Growing up in the North, I thought all Southerners sounded the same. Then, when I was in my late-teens, I moved to Arkansas, and ended up marrying a redne–um, beautiful sourthern belle. Now, a decade or so later, all Yankees (everybody north of the Mason-Dixon Line) sound funny to me. Especially people from the Chicago area, who only know how to talk through their nose. On the other hand, most Southerners, and virtually all Arkansans sound normal to me. I can also distinguish a person’s origin to within a very small area. For example, people from Jonesboro and people from Trumann (which are fifteen minutes apart by car) talk different–the latter can’t end a word with the letter R and tend to drag out A’s–“I bought a new tAAAh for my cAAAh”–sort of like Boston Stereotype people, really. My wife, who is from this area, can’t tell the difference.
Also, ever notice how everybody, regardl3ss of their region-of-origin, thinks they speak with the exact same accent as the people on television?