The northeastern accent
Where: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
The Northeastern US is characterized by a distinctive accent in which speakers drop the letter “r” and use nasal “a” sounds. This pronunciation does not distinguish between the “ah” sound in the words “cradle” and “caught”. This pattern is thought to have originated in Northern English, Irish, and Scots, and is also common in other US dialects. Interestingly enough, in this region of the US, the words “joy,” “Mary,” and “marry” have distinct pronunciations—as do the words “horse” and “rock”—something not common in the rest of the nation. Most people in the US pronounce broccoli's cousin as “kaw-lih-flower” while most people who pronounce it “kaw-lee-flower” are from the Northeastern US. If you agree with someone, say “yeah” instead of “yes,” and if you want sprinkles on your ice cream, ask for “jimmy.”
The New England accent
Where: New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania
Everyone is familiar with the phrase “park the car in the Harvard yard” used to imitate the Boston accent or the local New York accent as “Noo Yawk”. New England was a melting pot of immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries, when English, Irish, Scottish, Italian, and Yiddish populations influenced the way English was spoken. For example, saying “Lawn-Guy-Land” for Long Island can be traced back to Yiddish and Italian origins, and the use of “yuse” meaning “all of you” can be traced back to Irish Gaelic roots. The “r” sound is one of the most prominent features of New England pronunciation. If you want to order a sub sandwich and sound like a local, be sure to order a “hoagie” in Philadelphia and South Jersey, a “hero” in New York, and a “wedge” in Yonkers or Westchester, New York — or just say “grinder” or “sub” operating in most of New England.
The AAVE (African American Vernacular English) pronunciation.
African American Vernacular English, formerly known as Black English Vernacular or Ebonics, is a dialect that developed due to the transatlantic slave trade. The slaves spoke various West African languages, which came into contact with each other as well as the English spoken by the English settlers. Due to the forced separation, a distinct dialect continued to persist, even during the Great Northern Migration, and is a widespread dialect today. Some distinguishing features of AAVE are the “th” sound pronounced as a “d” sound, the “l” sound being dropped at the end of words like “cool” and “pull,” and questions ending with a falling tone instead of a rising tone. Examples of words used in AAVE are “ax” for “ask” and “cuz” for “why.”
The southern accent
Where: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas
Of all the regions of the US, the South may have the most varied accents. Anyone listening to Tennessee-born Dolly Parton might recognize her southern drawl as a Deep South accent. The dialect is spoken slowly and with drawn-out vowels. Instead of pronouncing the “i” sound as “aye” – as in the word “nice” – it is pronounced as “aah”. The word “okay” is pronounced “al-raaht” instead of “al-raye-t”. This dialect is known for its idiosyncratic sayings and jargon, such as “I have a longing” (I have a longing for) or “cattywampus” (something that is crooked). Southerners famously call their fizzy drinks “Coke” regardless of flavor.
Listen to Matthew McConaughey, on the other hand, and you'll be able to recognize his iconic Texan accent. Texas is also known for its southern accent, but it differs from other parts of the South. Settlers from southern Appalachia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and other southern states migrated to Texas, bringing their accents with them. Over time, it evolved into a different dialect where “loose goose” is pronounced with a little less of a twang.
The accents of New Orleans and Louisiana
French, Spanish, Cajun English, Louisiana Creole, and Native American languages have historically had the greatest influence on Louisiana dialects. Irish, Italian, and German immigrants also came to Louisiana, developing dialects that sounded similar to those spoken in 19th-century centers like New York. You'll notice this in the common soft “r” sound. Someone who speaks New Orleans English is called Yat, as in “where y'at?” An interesting feature of this dialect is the apparently pronounced 'wh' sound in words such as 'white', 'where' and 'what'.
French Canadian immigration to Louisiana in the 17th century brought the French language that would influence the local dialect in unique ways. Evidence of this is found in Cajun English and Louisiana Creole. Cajun English sprinkles in French during conversation, such as “allons” for “let's go” and “cher” for “dear.”
