Talking Southern Politics

By Laura Lee,

Published March 6, 2015 at 12:08 PM EST

Kevin Spacey plays southern politician Frank Underwood in the Netflix series "House of Cards."

In the Netflix hit series, House of Cards, Kevin Spacey plays a politician from Gaffney, South Carolina named Frank Underwood.

The fictional president has a heavy southern accent, but some question its authenticity. Vox.com produced a popular video analyzing Spacey's "r-dropping."

Underwood isn't the only politician whose accent has been assessed. Guest host Phoebe Judge talks with North Carolina State University linguistics professor Robin Dodsworth and political junkie Ken Rudin about southern accents in North Carolina politics.

Dodsworth is seeking participants for her current study on accents in and around Raleigh. Interested participants should email her.

Check out Vox.com's analysis of "r-dropping" below.

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The State of Things NC Legislators NC Legislature Ken Rudin Linguistics Accents Southern Accent Language House of Cards Kevin Spacey Robin Dodsworth Frank Underwood NC State University

Laura Lee

Laura Lee was the managing editor of The State of Things until mid February 2017. Born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina, Laura returned to the Old North state in 2013 after several years in Washington, DC. She received her B.A. in political science and international studies from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2002 and her J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law in 2007.

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Phoebe Judge

Phoebe Judge is an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured on a numerous national radio programs. She regularly conducts interviews and anchors WUNC's broadcast of Here & Now. Previously, Phoebe served as producer, reporter and guest host for the nationally distributed public radio program The Story. Earlier in her career, Phoebe reported from the gulf coast of Mississippi. She covered the BP oil spill and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. Phoebe's work has won multiple Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards. Phoebe was born and raised in Chicago and is graduate of Bennington College and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

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