I have it. It's nothing like that goodwill hunting thing though.

I have a South Coast accent. I've been told it's a combo of a New York and a Providence accent.

Code switching, bitch. I do it.

In dorchester, hanging out with the bro's fuck yeah, that accent is STRONG.

At work people are SHOOKETH when I say I am a townie, and that my accent is only noticeable when i say 'drawer', 'north', and (apparently) 'room'.

Depends on my mood, number of drinks, who I'm with, if someone outside of Massachusetts has recently insulted Massachusetts.

>I've noticed a steady decrease in the number of people with a Boston accent

You tend to get your accent from your peer group, not your parents, so though my late (Dorchester-born) father had a pretty strong one and I've lived near Boston all my life, mine is mild to none, as most of the kids I went to primary school with had parents who were transplants. People out-of-state have guessed Vancouver.

You forgot an option for “I don’t think I have it, but when I leave the state everyone I meet immediately knows I’m from Boston”.

↑ This is it.

Could also figure out how many are transplants, to a large extent. You get your accent from friends more so from family - or at least people outside your family. It's odd, I think. But with so many people being transplants or immigrants in many parts, the accent has waned in many places.

I work in energy, worked in Boston for many many years before. One of our projects is by a lake, another is in the hills. The supervisor for our hills project asked me for an update to which I said sure. He then said "no the hills - not the shore."

Apparently everyone in my office thinks I'm Bill Burr, but I would rather die a dozen deaths than talk like they do up here.

I grew up in Springfield, so no "Boston" accent for me.

I only have one when ordering a grinder and a soda.

You mean a spuckie and a tonic right? ;)

My accent is mild, my Dad’s is amazing.

I don’t have no acksent, get tha fuck outta hea with this shit guy, if you don’t like tha way I taulk I’ll meet chu ova at tha dunkin on storra drive and we can throw hands, I’ll be in the pahkin lot drinkin a laahge iced extra-extra wearin a hoodie and basketball shawts I don’t care if it’s fuckin 10 degrees out I don’t wear pants, eva!

We call it a a sub and a coke

I’ve tried that experiment. In conference rooms around the country in business meetings, I’m occasionally asked where I’m from. I always ask people to guess. I usually get California or Seattle. Nope. Masshole born in New Behfuh where everyone talks like Emeril LaGasse. You can tell where I’m from by the slang, not the accent. Water bubbler. Rotary. Package store. Frappe. The shellfish is pronounced SKALL-ups.

I wasn’t allowed to have the local accent growing up and was immediately corrected by my mother. I speak “newscaster”.

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Ive had people tell me I dont sound like Im from MA, meaning Boston lol. Nope, western MA girl!

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I’ve got a Massachusetts accent definitely. It got weird when I was in Virginia Beach a couple years. Pizza isn’t supposed to have an “er” on the end. Idea too.

I say pudaydo - is that Bostonese?

This is the answer!!

out of staters have informed me that I have one, but it's not obvious to me or those who know me locally. so I assume I have a slight accent.

Boston accent is working class persons only.

There aren’t any working class in Boston anymore. Thanks to all the bourgeoisie and above

So whatever made Boston, Boston. Is dead, or dying.

But hey at least we have Whole Foods and barber shops that double as speakeasies….fucking gag

Me too.

Omg same hahaha re: mom correcting me. She is from central MA and my dads fam is New Bedford and have accents. I disappoint people from out of state when we meet with my generic accent.

I have it, but I don’t at the same time. I sound more New Bedford/south coast. Some of my friends have also referred to it as an old timey cape cod accent.

If you’re from mass, you can easily tell the difference between someone from Boston and New Bedford

People are surprised to hear I’m from Massachusetts, and they ask why I don’t have the Boston accent. I do say “wicked” though, which is a give away.

I have a pretty thick one that I hide that rears it’s ugly head the more alcohol I’ve consumed

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Lmfao Not even remotely true. The majority of my family is still in southie and I know a ton of families that are in the same boat.

Cool. Glad a few families are left. I’m not wrong though and if you aren’t worried about being priced out, you’re simply delusional

Not going to be priced out when you own the home and choose to stay bud.

Because we are a sanctuary state

Right on brand. Congrats. I’m glad as hell to be sorta wrong

I believe many people that live in Boston actually don’t have an accent. It’s probably more of an outside Boston thing. Better off in this sub anyway

I’m out in Western MA, so my accent is a little bit closer to American Standard, but there definitely are at least two regional dialects out here. My parents moved here before I was born, so I can sort of code shift in or out of it depending on who I’m talking to/how drunk I am.

