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PrintProfessional Development Unit/Session One
- Regional Dialects
- Perspectives on Written and Spoken
English
- Overview
- Topics
- Key Ideas
- Key Terms
- Objectives
- Video Sections Used in This Unit
- Description of Sections
- Background Information
- Discussion Questions & Activities
- Related Resources on Major Regional Dialects
- Related Resources on Perspectives on Written and Spoken English
Overview of Session
During the first forty minutes of Episode One, MacNeil sets out on his journey from coastal Maine through Massachusetts and New York and into the Midwest to see what is happening to English in the United States. Along the way, he talks to local people and to linguists about the status of the English language in America. He uncovers contrasting and conflicting views, which group members may want to discuss. This segment of the video introduces a number of interesting topics, but the focus for this session is limited to two that thread throughout the entire program. The first is the dialects of American English that are associated with different regions of the country. The second is contrasting perspectives on language norms: Linguists describe the implicit norms that language users adhere to, but others who are concerned with language advocate prescribed norms for correctness.
Back to TopTopics
-
Regional Dialects
-
Perspectives on Written and Spoken English
Key Ideas
- No region in the U.S. is without a dialect.
- Every speaker of English uses a dialect.
- Regional dialects are natural. They result from patterns of settlement, subsequent migration, and isolation.
- Descriptive linguists describe patterns of actual language use. This is in contrast to prescriptivists, who believe that one particular set of rules of use must be adhered to in order to ensure effective communication.
Key Terms
- Accent
- Crossing
- Descriptivism
- Grammar
- Language change
- Mainstream (Standard) American English
- Prescriptivism
- Regional speech varieties
Objectives
Viewers will:
- Understand that everyone speaks a dialect.
- Understand why dialects exist.
- Contrast prescriptivism and descriptivism.
- Explore perceptions of Standard English and its use.
- Investigate the implications of language change.
- Relate this segment’s key ideas to their
daily work in
schools.
Video Sections Used in this Unit
Do You
Speak American? is
available on both DVD and conventional
videotape. Guides for
accessing
specific sections of the video have been formatted as follows:
Description/Episode DVD
Section VT Time Code
Running
Time
For more information on accessing the video click here.
Nova Scotia to Maine (DYSA/1) 2a [01:03:01] ( 2:37)
Maine to Massachusetts (DYSA/1) 2b [01:05:38] (1:18)
Massachusetts to New York City (DYSA/1) 2c-4a [01:07:06] (13:20)
New York City to Pennsylvannia (DYSA/1) 5b-6b [01:21:27] (8:51)
Pennsylvania to Ohio (DYSA/1) 7b-8a [01:31:45] (6:56)
Back to Top
Description of
Segments
Nova Scotia to
Maine (DYSA/1)
2a
[01:03:01] ( 2:37)
MacNeil discusses current threats to both
lobstering and
the local dialect with a fisherman in South Freeport, Maine.
While filling his “cah” with gas, MacNeil
discusses the
local r-less dialect.
Massachusetts
to New York City (DYSA/1) 2c-4a
[01:07:06]
(13:20)
MacNeil stops at the Priscilla Beach Theatre,
where he
made his first foray into acting in the United States. To become an
actor, he
admits, he had to learn to suppress his native Nova Scotian accent. In
New York
City, viewers meet two people, both very much engaged with language,
who have diametrically
opposing views: John Simon, New York theatre critic, believes that
English is
“going to the dogs,” whereas Jesse Sheidlower, the Oxford English
Dictionary
editor, sees change in English as a healthy, expectable
phenomenon for
any
language. In a New York record store, MacNeil interviews CeCe Cutler, a
researcher who studies urban speech and its adoption by suburban
teenagers.
Then he visits an internet café where teenagers describe the
language they use
to write instant messages and the influence of spoken language on this
medium.
The final stop in New York City is Spanish Harlem, where MacNeil orders
a
shaved ice from a woman who says she has spoken only Spanish during the
19
years she has lived in the United States.
MacNeil meets William Labov, a linguist at the
University
of Pennsylvania, who talks about historical change in American English.
