Dimelo Northwestern

Episode Note My name is Arden Anderson. I’m from Nashville, Tennessee, and I have an accent.  Arden: I am Tennessean, born and raised, and for the most part, I love my home. I grew up backpacking through the lush forests of Tennessee wilderness. I vacationed in cabins that perched on foggy Appalachian mountaintops. Over time, I even developed a serious appreciation for bluegrass and two-step dancing, and would go with my friends to the veteran’s bar once a week for two-step Tuesday.  (bluegrass music begins) The Southern drawl and Tennessee twang reign supreme where I am from, and my entire family lives in the South. When we all get together for reunions or day trips, you can hear the drawn-out, lazy syllables, and the occasional “bless your heart,” or “I’ll be damned.” So you can imagine my surprise when I introduced myself to my journalism professor for the first time and she told me that I didn’t have a Southern accent! That encounter developed into questions I had about my accent and my family. Why did my