my accent is pretty damn nonregional but my word usage and exclaimations are clearly northeastern. i tend to speak in a condescending tone rather inadvertantly.
i pick on people's accents all the time. i can usually point out an accent someone has, even if it's just from having lived somewhere.
midwest accents are really easy to pick out, so i have no idea what the hell seth is talking about. especially ohio, karen
i do use y'all somewhat frequently and if i get too excited or angry i get careless and usually end up sounding southern. god only knows why, i've never been down south.
my mom grew up in NYC and i grew up here in MA so i think the combination really cancelled itself out.
oh, and speaking english with a nonregional american accent really does mean that you're not using an accent at all. that's how those words are pronounced phonetically. it's nothing like a face without features, that was a rather inapt analogy.