Notes & Queries: Did cowboys have American accents?

Meanderer

Meanderer

Senior Member
Did cowboys have American accents? Seeing as they were only recently settled in America from Britain, should Hollywood think more Colin Firth than Clint Eastwood?

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/oct/24/did-cowboys-have-american-accents

Clint-Eastwood-in-The-Goo-010.jpg
 
...or Spanish (gasp!)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


"Cowgirl" redirects here. For other uses, see Cowgirl (disambiguation).
"Ranch hand" redirects here. For other uses, see Ranch hand (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Cowboy (disambiguation).


A classic image of the American cowboy, as portrayed byC.M. Russell​

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend.[SUP][1][/SUP] A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world have established the ability to work at virtually identical tasks and obtained considerable respect for their achievements.[SUP][2][/SUP] There are also cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia, who perform work similar to the cowboy in their respective nations.
The cowboy has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest European settlers of theAmericas. Over the centuries, differences in terrain, climate and the influence of cattle-handling traditions from multiple cultures created several distinct styles of equipment, clothing and animal handling. As the ever-practical cowboy adapted to the modern world, the cowboy's equipment and techniques also adapted to some degree, though many classic traditions are still preserved today.
 
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