Dialect of the American South

Dialect: U.S. - Georgia

Objective: A class of actors is training for a production of "Gone with the Wind," a story set in the American South during the Civil War. They must, therefore, learn the dialect of the characters in the play, with is that of Georgia.

One of the most recognized aspects of "Gone with the Wind" is the dialect of the characters. A strong Georgia accent is one of the key elements of developing the characters in this play.

http://web.ku.edu/idea/northamerica/usa/georgia/georgia1.mp3
When listening to this sound file, notice the drawn out vowel sounds. "Three" becomes "thray"; "Savannah" becomes "Savaynnah"; "Money" becomes "Muhnay"; "Light" becomes "Lat." In addition to the vowels, there is a very distinct lack of enunciation of the "r" sound at the end of words. For example, "for" becomes "foah". This change of letter sounds makes the dialect of the American South distinct from all others. Listen to the file, and practice the following line from the play:
Scarlett: If either of you boys says "war" just once again, I'll go in the house and slam the door.
At the end, I will ask you to perform this line with a Georgia accent and grade you based on your ability.
Hopefully, after this assignment, you will be able to mimic the dialect of Georgia. This ability will add significantly to the accuracy of your character roles.