Why do the Mannings sound like they have a Different accent ??

I want to clarify my earlier post a little bit. First of all, none of my comments were or are directed at anyone on the forum. When referring to people who may consider an accent when judging whether someone is a true New Orleanian, I am speaking of people I've encountered growing up in the city.

I am well aware of the dynamics that are related to the issue of why the various accents are found more in the areas surrounding the city than in the city itself. Sure, they may have originated in the city, but this does not change the fact that it is becoming increasingly absurd to use accent as a gauge of one's local identity (again, I'm not saying anyone here has done that). I tend to think that some of the most "New Orleans" people aren't even necessarily from the area--Chris Rose and Drew Brees are a couple famous ones that come to mind. You can probably throw Tom Piazza in there. They're people who are New Orleans in spirit, because they've adopted the city and love it. I'd say they are able to appreciate the city just as well as any native. It would be silly and ignorant to hold their accents and origins against them. They're much more genuine than someone who can trace their roots in the city seven generations back, yet lacks any appreciation or understanding of the city's uniqueness and character, or worse--they don't even know the city!

I would put many things before accent and family origins in my personal gauge of what makes one a New Orleanian, but I think most TRUE New Orleanians would never dispute this. If you have family ties to the city, I think that is something to be proud of, and I think you are lucky to have grown up with people who have hopefully taught you to appreciate your city, but you probably also realize that one of the things that makes New Orleans unique is the fact that New Orleans has always enjoyed an ever-changing cultural makeup, and if we ever froze in time, we'd actually lose uniqueness.