Boston accent most distinct in the nation, Americans say

Boston hosts the nation’s strongest regional accent, according to a recent YouGov poll.

Some 23 percent of respondents picked our fair region when provided a choice of various locales. The Southern coast—a.k.a. the Deep South—was a distant second with 16 percent of the tally; and Noo Yawk finished third with 13 percent.

However, while distinct, the Boston accent was not the most attractive, per the same respondents. Instead, they went for that Deep South drawl, which garnered 18 percent of the vote on that question. The Texan accent was second with 12 percent. Boston was way back—tied with New York, in fact—at 7 percent.

These opinions on accents are, of course, perceptions—though perceptions in this case tend to run pretty strong.

YouGov’s total sample size for the poll was 1,216 adults, who were canvassed online on July 12 and 13. The company weighted the figures to make them representative of all U.S. adults. Smaht.

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