On the
train from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, viewers are introduced to
linguist
Dennis Preston, who asks people on the train to talk about where they
think
correct American English is spoken. In Pittsburgh, another linguist,
Barbara
Johnstone, tells MacNeil that the local dialect was influenced by
immigrants,
particularly the Scots-Irish, and that that dialect remains an
important part
of personal identity for Pittsburgh natives. Together, Johnstone and
MacNeil
receive a lesson in Pittsburghese from a local souvenir salesman.
Pennsylvania
to Ohio (DYSA/1) 7b-8a
[01:31:45] (6:56)
In Ohio, MacNeil dials up a grammar hotline, a
service
dedicated to the proper use of English. Next, he interviews an editor
for The
Columbus Dispatch who cites several words that he feels are
losing
their proper
meanings. With a focus on changes in language, the segment returns to
Labov’s
office, where MacNeil learns about research findings on the changing
pronunciation of vowel sounds in American cities around the Great Lakes.
Background Information
Before watching the film, all group members
should read
the following background information about major
regional dialects and
prescriptivism
and descriptivism . These
readings provide background information about this session’s major
topics. Reading
them will enhance the group’s ability to discuss the ideas and
questions that
arise in the film.
Discussion Questions & Activities
Pre-Viewing Questions
1. This video is called Do You Speak American? What does the title evoke for you? What do you expect to see in this video? How does that relate to your work in schools?
2. Based
on the overview, background information, and key
ideas, what questions do you have before viewing?
3. Review
the key terms. Define them without consulting
the glossary.
Regional
Dialects
1. Lobsterman:
MacNeil says, “Mainers fear that their
dialect . . . is coming to the end of the road.” How is a decline in a
way of
life related to a decline in a way of speaking? Does one cause the
other or do
they just coincide? Can there be one without the other? How is the
decline/change of the Maine dialect similar to or different from the
language
change between your generation and your students’ generation?
2. Buying a
car: Pam Head, the Massachusetts native,
found herself having to change her pronunciation in order to make
herself
understood when she was living in Oklahoma (saying “car” instead of
“cah,” and
probably changing other words as well). If Head had stayed in Oklahoma,
do you
think she would have continued saying “cah” or switched to “car?” What
are the
advantages and disadvantages of either choice? Do you ever have
difficulty
understanding your students’ pronunciation? Is their pronunciation
characteristic of another region of the country than your own?
3. Priscilla
Beach Theatre: MacNeil recounts a story
about how he was told that he had to change his speech if he wanted to
be an
actor. Did you have to change your speech to become a teacher? Are the
language
demands different for teachers than for lawyers and radio hosts?
Perspectives
on Written and Spoken English
4. Language
Decline: John Simon claims that in his
experience, “Language can always disintegrate further” and that there
“is no
bottom” to language degeneration. How do you think your students would
respond
to this? Is it possible for language to have a lowest state? What do
you think
of Simon’s claim?
6. IMing: Does instant messaging present a threat to spoken and/or written language? Does e-mail? Consider that people have been writing informal personal letters for centuries. How is e-mail similar to or different from informal letters? How does the range between formality and informality in written language compare with that range in spoken language? Can there be a standard instant messaging language?
7. Language Attitudes: Robert MacNeil says “Americans consider themselves equalitarian and un-snobbish about accents, but they’re full of notions about how not to speak.” Do you agree? Are Americans generally egalitarian and unsnobbish? Consider your own notions about how not to speak and about what sounds acceptable. Is it possible to be egalitarian and also hold these opinions? As a teacher, how do you resolve tensions of egalitarianism and correctness?
What is
Standard English?
8. FDR and
Standard English: William Labov says, “We hear
British people [speak] and we love it, but it’s not right for an
American.”
When you hear someone speak with a British accent, what do you think
about that
person? Do you agree that it would not be right for an American to
sound
British? Are there any circumstances in which Americans would want to
sound
British? What other Englishes from around the world have you
encountered in
your classroom? Do you view these other
Englishes in the same light as you do British English?
9. Good
English and Bad English: MacNeil says, “Americans
are ambivalent about language. They may think that New York and
Southern
accents are bad English, but they can also find them charming.” Do you
agree
that Americans are ambivalent about language? Are there any segments of
the
population that are not ambivalent about language? Can teachers be
ambivalent
about language?
