For example: “I’m taykin’ a look” becomes “Ah’m taykin’ a look. ” To get to “ah’m” sound, just draw out the letter “i” and shape the vowel in the back of your mouth. It also helps to aspirate (breathe out when pronouncing) the “h” sound in “ah’m. ” Use “ah” instead of the long “i” when pronouncing the first-person pronoun.
For example, “singing” would be pronounced: “sang-in’. ” Do not drop “middle” g’s, again: “swinging” is “swayng-in’. ”
To this effect, the words “pen” and “pin” should sound identical. Both are pronounced like “pin. ”
If you want to practice the feeling of the pronunciation, pick a word with a long “a” sound, like “brain. ” As you pronounce the “a,” lift your tongue back and up in your mouth, so the word sounds more like “brayyn. ” Even in multisyllabic words like “toothpaste,” linger on the “ay” sound in the middle of the word: “tooth-paayste. ” When imitating a Texas accent, avoid focusing solely on the drawl. This effect is often stereotyped, and sometimes used for negative comedy or to make the Texas accent sound unintelligent or uneducated.
This jaw and tongue placement will also make your vowel pronunciation sound more Texan, as it will flatten the vowel sounds (make them all sound more alike).
For example: “I’m taking a book” becomes “I’m taykin’ a book. ”
Texas speakers add and drop sounds from words, for example: “bowie” is pronounced like “boo-wie. ” [6] X Research source The best way to learn which pronunciations to change is to listen to Texans speak and imitate their inflections.
For example, in what is perhaps the most well-known Texan/Southern slang term, say “y’all” instead of “you all. ” The polite replies “yes, sir” and “no, sir” are shortened in to “yessir” and “nosir. ”
“I wouldn’t trust [person] any farther than I could throw him!” This simply means that you don’t trust the individual. “I’m madder than a wet hen!” This means you’re furious. “More [object] than you can shake a stick at. ” This means that you have large quantities of the stated object.
“Fixin’” is also commonly used to refer to food, specifically dressings and sauces. If you order your hamburger with “all the fixin’s,” you’ll receive onions, relish, cheese, tomato, ketchup, and mustard, among other options. [10] X Research source
“Home spun” wordings from childhood are more likely to fall into the categories of colloquialism or jargon. Vegetables are commonly referred to as “produce,” but pronounced “perduce. ”
Dallas, as one of the largest Texan cities, also has a unique accent. Since all major Texan cities have seen large amounts of international (and inter-state) immigration in recent decades, many traditional accent and speech patterns are no longer frequently found among people under 40. [12] X Research source
