William Labov, author of Dialect Diversity in America: The Politics of Language Change, appeared recently on the David Pakman Show, where he discussed the misconception of an American accent, explaining that America can be divided into fifteen regions with distinct dialects. What’s more, many of these accents, or dialects, are still evolving. Labov describes the Northern Shift, a dialect associated with Great Lakes communities such as Buffalo and Detroit, and explains how its growth has been almost unnoticed. He also tries to pinpoint how the New York accent, as well as various Southern accents, became stigmatized as unsophisticated or undesirable. The whole conversation can be viewed below or by following this link.