Written English
11. Ohio:
MacNeil says, “Americans are terribly concerned
with correctness.” Do you agree? Are students concerned about
correctness? From
which groups of people do Americans tend to expect correctness? From
which
people do we typically not demand correctness? Are there any people
that we
prefer be non-correct in their speech?
13. Newspapers:
Editor Kirk Arnott lists other words that
he says are often used incorrectly in today’s English: importantly and
bemused.
Have you noticed words that your students seem to be using incorrectly?
Does
everyone in the group agree about whether these words are incorrectly
used, or
do some people think that new uses are being accepted? How do you help
students
think about matters of language correctness and language change?
14. Correcting
Spoken vs. Written Language: Are you more
likely to judge the way a student speaks or the way he or she writes?
Do you
think it is a more serious offense to use non-mainstream English in
writing or
in speaking? What sort of writing? What sort of speaking?
15. Language
Change: Compare the way in which linguist
William Labov describes language change in the Northern dialect area to
the
lobsterman’s view of language change in Maine. What experiences do they
use to
talk about language change? Are their views positive, negative, or
neutral?
What aspects of language does each person highlight to demonstrate
language
change?
Dialect in Schooling
1. Ann Arbor
Case: MacNeil says: “When they spoke as they
did at home—in African American English—their instructors simply
assumed they
couldn’t do school work.” How do you explain these assumptions? Is the
way
students speak a reliable indicator of the quality of work they can do?
2. Ann Arbor
Case: The judge in this case directed that
teachers receive training about AAE and about how to teach
non-mainstream-speaking students. What kind of professional development
might
teachers need to help students expand their range of linguistic
choices—to add
Standard English to their repertoires without abandoning their home
language?
How would the notion of academic language figure in?
3. Ann Arbor
Case: The lawyer who tried the case, Kenneth
Lewis, says that a person applying for a job in his law firm would
require
particular language skills—and that if he himself wanted to work as a
DJ for an
R&B station, he would need a different set of language skills. How
might an
aspiring lawyer or DJ who lacks the requisite language skills go about
learning
them? Is Mr. Lewis talking only about dialect or about something more?
How do
teachers help students learn the requisite academic language skills for
school
and career success? What is particularly challenging about doing so,
and how
have you and your colleagues gone about teaching academic language?
4. Steve
Harvey: Mr. Harvey says that getting by in
America requires the ability to switch between different language
styles. Does
everyone need to be able to switch, or just those people whose language
is
stigmatized? In what situations do you notice yourself shifting the
style of
your speech? Do you think you ever shift without noticing it? Do you
shift into
and out of academic English? What specific changes do you make?
6. Academic English Mastery Program: Does your school or district have a program for teaching Mainstream English using students’ home language? If so, describe it. Who are the students? What grades are they in? Who teaches the program? What kinds of professional development are required for teachers who use the program? Does this program explicitly address academic language? What have been the academic results of this program for students? If there is no formal program, how do teachers teach Mainstream English? Is the method effective?
7. Academic English Mastery Program: This program asks students to identify the precise points of difference between a vernacular dialect and Mainstream (Standard) English. Do you think it is important that your students become aware of the differences between their dialects and the dialect that is expected for settings in which academic language is used? Explain. What are some effective ways to teach students about dialects and speech style?
8. Clueless: This
movie and the TV series was made some
time ago. Are any of the slang terms that Amy Heckerling mentions still
current? Who uses them? Do you? Are slang terms ever appropriate in
academic
language? What does slang contribute to conversational language? People
often
associate slang with young people. Is that accurate?
9. My
So-Called Life: When Winnie Holzman says, “There’s
almost nothing more personal than how you express yourself,” she is
referring
to choices in language. Does this observation apply to academic
language or
just to conversational language?
Back to Top
1. Answering
Your Questions: Go back to the questions
that you identified before viewing. Did you get your questions answered
as you
watched the film and talked about it with your colleagues? What new
questions
do you have?
2. Thinking
About the Classroom: Refer to the key ideas
in this segment. Are there any that you would like to discuss with your
students? How would you introduce them to your students? High school
teachers
may want to consider developing lessons on the ideas raised in this
part. (See Regional Dialects
and Perspectives on Written and Spoken
Language.)
