English spoken in Arlen, Texas?

Inquisitive   Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:46 pm GMT
What are the characteristic features of the English dialect spoken in Arlen, Texas? How similar is it to that spoken in other major Texas cities and rural Texas? Is there any influence from Spanish?
yep   Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:30 am GMT
it's a fake town, my dear friend
Antimooner K. T.   Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:39 am GMT
Are you Danny? I think "Arlen" probably sounds like "Austin" Texas dialect, but that's a guess as I also believe it's a fake town, but I haven't checked.

Hank sounds somewhat Southern and Western to me, but pretty middle American in some ways. I haven't noticed any influence from Spanish unless you want to throw in the kind of words Peggy Hill uses. She speaks broken Spanish. Ouch! I haven't watched the show much for three or four years.
Hank Hill   Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:54 am GMT
………………_„-,-~''~''':::'':::':::::''::::''…
………._,-'':::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…
………..,-'::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…
………,-'::::::::::::„:„„-~-~--'~-'~--~-~…
……..,'::::::::::,~'': : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : '-|
……..|::::::::,-': : : : : : : : - -~''''¯¯''-„: : : : :\
……..|::::::::|: : : : : : : : : _„„--~'''''~-„: : : : '|
……..'|:::::::,': : : : : : :_„„-: : : : : : : : ~--„_: |'
………|::::::|: : : „--~~'''~~''''''''-„…_..„~''''''''''''¯|
………|:::::,':_„„-|: : :_„---~: : :|''¯¯''''|: ~---„_: ||
……..,~-,_/'': : : |: :(_ o__): : |: : : :|:(_o__): \..|
……../,'-,: : : : : ''-,_______,-'': : : : ''-„_____|
……..\: :|: : : : : : : : : : : : : :„: : : : :-,: : : : : : : :\
………',:': : : : : : : : : : : : :,-'__: : : :_',: : : : ;: ,'
……….'-,-': : : : : :___„-: : :'': : ¯''~~'': ': : ~--|'
………….|: ,: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :: : :|
………….'|: \: : : : : : : : -,„_„„-~~--~--„_: :: |
…………..|: \: : : : : : : : : : : :-------~: : : : : |
…………..|: :''-,: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :|
…………..',: : :''-, : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :: ,'
……………| : : : : : : : : :_ : : : : : : : : : : ,-'
……………|: : : : : : : : : : '''~----------~''
…………._|: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :|
……….„-''. '-,_: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ,'
……,-''. . . . . '''~-„_: : : : : : : : : : : : :,-'''-„
Propane   Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:11 am GMT
I sell it.
Skippy   Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:05 pm GMT
Arlen gets its name from Garland, TX, a Dallas suburb, and some features may be based off Garland. However, they always say it's several hours from Dallas and Houston, so it's probably supposed to actually be located near Austin.

Anyway, Hank's accent is fun. I do like the w-wh distinction in his accent, but I don't think I've come across this in Texas (at least not since I've been paying close attention to people's accents).

Also, if you notice, Hank does speak at least a functional amount of Spanish (like when he attempts this translation: "Is this john occupied? Uh... Es esto juan occupado..?"). He doesn't speak as much as his wife, Peggy, but her unfounded confidence in Spanish is extremely problematic for her.