Native American English and the “Rez Accent”
Native American English, known colloquially as the “Rez accent,” is present and consistent in various Native American and First Nations communities in the US and Canada. The exact origin of the pronunciation is still unknown. It can be influenced by heritage language patterns and there are theories that the accent developed from the days of boarding schools and residential schools where indigenous children were forced to speak English. However, the Indigneous community is not a monolith. There are differences in pronunciation between tribal nations and not all indigenous peoples speak with a “Rez accent”.
The characteristics of native English come from the rhythm, intonation and intonation of the dialect. It creates a melodic effect, as Thomas demonstrated in the 1998 film Smoke signals. Pronunciation also tends to have syllables that are universally long. Slang varies, depending on location, but there are a few examples This video by Raquel Quinones of the Dakota Nation.
Midland and Northern Midwest English Pronunciation
Where: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, New York areas
The Upper Midwest USA was settled by German and Scandinavian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The languages they spoke contributed to the accents associated with this part of the country. Notable elements are the elongated “ooh” and “eh” sounds, as in the words “toast” and “bake”. You can hear both of these sounds when people from this part of the country say “a-ok” and pronounce it as “eh-oooh-keh.”
The Midland accent is present in what most people know as Midwestern USA. The pronunciation of “pin” and “pen” sound similar here, and the “r” is fully pronounced. Notable sayings from this region are 'ope' used as a word of surprise and 'hot dish' as an umbrella term for anything served in a pot. If someone asks “jet”, they ask you “did you eat?”
Near Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo, in the last century, there was a change in vowel pronunciation. “Cat” is now pronounced more like “ket” and this vowel shift has caused other vowel shifts in the dialect, such as in the words “bed” and “next” being pronounced “bud” and “nuxt”. You can hear an example of this pronunciation here.
The accent of the Pacific Northwest
Where: Washington, Oregon
Most of the West Coast can be categorized as a single dialect region, but there are characteristics that set the PNW apart. The words “cot” and “cated” are pronounced the same, and the intervening “r” is often added to words, pronouncing “Washington” as “Warshington” and “drawing” as “Drawing”. Pacific Northwesters also say they head “to the coast” rather than the beach. How you refer to Interstate 5 can tell locals where you're from. If you tell someone to get off I-5, you probably live in the PNW. If you're from the state or California, you'd probably say head down The I-5.
The California accent
California, like most of the West Coast, has different influences than the East Coast. Only 40 percent of the state is white, so speakers of Chicano English, AAVE, and Asian-American languages have their impact in the areas where they are most present. West Coast accents are younger than East Coast accents because they have had less time to develop and become established. Hollywood also has a unique influence on the California accent, attracting people entering the entertainment industry, often trying to do so with a neutral accent. California is a very large state and it is impractical to place an emphasis on the third largest state in the country. Features present in Southern California include the lengthening of the “oo” in words such as “dude.” “Surfer talk” sounds looser because of the vowel shift with the “ah” sound – “back” is pronounced more like “bock”. The pest word “like” comes from here and slang words like “hella” and “rocking” also come from this area.
The Hawaiian accent
The accent of the Hawaiian Islands is unique due to the influences of the isolated landmass. A quarter of Hawaii's population speaks a language other than English at home, and these languages contribute to the local dialect known as Hawaiian Pidgin. Historically, Cantonese, Portuguese, Japanese, and Filipino were all spoken by plantation workers, which evolved into Hawaiian Pidgin to facilitate communication, with Hawaiian as the primary language. Grammar is simplified and words are borrowed from the contributing languages.
Hawaiian Pidgin has characteristics similar to many familiar pronunciations—the dropped “r” sound, the “th” sound pronounced as a “d” sound—but it also has some unique sounds. As in the Hawaiian language, Hawaiian Pidgin speakers tend to pronounce the state as “hah-WAH-ee”. When there are several consonants in a row, they combine into a single sound. For example, the word “three” becomes “tree” and the word “street” becomes “sch-treeet”. 
