What's up With the "Kennedy Accent"? Why Did the Kennedys Talk Like That?

For those old enough to remember, the Kennedys — both John F. and his plethora of siblings — were known to have rather unique accents. The 35th president's unique manner of speaking was part of his charm and has been depicted in media up to this day, bringing even further speculation upon his family's famous dialect.

And now that John's nephew, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has made headlines for his politics — and his own distinct voice — in 2024, folks have let their curiosity about the Kennedy family's speech patterns get the better of them.

So, why do the Kennedys talk like that?

While Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s unique voice can be attributed to a rare medical condition known as spasmodic dysphonia, the accent that the OG Kennedys were known to have is a bit more complicated.

In clips of speeches delivered by the former president, he can be heard speaking in a way that sounds almost like a Boston accent — but with a twist.

John F. Kennedy and his siblings were, in fact, born in Massachusetts, and their broad "A" sounds and dropped "R"s were certainly reflective of that. In fact, Kennedy's Bostonian heritage traced back multiple generations. However, their accent was also reportedly influenced by their father's time as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Indeed, politician and patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. served as an ambassador to the U.K. from 1938 until the late 1940s, and it's speculated that his time overseas brought with it a certain British, "upper-class" accent that melded with their Bostonian one.

The family also came from Irish ancestry and were heavily involved in the Irish Catholic community, which may have influenced their speaking even further.

Because John was the oldest of the bunch, it seemed that his accent was the least affected by outside influences and carried mostly Boston quirks, while his younger siblings spoke in more unique ways. Many have said that Senator Ted Kennedy, for example, carried an "elegant" accent that sounded much more British than his older brother.

Jackie Kennedy, on the other hand, did not hail from Boston like her husband — the former First Lady came from an upper-class family in New York. However, her unique accent has likewise been speculated, studied, and questioned by the public.

After Natalie Portman's depiction of Jackie O. in the 2016 drama Jackie, many were drawn to her strange manner of speaking, which included linguistic features like "non-rhoticity" and a "split short A system," per Vox.

According to linguists, it seems that, in addition to any New York influence, her speech patterns were also indicative of those taught in expensive private schools in the Northeast, combining American and British English. This accent is sometimes known as a "prestige" accent, which definitely aligns with her family's financial and social status at the time.