​

Any American English accent perceived as free of noticeably local, ethnic, or cultural markers is popularly called "General American", described by sociolinguist William Labov as "a fairly uniform broadcast standard in the mass media", but otherwise there is not a mainstream standard English of the country, according to historical and present linguistic evidence.[7][8] According to Labov, with the major exception of Southern American English, regional accents throughout the country are not yielding to this broadcast standard.[9] On the contrary, the sound of American English continues to evolve, with some local accents disappearing, but several larger regional accents emerging and advancing.[10]