"Southern Accents"

I have a very heavy southern accent. This is not suprising since I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I am not embarassed by the way I speak nor do I think that I should be. I find fewer and fewer people here that talk the way that I do. I know that this is true because I actually get asked the question "where are you from?" This question always shocks me considering I have lived here in Atlanta all my life, and the ones who do the asking are always new arrivals.

I have heard people talking about trying to lose their southern acccents and I don't understand this, but to each his own. I have to say that I love hearing other people speak with accents such as the British, and I also have to say that it would never occur to me to make any sort of assumptions or derogatory comments about people based on the way they speak. It would be ignorant of me to assume anything about a person based simply on the way they sound.

I am sorry to say that there are many people, however, who do not share my views regarding my southern accent. They never mind asking, with snarls on their faces , the "where are you from?" question or saying that I talk too slow. I have also been given the you are the most ignorant sounding person I've ever heard look (if they don't bother to just say so outloud).

This is all beyond frustrating for me. If people that consider the southern accent ignorant would bother with a little research they would soon learn that the southern dialect is actually the Queen's English from the era of Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare. I do, however, realize that it is unrealistic of me to think these people would ever bother to check with a linquist on the origin of my accent.

I suppose assumptions are just easier, and the people who make them aren't really all that concerned with their personal ignorance on the subject. After all, they can't be expected to educate themselves while they are so occupied with informing others of their presumed ignorance. Goodness gracious.......it'd be too hard.......it'd be multi-tasking y'all......