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Same here

Depends. In New England, I have a Worcester accent. Outside of New England, I have a Boston accent. And it's wicked thick.

I have a half-English half-American accent (born in England, grew up on the NY side of CT), but there was one time in Boston that someone confused it with a stereotypical Boston accent. So, maybe a tiny bit?

Whenever I watcha movie that is supposed to be filmed in Massachusetts, I am as I am sure many on here are--very critical of the local accents

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Example:

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a) Perfect Storm--Clooney sucked, but the locals got it right

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b) The Town (Ben Affleck produced_--ALWAYS dead on

'c) Conviction--Hillary Swank--I loved the story. Took place in Ayer MA, but why the F do directors think everyone in MA talks like a Kennedy? I am from Worcester and in Ayer most ppl talk pretty close to us. In all my sales travels all over MA, I rarely have encountered a Kennedy accent (closest was a guy from Hingham who was a big boater and hung with Ted K quite often) but that was rare.

I read somewhere once that the strongest accents in ANY given regions--this is worldwide--are the folks who are in the DOMINANT culture.

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So , for instance, the strongest accents in Southie would be white, working class folks of mostly Irish heritage--for example

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I have definitely enjoyed a coworker I had 40+ years ago , a black guy who had a THICK regional Georgia accent too. Whst they call stuff is educational and I knew I wanted to learn more about his area, etc

I don't drop the r in words like "Wostah", but "wicked" is a popular word in my vocab

My voice is pretty neutral American in general, despite living in metro Boston my whole life. My girlfriend is from New York and it took her a bit to pick up some subtle Boston hints from the way I talk.

My mom certainly has a stronger Boston accent though.

Ya, That’s exactly why. Grow up.

You got a better explanation?

People have been moving to Mass for decades for work. Literally everyone on my parents street are transplants from all over the country. The Boston accent is fading because we are an employment center and draw people from all over. Typically minorities and immigrants didn’t have the Boston accent anyways. So your juvenile sanctuary state theory is just that.

I knew my husband's nurse in DC was from MA as soon as she said "ruum" like I do.

People don’t usually notice and comment how I’m missing my accent. But other times, people just look at me funny and ask to repeat what I said because they can’t believe they heard me right. Lol… Goin’ to the packie and Wa-Maht. Need anythin?

I’m from the cape, i dont have an accent…

Sometimes when im drunk tho.. 😂

Mine comes out when I drink or if I'm around my extended family for a while.

When I travel to the Midwest they love it, but I won’t say catch phrases etc. pahk the cah, etc.

Comes out sometimes, but you’d not likely tell normally

I don't have it and most of my family that is around my age and younger don't either. A lot of my older relatives did/do.

I grew up in the minga valley dude. like a doctah.

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When I left most people said I had an accent, but couldn't place it. It wasn't the super thick stereo type. Now I see old videos of me and I can hear it; it isn't super obvious, but I hear it. It's mostly gone now except for a few things like bathroom, drawer, and a few other words. And I still call those metal things in the supermarket a carriage.

especially when I’m drinking

It is important to note that "The Boston Accent" as commonly seen/heard in movies

1. largely never existed.
2. The version that did exist was much softer than media makes it seem
3. It also largely doesn't exist any more, because it was mostly a working-class accent and working-class people pretty much don't live in Boston any more. In addition, Boston is a pretty metropolitan city; the regional accents of the US have been dying out for decades

Amusingly, I am from Boston, despite my flair, and lived there for several years before moving away as a kid. I don't have the accent

>It’s probably more of an outside Boston thing

Mainly townies trying to prove they are Bostonians, in my experience.

My mom sent me to speech therapy in first grade because I “couldn’t pronounce Rs.”

It slips on a couple words or phrases here and there (usually when drinking or around my mom) but I am very self aware of my speaking so that I don't use it. The fascination with and so-called 'comedy' surrounding it is so cringe that I had to separate myself from it.

From Western Mass too. A few years ago in Scotland, people kept asking me where in Canada I was from. I was a bit flattered, really.

Same, no accent but it’s vocabulary/sayings and consistent shit giving regardless to who you talking to.

I don't think I have much of a Massachusetts regional accent. I grew up close to Boston but neither of my parents were from MA originally.

But do you call quarters "qwatters" and corners "conners"?

I mean a Worcester accent is just a Boston one after 3 packs of cigarettes.

Yup! There’s certain vowels and sentence structure that’s “New England” even if you aren’t dropping R’s. I say I lost my accent in college, but I just gained R’s.

No.