Boston Brahmin accent

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The Boston Brahmin accent is an affected New England accent associated with the 19th century and early 20th century upper social class most often called the Boston Brahmins and Harvard University before changes that took place in the 1960s. This accent has received considerable play in television and film, most notably by the character Thurston J. Howell III on Gilligan's Island, Walter Gaines on Cheers, and Dr. Charles Winchester of M*A*S*H. It has been steadily dying out over time.

A related, though somewhat different affected accent is known as the Locust Valley Lockjaw, typified by a clipped manner of speaking, stereotypically uttered with the teeth slightly clenched and the lower jaw thrust forward. It is more typical of the 19th and early 20th centuries upper social class of the New York City area. Renowned speakers with this accent included Franklin Delano Roosevelt, William F. Buckley, and Katharine Hepburn.

These accents share many similarities with British English. The Boston accent, as is the case in many British dialects, is non-rhotic. This is less so in the case of the Locust Valley Lockjaw.

The Boston Brahmin dialect is distinct from the urban, working class Boston accents of Dorchester and South Boston and the urban, upper-middle class Back Bay accent, which are generally better associated with later immigration patterns.