Maryland Terrapins basketball star Derik Queen said, "I'm from Baltimore," after the team stamped its ticket to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament in March.

The phrase put Baltimore on the map and left many with a sense of pride for a blue-collar city that boasts an iconic waterfront, a fanbase passionate about their sports, and an accent that's about as distinct as it gets.

"You don't say Balt-tee-more" said Sha-Shonna Rogers, a senior at Morgan State University. "It's more natural for us to just be like Baltimore, almost like there's a D in there."

A Baltimore accent may even end up in the spotlight on social media, highlighted in both Instagram and TikTok videos, but we all know that accent goes far beyond the way we pronounce our city.

"What's going on, how ya doin,' Hon?" said a Baltimore resident when asked about how he'd approach someone with his accent.

"Two, grew, through, are just some of the words that come to mind," said Charles Ford, a freshman at Morgan State University. "They say it loud and proud here. It's just like New York sometimes."

"Kitchen zink, instead of kitchen sink," said another longtime Baltimore resident, when asked about what words in the accent come to mind.

What's in an accent?

To answer this "Question Everything," we spoke with Dr. Inte'a DeShields, an assistant professor of English and Language Arts at Morgan State University.

WJZ's Rick Ritter: "So you know from a little girl about the Baltimore accent? "

Dr. DeShields: "Oh, I know it very well. You tend to take on the cultural and linguistic characteristics of your community. That will be your micro community, which will be your family members, church members. Then you have the broader community, as well."

Ritter: "So for many people in this state who fall into this category, you're essentially saying it's a product of the environment you're in?"

Dr. DeShields: 'It's a product of the environment, and it's a product of history. Baltimore had one of the largest free Black populations in the nation.

"Through that kind of isolation over time, that's what kind of creates this distinct Black Baltimore sound and white Baltimore sound. You have redlining, segregation, all of those things helped influence what we love to notice about Baltimore, and that is the accent."

Dr. DeShields added that every environment is different.

Dr. DeShields: "One thing I have to note is that there are ethnic variations in Baltimore accent, like 'Hon,' the white Baltimore accent, and then you have the Black Baltimore accent. The white Baltimore accent has a Scottish, Irish influence or Appalachian twang that sounds like, 'How ya doin' Hon' or 'Welcome to Baltimore, Hon.'"

Ritter: "What is the age range where you really start to become a product of your environment in terms of the accent?"

Dr. DeShields: "Usually around age 5 is when you really start to pick up on when you start socializing, kindergarten, pre-k."

Dr. DeShields said that while many grow into the Baltimore accent, some are urged to stay away from it.

Dr. DeShields: "When I was coming up, I was encouraged to lose my Baltimore accent, encouraged to soften it."

A longtime Baltimore resident told WJZ they worked to not speak like a "true Baltimorean."

"I remember growing up and trying not to speak true Baltimore," the Baltimore resident said.

"When young people are in school, they are encouraged to sound like the dictionary," Dr. DeShields said. "There's an expectation you will pronounce words like they are suggested in the dictionary. When we think about oral communication or natural speech phenomenon, it's almost impossible for someone to sound like the dictionary. It's inevitable that the accent will slip out. It's inevitable that you're going to slip into it at some point."

"It's what distinguishes us"

Dr. DeShields' advice is not to deviate, be proud, and be authentic. The way you talk speaks volumes about your culture.

"Be who you are, embrace your accent, do what you must do to shine," Dr. DeShields said.

"It's what makes us who we are," Ford said. "It's what distinguishes us. If everyone was the same, there would be no point in being who you are."

"I think everyone should embrace their diversity and be who you are," said Leila Simmons, a freshman at Morgan State University, who lived in Baltimore before moving to New York. "Even if you don't like it, it's still who you are at the end of the day, and that's special."

"Being from Baltimore and developing a love for my city, it kind of gives me a chip on my shoulder," Rogers said. "When you walk into a room and say you're from Baltimore, you say it with pride. It's an automatic sense of pride."

"I think it's something we should all be proud of and to know we have something unique as Baltimoreans," said Dr. DeShields. "Not only do we have Ravens and Orioles, but we have our accent, too. I think that's something to be proud of."

Emmy Award-winning anchor Rick Ritter joined WJZ in May 2014. He anchors the 5 p.m. newscast with Nicole Baker, the 11 p.m. newscast with Vic Carter & hosts the "Purple Connection" Postgame Show on Sundays during Ravens season.