Why do southern accents make people sound dumb?

Question

Every time someone says "southerner," I picture a guy in overalls, a button down plaid shirt, a straw hat, buckteeth, and an over-protruding Adam's apple saying "Y'all come back nah. Y'here?" then spitting chewing tobacco into a pot. Then he goes inside to watch Nascar, then praying for 4 hours. Where did this stereotype develop? Why do people associate southern accents with being dumb?

Answer 1

I have no formal knowledge of this subject...but...

Southerners may sound to other people that they're speaking in a very informal, slow drawl.  The Southern U.S. is not as progressive or advanced as the West or North, generally speaking.  It has many more rural areas than any other area of the U.S., which could result in less formal education, and more simple and less civil forms of entertainment, simply because there is little alternative.  Not to mention the result of anti-Southern bigotry that may have stemmed from the Civil War, or even before that.

So it may not be the accent itself, but what the accent is affiliated with.  Like how people may consider German to be an 'angry' accent, or French 'romantic'.

Or this could all be BS and I have no idea what the heck I'm talking about.  :D

Answer 2

I don't guess you've ever watched Gone with the Wind?

Answer 3

I agree with you but with on exception. A southern accent on an attractive young woman makes her sound like the sexiest thing in the world. All other times it makes a person sound too stupid to tie their shoes. I don't know if it's a stereotype, it may be true. Most southerners I've met are just dumb.

Answer 4

I think accent is a social status thing.  So if northerners are generally richer than southerners, so northern accents might sound smarter.  But I don't think there's anything dumb about an accent per se.