The accents you hear in movies and TV is usually incorrect. You can tell a fake Texas accent by how much they overdo it. The real Texan accent is a lot more subtle most of the time, but does come out strongly depending on the word.It s also important to remember that Texas is a very large state--it takes more than a day to drive across the whole thing--so the accents vary from region to region. Generally, the accent closest to what you hear in movies is found in West Texas. There aren t many big towns out there and it s more country so those people sound like real cowboys. Central Texas accent isn t quite as pronounced as that, and East Texas, especially along the Gulf of Mexico, has a mild accent which depends on where you live. Generally people who live in the larger cities like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, etc. have less of an accent than those that live in the small towns surrounding them. The city people can sometimes make fun of the small town folks for their accents and we say they sound like hicks. The reason the accents in the big cities are less pronounced is because a lot of the residents are from other states or weren t born in Texas, so the Texas accent isn t all you hear, it s mixed with many others. In smaller towns, you can have several generations of people who grew up there and they don t get many outsiders from different states and such, hence why their accent stays with them more.But anyone born in Texas does have a bit of an accent regardless. For example, we all say y all. Honestly it s just second nature. I think if I heard someone say you all it would be so awkward to me, I would do a double take and look at them. You just don t say that here. Everyone says y all. We also leave out the g on most things. We say fixin to or goin to and we were wantin somethin , etc. We know how to speak proper English, but the accent is so ingrained, we don t think about it sometimes. I catch myself talking to people on the phone and realize how it must sound to someone not from here, like Oh I s just wantin to see if y all were goin with us tonight. The thing is, most Texans can turn their accent on and off at will. If we have to speak in public or in a meeting, etc., we can turn it off because it might make us look uneducated. I notice that I, and many people, can drop their accent depending on who they re speaking to. If it s someone important or professional, we usually try harder to sound normal , but if it s friends and family, well it just comes out.Have you ever seen King of the Hill ? The accents on that show are a good represenation of how most middle class suburban people speak in normal sized towns around here, especially since the creator, Mike Judge, is actually from Texas. Watch that show or listen to him speak and you ll have a good idea what most of us sound like.As for the culture, it s just like anywhere else in America but with a southern twist. We watch the same shows and listen to the same music and buy the same clothes and electronics you do. But we have lots of Mexican food places--like LOTS...Mexican food is very popular here, and Tex-Mex, and no other state does it better than Texas. Mexican food anywhere else doesn t even compare. Backyard barbecues are also common, we love to barbecue ribs and steaks and burgers, whatever goes on a grill, and have people over. Some places are pretty conservative and have old fashioned views about things, but a lot of that is changing to be more liberal. The smaller towns usually have some cowboy bars, or saloons and most of those towns are full of people in the oil industry or ranchers, and they can be pretty southern and love to kick back with some beers. The large towns like Houston mix small town comfort with big city convenience, but unlike LA and New York, people in our cities are usually still friendly. Texans are very polite, so much so they ll wave to strangers passing them on the street. Rudeness really sticks out here and is noticed easily. Most people are laid back and very easygoing. Even the bigger cities move at a slower pace compared to other major U.S. cities. We still have our traffic jams and all that, but relations are more relaxed and less hectic.We also have a lot of Spanish influence on things, since every Texan knows we were once our own Republic and we belonged to Mexico. You see Mexican style architecture or other influences a lot here. Mexican customs and culture is very much a part of things here, and many people are either bilingual or use Spanish words for some things. Even white people can say it s Caliente outside or Hola to people. I went outside with my friend once and a cold front had blown in and I said Woo, it s mas frio out here today! We sort of just use certain Spanish words off and on in general conversation, either to be funny or just make it sound different.It s a great state, don t worry.
i live in houston!...and cant wait to move. lolno, the accent rumor is a myth lol no one here really has an accent.at all.the culture....? houston is kind of annoying to be honest. people here are pretty rude and ignorant and its all about hip hop and rap and clubs.to be honest, i just dont like it.
I lived in Dallas for a couple of years and the poster Kevin pretty much nailed it. As a yankee , I found the people to be friendly, but would not allow me to become close. In the end I was so lonely that I left Texas. That was unfortunate because I have always loved Texas and what it stood for. No hard feelings.