Regional DialectsRegional Dialects

Wolfram & Schilling-EstesWolfram & Schilling-Estes

Chapter 5Chapter 5

5.1 Eliciting Regional Dialect 5.1 Eliciting Regional Dialect FormsForms• Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada

(1928)(1928) • Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic

States States – http://us.english.uga.eduhttp://us.english.uga.edu

• Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)

• The Atlas of North American EnglishThe Atlas of North American Englishbased on TELSURbased on TELSUR

5.2 Mapping Regional 5.2 Mapping Regional VariantsVariants• A Word Geography of the Eastern United A Word Geography of the Eastern United

States (1949) Kurath: text p. 139States (1949) Kurath: text p. 139

• Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States: computerized mapping—Atlantic States: computerized mapping—Kretzschmar, Univ. of Georgia: text p. 140Kretzschmar, Univ. of Georgia: text p. 140

• Comparison of conventional and Comparison of conventional and computerized map from DARE: text p. 141computerized map from DARE: text p. 141

5.3 The Distribution of Dialect 5.3 The Distribution of Dialect FormsForms

• GROUP-EXCLUSIVE patternGROUP-EXCLUSIVE pattern– IsoglossIsogloss

• TRANSITIONAL ZONESTRANSITIONAL ZONES

• ISOGLOSS BUNDLES setting off ISOGLOSS BUNDLES setting off regional areas (p. 142)regional areas (p. 142)

• ISOLGLOSSAL LAYERING (text: pp. ISOLGLOSSAL LAYERING (text: pp. 143-5, Figure 5.7)143-5, Figure 5.7)

Shift from lexicon to Shift from lexicon to phonologyphonology

• Labov’s TELSUR work:Labov’s TELSUR work:– NORTHERN CITIES VOWEL SHIFT (a NORTHERN CITIES VOWEL SHIFT (a

vowel rotation pattern)—chart on page vowel rotation pattern)—chart on page 148148

– SOUTHERN VOWEL SHIFT—chart on SOUTHERN VOWEL SHIFT—chart on page 149page 149

– LOW BACK MERGER (traditional Midland LOW BACK MERGER (traditional Midland + West)—map on p. 147+ West)—map on p. 147

Northern Cities Shift and Southern ShiftNorthern Cities Shift and Southern Shift (see pp. 148-9) (see pp. 148-9)

/i/ (beet)/i/ (beet) /u/ (boot) /u/ (boot)

//ɪɪ/ (bit)/ (bit) //ʊʊ/ (put)/ (put)

/e/ (bait)/e/ (bait) /o/ (boat)/o/ (boat)

//ɛɛ/ (bet) // (bet) /^̂/ (but)/ (but)

//ææ/ (bat)/ (bat) //ƆƆ/ (bought)/ (bought)

//ɑ/ (father)ɑ/ (father)

5.4 Dialect Diffusion 5.4 Dialect Diffusion (in (in geographical and social space)geographical and social space)

• The Wave Model (text p. 154): “contiguous diffusion” The Wave Model (text p. 154): “contiguous diffusion” (dropping a stone into a pond)(dropping a stone into a pond)

• Considerations in spread of innovation:Considerations in spread of innovation:– (1) the phenomenon itself (linguistic dimensions)(1) the phenomenon itself (linguistic dimensions)– (2) communication networks (change starts in low-density, (2) communication networks (change starts in low-density,

uniplex network situations = urban) INNOVATORS, EARLY uniplex network situations = urban) INNOVATORS, EARLY ADOPTERSADOPTERS

– (3) distance(3) distance– (4) time(4) time– (5) social structure (lower middle class initiates)(5) social structure (lower middle class initiates)

• The Gravity model or Hierarchical Model (text p. 155): The Gravity model or Hierarchical Model (text p. 155): physical distance + social density: (skipping a stone across physical distance + social density: (skipping a stone across the surface of a pond)the surface of a pond)– larger to smaller cities = “cascade diffusion” larger to smaller cities = “cascade diffusion” – Oklahoma: “counterhierarchical diffusion”: importance of social Oklahoma: “counterhierarchical diffusion”: importance of social

meaning (e.g., “fixin’ to” as symbolic of Southern identity)meaning (e.g., “fixin’ to” as symbolic of Southern identity)

5.5 Perceptual Dialectology5.5 Perceptual Dialectology

• Sometimes called “folk dialectology”Sometimes called “folk dialectology”– Focuses on people’s “commonsense” Focuses on people’s “commonsense”

beliefs and subjective mental categories beliefs and subjective mental categories rather than spoken language datarather than spoken language data

– May plan an important role in shaping May plan an important role in shaping language variation and change across language variation and change across regional and social spaceregional and social space

• Dennis Preston’s work (map p. 160)Dennis Preston’s work (map p. 160)

5.6 Region and Place5.6 Region and Place

• Have social meaning in grounding Have social meaning in grounding people’s identities in localized people’s identities in localized communitiescommunities

• The construction of social identityThe construction of social identity

• ““The distribution of dialect features in The distribution of dialect features in physical space may be quite different physical space may be quite different from the role that they play in people’s from the role that they play in people’s construction of cultural place”construction of cultural place”