They’re smooth talkers.
These accents are the most attractive in America — and shockingly, Long Island and Staten Island made the Top 10.
The Cajun accent was crowned the most attractive in the nation, according to a recent study by VegasSlotsOnline, which analyzed more than 1,000 mentions of regional accents across Reddit, X, forums and blogs and ranked them based on the proportion of positive mentions.
Mostly found in southern Louisiana, the Cajun accent, which also can be heard as far as Texas and Mississippi, is influenced by the dialect of the French who settled in the area.
The Long Island accent placed second, followed by Mississippi, Florida, the Pacific Northwest and Maine.
Staten Islanders’ accent — which Noo Yawkas would tell you is identical to Brooklynites’ — placed ninth.
Experts said such accents are perceived as friendly.
“In short, the tradeoff for standing out as ‘different’ or ‘local’ sounding is that you sound like someone we’d like to hang out with and be friends with if not necessarily employ. We think of local accents as charming, fun, and pleasant,” said Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada.
Chef Danielle Sepsy, a native of Saint James, LI — who posted a TikTok video about her accent which garnered over 410,00 views — agreed, saying her native tongue is comforting, but also keeps people on their toes.
“The Long Island accent is like a warm hug with a little edge — nostalgic, confident, and full of personality. It’s got the comfort of grandma’s kitchen and the fire of a girl who knows what she wants,” Sepsy said.
“No wonder it’s sexy . . . it’s strength with a little (mascara covered) side-eye.”
The Appalachian accent, also referred to as “mountain talk,” influenced by the Scotch-Irish, German, and English who settled in the region, which spans from Southern New York to Northern Mississippi, took sixth.
The wicked good Boston accent and the High Tider, a dialect spoken in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and considered the last existing British accent in the United States, tied for seventh.
Fridland pointed out that familiarity influences which manners of speaking people find appealing.
“In general, when we look at research that examines what makes a language attractive, familiarity is one of the biggest factors driving preferences,” she said. “It is not surprising that accents people are generally very familiar with — Southern, New Yorker, New England — made this top 10 list.”
NYC accents sparked debate.
“Despite what everyone believes, the Staten Island accent and Long Island accent are just the plain ol’ New York City accent. There’s no difference between them,” Michael Newman, chair of the department of linguistics at Queens College, told The Post.
“When people rate accents, really what they’re doing is providing opinions on the people who they associate with that way of speaking.”
Comedian Elyse DeLucci, who grew up in Annadale, Staten Island, understands the difference.
“When you hear our accent, you get the whole package, ya know? Charisma, confidence, and sincerity,” she said. “Nothing sexier than that.”
Read the full article here
