The Chicago Urban Accent Quietly Disappearing from Everyday Talk, Reveals Study. 

• Poll of 3,042 respondents.
• The Chicago Urban accent is holding firmer than others – but its strongest traits are slowly being softened.
• Infographic included.

America has always been a patchwork of voices – drawls, twangs, clipped vowels, and long ones – but many people now admit they are softening, editing, or abandoning the very sounds that once rooted them to a place. From the fading Appalachian lilt to the vanishing SoCal vocal fry, the nation’s most recognizable dialects may be slipping into something closer to a smooth, uniform ‘General American.’

To understand just how quickly this linguistic sanding-down is happening, The Word Finder, a word search tool, surveyed 3,042 people, asking which accents or slang they use less, hear less, or have stopped saying entirely. What emerged is a portrait of a country that still loves its regional voices – but increasingly treats them like heirlooms rather than everyday tools.

The Top 10 Dialects Americans Say They’re Using Less:

#1. Appalachian
Once defined by musical vowels and the storytelling rhythms of mountain culture, Appalachian English is one of America’s most recognizable dialects – yet younger speakers increasingly code-switch to avoid stereotypes. Many say the sound is still beloved, just used more selectively.

#2. Southern
The South’s trademark drawl remains iconic, but respondents admit they dial it down in professional settings or when travelling. It’s less disappearance than self-editing, but the effect is the same: fewer “fixin’ to” and “y’all” moments day-to-day.

#3. Louisiana
A rich blend of Cajun, Creole, and Southern influences, the Louisiana accent is instantly recognizable. But as migration reshapes the state and younger generations lean toward mainstream speech, its most musical features are heard less often outside family settings.

#4. Pacific Southwest (SoCal)
The laid-back “totally,” “hella,” and drawn-out vowels of Southern California aren’t disappearing – but respondents say they avoid the most stereotypical elements because they feel “too teenage” or “too 2000s.” The vibe is still there, just toned down.

#5. Hudson Valley
A surprisingly nostalgic entry. The old Dutch-influenced patterns of the Hudson Valley once shaped early American English. Today, suburbanization and New York spillover mean the accent is fading into a softer, more neutral register.

#6. Mid-Atlantic
Historically associated with Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey, and the old radio-era “mid-Atlantic” stage accent, this hybrid sound is now rarely heard in its full form. Respondents say it feels like a “grandparent accent.”

#7. Boston Urban
The dropped R’s are iconic, but even in Boston, younger people aren’t adopting the sound as strongly. Many admit they “still have it,” but only when emotional or joking.

#8. Baltimore
The distinctive “Bawlmer” accent is beloved, but locals increasingly soften the rounded vowels and clipped rhythms in favor of something more neutral. The identity remains strong, even if the sound shifts.

#9. Rocky Mountain
A quieter presence on the national stage, this accent blends Western flatness with local quirks from Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Migration has diluted it, leaving a smoother, less regionally marked sound.

#10. New Mexican English
Influenced by centuries of Spanish–English contact, this dialect remains culturally rich. But respondents say they hear fewer of its hallmark cadences among younger residents, who tend to speak in a more standard Western style.

#15. Chicago Urban
Chicago’s unmistakable sound – the sharp “a” in “Da Bears,” the clipped vowels, the distinct city cadence – is being used less, although it remains steadier than others. Respondents say it has softened compared with the 1980s SNL caricatures, but the city’s accent still remains instantly recognisable. Many noted that it still shows up on sports talk radio, in certain neighborhood bars, and among lifelong residents who “never left the North Side.”

Infographic showing study results

Americans Are Retiring Slang – And Not Always By Choice

Most people aren’t consciously “abandoning” their local phrases – but they do admit easing off certain expressions:

• 64% say they have deliberately stopped using a slang phrase because it felt outdated.
• 36% kept certain phrases out of the workplace because they “sound unprofessional.”
• 19% say people “don’t understand” their local phrases outside their home region.
• 5% dropped slang after moving states.
• 39% say a phrase simply feels “old-fashioned now.”

And despite all that, 74% believe regional accents should be preserved…

The Accents People Would Be Saddest to Lose

A separate ranking asked which dialects Americans feel the most emotional attachment to:

#1. Southern
#2. Louisiana
#3. New England
#4. New York City
#5. Philadelphia English
#6. Boston Urban
#7. Midwestern
#8. Appalachian
#9. Pacific Southwest
#10. Southern Appalachian

Do Parents Want Their Kids to Keep the Local Sound?

Here’s where the generational tension really shows. Most people – about 70% – say they would prefer their children speak General American, while only 30% want their kids to inherit the local accent. Yet when the same group was asked whether the government should fund dialect-preservation efforts, 56% said yes. In other words, people want their kids to sound “neutral,” but they still want the culture preserved. It’s a very unusual contradiction.

“Accents are one of the last truly local things we carry with us, but they are also the first to be trimmed when people want to blend in,” says Praveen Latchamsetty, founder of  The Word Finder. “What this survey shows is that Americans still feel deeply attached to their regional voices – even as many quietly set them aside in everyday life. The tension between pride and practicality is reshaping the sound of the country.”