New England English collectively refers to the dialects and varieties of American English originating in the New England area. Most of New England once spoke the "Yankee dialect," many of whose accent features still remain in the eastern half of New England. Today, native English speakers from Connecticut and Vermont, northern New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts, as well as some members of the current younger generation throughout New England, have largely undergone General American dialect levelling; however, New England English otherwise exhibits uniquely local characteristics.