modern new jersey accent to someone from the 40s (also, blue jeans)

[alessandriana]

How would a modern New York (well, New Jersey, but it's my understanding they're very close-- please correct me if I'm wrong) accent sound to someone from 1940s New York? Would it be relatively the same? Would it imply any particular social status

Comments

[ifthen144]

From my research I understand that T shirts were popular with returning WW II soldiers but yes were more common as undergarments. However, some men were starting to wear them alone. The shirts were white.
Also, men generally wore hats then.
Yes, jeans were for manual work. Farmers wore them too.
Haircut/hairstyle would be a good thing to look at.
Shoes. In a big way.

[okaasan59]

Yes, the shoes would be a big give away. Tennis shoes (sneakers, trainers) weren't worn at this time (unless you were actually playing a sport at the time). Some flat shoes like Keds and Chucks became popular to wear with jeans in the 50s and the modern versions we're familiar with didn't come around until the late 60s, early 70s, I think.

[oneworldvision]

One thing to think about regarding the New Jersey accent is that it really depends on where in Jersey your character's from. North and parts of Central Jersey do lean more towards New York, but South Jersey has a very strong Philly twang. There's a big difference between the two, and which one your character has will depend on where he grew up and where he's lived most recently; I'm in Central Jersey and had the New York-style accent most of my life, but when I went to South Jersey for college I definitely started picking up the Philly vibe for a while until I moved back home, and even then it took me a few months to lose it and regain my original accent.

[alessandriana]

Canon has him from Springfield, which seems fairly close to Manhattan to me?

[teaoli]

Alas, there are currently two Springfields (with the exact same official name: Springfield Township) in New Jersey. One is much closer to Philadelphia than to New York City. Neither has a large population of people with what outsiders would hear as a "New York accent", but the typical resident of one would sound very different (to my ears, at least) to the typical resident of the other.

[alessandriana]

Hmm... I'm guessing it's the one closer to NYC, since that's where canon takes place (though I suppose there's nothing specifically saying either way). What kind of accent would someone from there have, then?

[enleve]

If he has long hair, he might stand out. I don't think men usually had long hair then.

Depending on which part of the 1940s, people might ask him "What did you do during the war?" or if it is during the war, he might be conscripted. Though if people think he's a farmer, that could explain what he had been doing during the war, since farmers were less likely to get drafted. More on conscription in the USA during WWII here: http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/C/o/Conscription.htm

[tabaqui]

All good comments. One thing to think about. T-shirts were basically undergarments. Is your character wearing a plain white tee? OR some kind of graphic tee in bright colors with a totally 'weird' or incomprehensible design on the front

[alessandriana]

Thank you for the links, they were very helpful! :) (I don't think I *quite* realized what I was getting into when I first started writing this...)

[tabaqui]

Don't get flustered! Researching and then posting a well-done fic set in another time or place can be really fun and rewarding, and your readers will certainly enjoy it, too!

[amiyuy]

For what it's worth: I LOVE reading well researched and obviously knowledgeable fan fiction, stories and novels. :) The little details they always have make them so much more interesting because it's really giving a glimpse into those other times as opposed to the ones which just gloss over the hard stuff.