Does it bother anyone that Arthur speaks in a Michigan type accent?

Nothing against the state of Michigan or anything, but I thought Arthur was from the New York/New Jersey area.

Didn't he also used to be a government official? If so, which state?

To me the accent just doesn't seem to fit, especially since no one else in the family has the same accent.

Arthur was a lawyer, before that he was a soldier.

And it's an upstate NY accent. Michigan is more like Timothy Busfield. Robert Forster is from Rochester. Also, many people move and work and live in NYC from all parts of the word, I've been commenting how I love his New York accent, and I'm from here.

I didn't even know people from Michigan had a specific enough accent...

It sounded New Yorkey enough to me. Anymore and he would have sounded like Maroni from The Dark Knight. Know wattaI mean?

Have lots of family in Michigan and I live in Upstate NY. It seems more in line with upstate NY, but there is definitely something weird about it.

Seems kind of a "homely" accent for his character.

It's a midwest accent, I agree. I thought he was supposed to have a Texan one, though. His name in the Vietnam GN was "Dallas". Who cares though, cause he's now officially a Sith Lord. (Force push, Lightning, Paralyzation...) He's straight up KOTOR.

lol I've lived in Michigan my whole life... Never knew we had an accent

But yea, It definately wasn't Michiganian, or else I guess I wouldn't have picked up on it! lol (And I definately noticed his accent)

Agreed with Brennan. I live in Southeast Michigan, and had no clue we "had an accent".

Anyway, Arthur sounded like he had a New York accent to me.

If I remember correctly, all of the operatives in the War Buddies GNs were named for cities in Texas. They were codenames, not anything to indicate their city of origin...

That's what I thought too...

All the guys in his unit we're named after cities in Texas.

LoL. Yeah, most people don't know they have an accent. I study accents for a living as an actor. And as a Timothy Busfield fan I know the Michigan accent very well.

A Michigan accent can be a little close Chicago accent (watch Bonnie Hunt on her talk show she goes in and out of it )

But when it comes down to it Robert is from update NY.

yeah he does have that rochester thing going on. I can hear it in his voice

I'm from nyc and he kinda sounds like a cross between on of my uncles in jersey and one of my uncles in queens.

Yeah, totally. I think people think all NY accents sound like the Bronx and my cousin Vinney. One of the first things I said during Angela's dream was "Man, I love his NY accent"

I'm from Michigan (ironically from Troy Michigan), and since his voice sounded like an accent to me, it must not have been from Michigan.

Actually, Michigan Yoopers have an accent, but it's from Canada/Minnesota.

yea the say "aboot" lol

I love it!

I'm from Queeens, and I can't stand his accent. Drives me nuts. Is that the actor's real accent? it sounds fake and like a Soprano's wannabe to me.

It's the same accent he had in Jackie Brown so I'm assuming it's his real accent.

Funny to read earlier replies with people not realizing they have an accent, same with me, I'm from Philly and didn't really think of myself as having an accent.

Yeah, I'm afraid it's his real accent. Now Queens is of course different than a Brooklyn accent as is New York from New Jersey so his NY accent may not be yours. Even areas of NJ have different kind of accents, like a southern NJ may sound more like a Penn accent than a northern accent.

I guess I'm the only one who likes his accent, but he's not putting it on so it came with the package.

Can you tell me if there is such thing as a Conneticut accent? Because I have had two people from Long Island tell me I have a Conneticut accent and I think they were being serious. I hope they weren't saying I talk like Martha Stewart or Emily Gilmore lol

No one thinks they have an accent, they just think other people do, but if you do to them, they do to you. The British don't think they have an accent until they come here. In England all american's have an accent. I find it all fascinating, but it is my job in a way.

You will also notice Cristine Rose has a bit of an accent when she says the word roof. To me that is. I always catch it because the rest of her really has a neutral actor tone taught in acting schools - or as we call it - American Stage Standard.

Also, places you live all your life and your parents effect your speech. Sometimes people have a few words that they get from family members who use to live somewhere else and it effects their speech patterns. Some people live in so many places they have a few accents and make up one.

That is so true! Both of my guardians are from Brooklyn and sometimes I say a word and I'm like 'wait- that sounded like them' lol

Your considered a little in the New England region, but not as strong as a character from a Stephen King Novel. You have stubble differences and really anyone sounds different to the Long Island Accent, it's a real harsh and heavy NY accent.

NY Times Article

A Dicussion group

If they maek fun of you again just tell them at least you know that idea doesn't have an R at the end. Long Island people say "Idea ER" and not "idea" -drives me crazy. You can kind hear it sometimes when Billy Joel sings

Lol thank you for the artical. I sent it to my cousins in Long Island and some of my friends (we had a long discussion about accents a few nights ago.)

I loved this part: "Connecticut, as it is so often reminded,is between New York City and Boston,
geography that does more than create confusion for which baseball team to cheer."

And you leave Billy Joel out of this bub!


I lived in Queens when I was young and then grew up on LI. I was pretty confident I did not have any trace of an accent till I came to college and my new england roommate made fun of me for "extending my A's" and not saying words right or something.

I still don't think I really have one though. I mean, I never say "Idea er" !

Don't worry Leak I LOVE BILLY!!! LOVE HIM! Yes, "Idear" is not a Queens thing, don't worry and it's not the Nanny either. Meaning you can live in an area and not have a huge accent, but traces.

Most annoying accent on the show since Mohinder's in S1. And Mo's only annoyed me because my office is full of people from all over India and nobody sounds anything like that.

lol, yes, truth.



North-Central Jersey was here. South Jersey is lame. I grew up in Parlin, Morristown and Morris, I'm apparently accentless.



I love the accent. It's up there with southern accents and hard slavic ones in the tier that makes my ears tingle.




I thought it was a Long Island accent when I first heard it. But that's just me.



Had an art teacher from Bergen(NJ) with the same quirk. She said it was part of that area's accent.

Where I am from in Pittsburgh (Zach Quinto's (Sylar) home town) we have such a pronounced accent that it even has a name . . . it's called "Pittsburghese."

Google it and you'll find books and web pages totally devoted to it.

As for Arthur . . . I still think some of his words sound like a Michigan accent, but I'll agree with all you linguistic experts that say his accent is more New York . . . that works for me.

It reminds me of Bob's accent from "That 70's Show".