What is The Kansas accent? Depends on who you ask, research finds

Yes, Kansans do have an accent, even though most natives think Kansas speech has a neutral accent. Non-Kansans largely believe the sunflower state is associated with southern-accented voices.

LAWRENCE — Linguists at the University of Kansas revealed that the way Kansas speak is much more diverse than some people think, and perceptions of a Kansas accent differ, depending on whether listeners are Kansans or non-Kansans

Yes, Kansans do have an accent.

“There is no such thing as an accentless way of speaking,” said Lacey Wade, a linguist and assistant professor at the University of Kansas, “and we’ve been able to identify a few features that we do see in Kansas speech.”

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