I went to college with a guy that was a linguist. We'd sit with our little group, talking in between classes, and after 4 weeks into the semester, he had to ask me where I was from, because he couldn't figure my accent out.

I grew up in New Jersey until I was 5. Then we moved to North Carolina. Then in 5th grade we moved to the 'country' part of North Carolina.

Then I went to an HBCU (Historically Black College/University) and picked up some 'Ebonics.'

Depending on my mood, most of the time my accent is a mix of Jersey/Hillbilly, but if I get excited, everything gets mixed. When I get into a heated discussion, I have more of a Jersey accent. It's when I start yelling, that the hillbilly really comes out (maybe b/c hillbillies are always yelling at each other?).

The one southern word I could not live without would be, y'all. I use that word waaaay too much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%27all