Reply #10: I wonder...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I read several years ago (I don't recall the source) that accents began fading away with the advent of national television and radio broadcasts.

But I wonder if they aren't simply in the process of changing from a geographical phenomenon to a cultural one. Consider the "Country Music" culture, for example. At one time, it was predominantly an element of the "Southern" culture. Now most cities have at least one Country radio station, Country videos are available on TV, and many of the tunes cross over to mainstream Pop...their only distinction from the mainstream genre being the presence of a "Southern" accent.

I've noticed that friends and acquaintances of mine who listen almost exclusively to Country music tend to speak with varying degrees of Southern accent, regardless of their geographic location. It's pretty interesting, especially since many of the artists they enjoy shed their accents when they speak.