger generations. I've noticed there are a lot of great examples of the "stronger" accents on UM:

-The Resurrection Mary segment: Chicago accent

-Sammy Wheeler: a bit of near-southern twang (among other things LOL)

-There was some segment I saw the other day (cannot remember it to save my life) where the interviewees had REALLY strong Philly accents. I know that's incredibly vague, but does this ring a bell for anyone? :happyface

I remember the detective interviewed for the Special Alert about Barbara Jean Horn had a VERY strong Philly accent.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread is that Lisa Bishops' parents had strong Georgian accents.

Segments prominently featuring New England accents: Doreen Picard/Susan Laferte, NH serial killer, Gail Delano (she DID have that Northerm accent pretty bad, reportedly), Joyce McClain, Alene Courchene, Doreen Marfeo

Louisiana: Charles Mule, Mary Ann Perez, A.J. Breaux, Audrey Moate. Norman Ladner's dad had a pretty strong 'bayou' sound as well.

The detective in the Anthonette Cayedito segment (the Caucasian man). I noticed he said "Carson" like "CAH-son", etc.

I don't recall his name, but:

They did a lot of walkin' by the side of the road there. One of them had a size ten tennis shoe." guy. That was the thickest Texas accent I've ever heard.

And even if you'd never heard of Whitey Bulger, there was no mistaking where the people interviewed about him were from. So very Boston.

Denise Allan, Charles Horvath's mother. She had a profound British accent.

Another for Chicago: David and Cynthia Dowaliby--especially David.

I don't recall his name, but:

They did a lot of walkin' by the side of the road there. One of them had a size ten tennis shoe." guy.

TENNIS SHEWWWWW.

TENNIS SHEWWWWW.


Exactly!

See, everyone in the Boston segments mailed all their Rs to the people in the NYC segments. :)

Not an interviewee but the guy in the Mary Celeste reenactment who was supposed to be an Irishman.

Pamela June Ray's husband had a southern (Georgian) accent.

I know it's been mentioned but those RI accents in the Picard/Laferte segment are so strong. It kind of surprises me every time I watch the segment.

Okay, I have one that bugs me. Adam Hecht's mother. What the what? That accent doesn't jive anywhere. Unless his mother is from the UK, it just sounds like a really snooty "rich person" accent. I know that sounds ignorant, but really...

Okay, I have one that bugs me. Adam Hecht's mother. What the what? That accent doesn't jive anywhere. Unless his mother is from the UK, it just sounds like a really snooty "rich person" accent. I know that sounds ignorant, but really...


That doesn't sound ignorant. There is/was a snooty rich person accent. Think Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH. It is sometimes referred to as a "Harvard Accent" and is VASTLY different from the working class Southie accent people think of when you talk about accents in Boston.

Wow. The 50 millionth "I hate the Hechts" post. Outstanding. :rolleyes:

Martine Hecht *is* from England.

Wow. The 50 millionth "I hate the Hechts" post. Outstanding. :rolleyes:

Martine Hecht *is* from England.

I hope that wasn't directed at me. I have no disdain for the Hechts. I was just saying that there is a Boston Brahmin accent. (Or Harvard accent)

Just google "boston brahmin accent" and you'll find examples of it.

Well I wasn't singling you out, if that's what you want to know. Perhaps hate was a strong word, but all of the Hecht-bashing on here gets a little old. I didn't think they came off as snooty at all.

Segments featuring the sounds of where I was born and raised--East Tennessee accents:

-Cheryl Holland
-ATV murders
-Blair Adams
-Joe Sheppard
-Dan Tondevold

The best examples are definitely from the reenactment of Joe Sheppard's interrogation.

Well I wasn't singling you out, if that's what you want to know. Perhaps hate was a strong word, but all of the Hecht-bashing on here gets a little old. I didn't think they came off as snooty at all.


I was talking purely about the fact that there is a "rich" accent. They struck me as parents who may not have understood their son's every action, but loved and missed him nonetheless.

I was talking purely about the fact that there is a "rich" accent. The struck me as parents who may not have understood their son's every action, but loved and missed him nonetheless.

Yes, and you also used the word "snooty" to describe them. It's also not a fact, but your opinion. Also, please see the sticky rule about linking to a certain website.

Yes, and you also used the word "snooty" to describe them. It's also not a fact, but your opinion. Also, please see the sticky rule about linking to a certain website.

I used snooty to describe the Harvard accent, not the Hechts.

In an abundance of caution and with guidance from our dear CrystalDawn, I have deleted the link.

I agree about the people in the Laferte/Picard segment having strong New England accents. How somebody can put an "r" in the word "coma" is beyond me.

I've always loved the way Robert Stack said "Hot Jock" and "Agnes Woodcock".

Upper Midwestern:

-Curtis Heck and the family of Kenneth Engie

-Larry Race

-Jean Hilliard

There was an abundance of thick Canadian accents in the Cindy James segment.

Upper Midwestern:

-Curtis Heck and the family of Kenneth Engie

-Larry Race

-Jean Hilliard

Larry Race's accent always cracked me up (despite the serious nature of his segment). Some friends and I have an acquaintance from Minnesota, and the two sound near identical.

