South Carolina Drawl Nearly The Slowest Speech In The Country

Some of us are "fast talkers," and some are "slow talkers."  When I first started my radio career, people kept telling me I talked too fast.  In order for listeners to understand everything I said, bosses urged me to slow it down a bit.  The average American speaks at a speed of around 5.09 syllables per second.  And, if you're from South Carolina, chances are it's slower than that.  According to WIS News 10, a study says the South Carolina drawl ranked second-slowest speaking state in the nation.  The typical South Carolina native averages about 4.80 syllables per second.  The only state ranking slower in speech is Louisiana.

While Southern states mostly filled the slower speaking rankings, the city with slowest speakers belonged to Peoria, Illinois.  The average in that city, 4.71 syllables per second, was slightly slower than South Carolina.  Rounding out the top five slowest speaking states with Louisiana and South Carolina were Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.  The top 5 fastest talkers hail from Minnesota, Oregon, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota.  North Carolina came in at number 8 on the slow talker list, just ahead of my home state of Texas.  Portland, Oregon claims the fastest speakers in the nation with an average of 5.38 syllables per second.  The language learning platform Preply assembled the list.  Check it out to see where your state falls.  Of course, does it really matter?  I like being able to understand what people are saying no matter where they're from or how fast they speak.  And, I tend to find the drawl of Southern states charming.  So, take pride in that South Carolina drawl nearly winning that honor. LOL.  Not all of us can talk as fast as the "fastest talking man" I remember from TV commercials many years ago!