Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Observationally, it seems like there are many more regional terms in the American South than in other parts of the country. Perhaps more than the rest of the country put together. Does the actual data support my observation and if so, why would this be?

On a slightly related note, I think I remember hearing that the current Southern accent is closer to the shared American/British accent of the 17th/18th centuries than is the current British accent. Is that right? If it is, then we have a very stable accent, but an evolving vocabulary. Do we know why that would be?

--Michael