This is a really frivolous and off-the-wall topic, but I was talking to a friend the other day about how regional accents seem to have "faded" from younger generations. I've noticed there are a lot of great examples of the "stronger" accents on UM:

-The Resurrection Mary segment: Chicago accent

-Sammy Wheeler: a bit of near-southern twang (among other things LOL)

-There was some segment I saw the other day (cannot remember it to save my life) where the interviewees had REALLY strong Philly accents. I know that's incredibly vague, but does this ring a bell for anyone? :happyface

I was going to start this topic as a thread and then thought better of it to search. glad that I did.

Ok so I don't think regional accents have faded. and I say that from personal experience from all the places that I was stationed at over a 20 year period. What is amazing to me is the UK and Ireland. if you go one town over people talk differently and you struggle to understand them. anyhow, I know this thread kind of crosses over with other ones like the UM Lines thread, but I think there are a lot of fabulous accents in the show.

one of my favorite is Rebecca Young's aunt. we was FRAAAANDS

the lady in the son of sam segment. he blow dat horn

William rolle, loved his accent. I used to always wait patiently for him to bring up electromagnetic fields.

the mom in the mr. Gordy segment.

the uncle in the billy ray and Michael Carmichael segment. KOHREEUH

There are a lot of Texan ones. I saw Troy Carlton in the Patricia Carlton segment last night. he had a harsh one.

I like the security guard's accent in the Su-Ya-Kim segment.

Segments featuring the sounds of where I was born and raised--East Tennessee accents:

-Cheryl Holland
-ATV murders
-Blair Adams
-Joe Sheppard
-Dan Tondevold

The best examples are definitely from the reenactment of Joe Sheppard's interrogation.

Cheryl Holland might be the UM GOAT segment for accents. the sequence when Eddy is telling his account of the crime, particularly when they arrive at the house and approach the front door. it is chilling, but I always thought the actors did a good job.

the reporter in the Dave bocks segment. IDK what type of accent that is. I lived in Ohio close to that area. I don't recall ever hearing anyone talk like that. but on the border areas of Ohio/Indiana/kentucky it got very country.

My favorite one was Tommy Zaino (witness in Son of Sam segment) with his NY accent. It was the accent combined with some of the funny stuff he said

Rebecca Young’s aunt had the legendary accent… “We waz fray-ends. We was sis-tas.”

But my favorite has to be Dpty. Larry N. Counts from the Shane Stewart/Sally McNelly segment. You combine his Texas southern drawl with his Daffy Duck like ability to sound like he’s spitting on every third word you get quotes like this….

“Day seemed shin-sheer.”

“It turned out to be a sh-tolen gun.”

“She shed dare was a lot of drugs involved…a lot of group shex.”

Being originally from Newfoundland, I always appreciate hearing Harvey Day from the Gander Plane Crash segment. While we Newfoundlanders can usually pick up that he is from central Newfoundland as opposed the distinct accents from the western, southern (where my father is from) and eastern (where my mother and I are from) parts of the province it is a good representation of a "typical" accent you will hear on the island no matter where you go. Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia also has a milder version of this accent. Fun fact: Newfoundlanders rarely pronounce the letter "H", so you will hear clot and teet instead of cloth and teeth for example.

Pierre April also has a typical western (Montreal) Quebec accent and I was surprised how few Americans picked up on that right away. I thought it was as obvious as a BAWSTON or NEW YAWK accent is.

Being originally from Newfoundland, I always appreciate hearing Harvey Day from the Gander Plane Crash segment. While we Newfoundlanders can usually pick up that he is from central Newfoundland as opposed the distinct accents from the western, southern (where my father is from) and eastern (where my mother and I are from) parts of the province it is a good representation of a "typical" accent you will hear on the island no matter where you go. Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia also has a milder version of this accent. Fun fact: Newfoundlanders rarely pronounce the letter "H", so you will hear clot and teet instead of cloth and teeth for example.

Pierre April also has a typical western (Montreal) Quebec accent and I was surprised how few Americans picked up on that right away. I thought it was as obvious as a BAWSTON or NEW YAWK accent is.

I did notice Pierre's accent in the segment. but yeah people in San Diego (I think that was where he was?) should have instantly recognized that. this is going to sound funny, but I'm a huge Dallas Stars fan so I have recognized a lot of different accents from following the NHL.

Rebecca Young’s aunt had the legendary accent… “We waz fray-ends. We was sis-tas.”

But my favorite has to be Dpty. Larry N. Counts from the Shane Stewart/Sally McNelly segment. You combine his Texas southern drawl with his Daffy Duck like ability to sound like he’s spitting on every third word you get quotes like this….

“Day seemed shin-sheer.”

“It turned out to be a sh-tolen gun.”

“She shed dare was a lot of drugs involved…a lot of group shex.”

oh man, Larry Counts. for whatever reason I always forget about that segment. Randall Littlefield an eye witness in that segment also had a thick accent. I struggled to understand him without closed caption.

there are also some heavy accents in the Michael Lloyd Self segment. a lot of it was reenacted and maybe embellished.