The Most Endangered Accents in the United States

Linguist Olly Richards of Storylearning, who previously spoke about English accents that are difficult to understand, explained the top ten endangered accents in the United States due to newer generations moving around the country, traditional speakers dying, the modern need for a neutral accent, and locational shifts.

You’re going to hear 10 accents from around the United States which you’ve probably never heard before and will probably never hear again because they’re disappearing. They’re dying out. 

Some of these accents are disappearing more slowly than others. This includes the Yinzer accent from Pittsburgh, the Cajun accent from Louisiana, the Mission Brogue from San Francisco, Appalachian English from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee, the Ocracoke Brogue from remote islands off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Brooklyn accent, the Philly accent, and the Texas accent.

Richards also ranked US accents from easy to most difficult.