American regional accents on CSPAN

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

pritsy - 31 Oct 2008 00:20 GMT

CSPAN is the television cable companies' joint effort to
provide unbiased political programming. After some of its
live programming it has extended call-ins from its audience
rather than the usual studio partisan commentary or debates
of other stations.

These call-ins are answered by alternating callers who identify
themselves are Democrat, Republican and other, or undecided.

What a wonderful source of regional US accents!
The calls are to a Washington DC number, so there are a
disproportionate number from that area, but the popular "free
unlimited evening and weekend hours" on cellphones means
that the entire country, and all social classes, are represented.

The only problem is that the mobility of Americans sometimes
makes it difficult to match the accent to location. Last night
a call from West Virginia was from a man with an
Italo-Brooklynese accent more pronounced than Joe Pesci's
in "My Cousin Vinny".

At least, I think it was Italo-Brooklynese. Maybe Longg Island?

Reply to this Message

mm - 31 Oct 2008 08:15 GMT

>CSPAN is the television cable companies' joint effort to
>provide unbiased political programming. After some of its
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>These call-ins are answered by alternating callers who identify
>themselves are Democrat, Republican and other, or undecided.

FTR, usually, but sometimes they use other categories.

>What a wonderful source of regional US accents!
>The calls are to a Washington DC number, so there are a
>disproportionate number from that area,

I think the bigger reason for that is that in addition to C-Span tv
there is also C-span radio, an FM station which only transmits from DC
and is only heard in DC, Md, and Va.

(Or on the web, but the web availability wouldn't change the extra
number of people who can listen on the radio.)

Especially since during Washington Journal, 7 to 10 AM, a lot of
people are commuting and listen to the show on the car radio, which
people can't do in the rest of the country. (Well maybe the people
with satellite radio can listen to something, but there must not be
that many, because you're absolutely right. I don't even try and I
notice that maybe 30 percent or more of the callers are from the DC,
MD, and VA. I live in Baltimore, Md.)

> but the popular "free
>unlimited evening and weekend hours" on cellphones means
>that the entire country, and all social classes, are represented.

They, or NPR, even get call-ins from foreign countries. It's freaky.

>The only problem is that the mobility of Americans sometimes
>makes it difficult to match the accent to location. Last night
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
>At least, I think it was Italo-Brooklynese. Maybe Longg Island?

The new proposed immigration law includes a section to require him to
go back to NY.

And Sarah Palin to Alaska.

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / October 2008

American regional accents on CSPAN