3. How
Prescriptive Are You? Read the phrases or
sentences in List A out loud
and mark them as either acceptable or
unacceptable. Then, explain why a prescriptivist would find fault with
each of
these phrases (the prescriptive sentences are found in List B). Consider
situations or reasons for when it would be more appropriate to use the
sentences and phrases in List A rather
than List B.
List A
1. Drive slow.
2. Less than 3 pounds.
3. Who am I talking to?
4. I’m cool, aren’t I?
5. Me and Ben have the same book.
6. Why don’t you lay down for a nap?
7. That’s a whole nother issue.
8. I don’t like insects, so I’m disinterested
in seeing
the entomology museum.
9. She lives further away from me now.
10. The moon landing was the most historical
moment of my
life.
11. It’s too noisy for Tom and I; we’re leaving.
12. As for myself, I’m going to the beach.
Some prescriptivists might say the sentences in
1-12
should be:
List B
1. Drive slowly.
2. Fewer than 3 pounds.
3. With whom am I talking?
4. I’m cool, am I not?
5. Ben and I have the same book.
6. Why don’t you lie down for a nap?
7. That’s a whole other issue.
8. I don’t like insects, so I’m not
interested/uninterested in seeing the entomology museum.
9. She lives farther away from me now.
10. The moon landing was the most historic
moment of my
life.
11. It’s too noisy for Tom and me; we’re
leaving.
12. As for me, I’m going to the beach.
4.
Understanding Linguistic Patterns Exercise/Pittsburghese:
Examine the 40 examples of words and phrases that people
sometimes think of as Pittsburghese. Label each item as a unique vocabulary
item (V), a pronunciation
difference (P), or eye-dialect
(for a common English
word) (E). Examples of vocabulary differences would include
lunch-head for
idiot or mushball for softball. Examples of pronunciation differences
would
include mahntain for mountain
or crik for creek. Examples
of
eye-dialect would
include dogz for dogs or wisht for wished.
Next, examine the pronunciation differences. Do you see any patterns for how certain sounds (sounds, not spellings) are pronounced in Pittsburgh? How would you describe the patterns? Based on these patterns, how would you predict a Pittsburgher might say the following words: field, sound, wire?
In the video, Barbara Johnstone states that
when people
speak with a Pittsburgh accent, “They’re talking about who they are and
where
they live and what it means to live [in Pittsburgh].” Examine the list
of
eye-dialect words. Why are Pittsburghers likely to claim these words as
being a
part of their way of speaking even though they are not actually
distinctive
compared to speech in other parts of the country?
1. ___ Ahr –
Hour
2. ___ Aht
– The opposite of in
3. ___ Babushka
– A headscarf used for a bad hair day
4. ___ Bew-D-ful
– Beautiful
5. ___ Blitzburgh
– A drinking town with a football
problem
6. ___ Chipped
ham – Thinly sliced ham sold only in The
Burgh
7. ___ Chitchat
– Idle conversation
8. ___ Dahntahn
– Opposite of uptahn
9. ___ Dekkacards
– Deck of cards
10. ___ Did
ya – Did you
11. ___ Fahr
– Fire
12. ___ Feesh
– Fish
13. ___ Flip
flops – Sandals
14. ___ Gumband
– Rubber band
15. ___ Haf
– Half
16. ___ Hans
– Body part used to hold a cold Iron
17. ___ Haus
– House
18. ___ Hoagie
– A big sandwich
19. ___ Iron
– The beer of champions
20. ___ Jaggers
- Thorns
21. ___ Jaggin’
around – fooling around
22. ___ Jeetjet?
No jew? – “Did you eat yet?” “No, did
you?”
23. ___ Jumbo
– Bologna
24. ___ Nebby
– Nosey to a fault
25. ___ Picksburgh
– City in Pennsylvania
26. ___ Peel
– Pill
27. ___ Pop
– Carbonated beverage, a soda
28. ___ Sent
– Cent
29. ___ Still
– Steel
30. ___ Stillers
– The Steelers (professional football
team)
31. ___ Stoopid
– Stupid
32. ___ Stover
– A jammed finger
33. ___ Tar –
Tire
34. ___ Telepole
– Telephone pole
35. ___ The
Burgh – Pittsburgh
36. ___ The
Point – The meeting place of Pittsburgh’s
three rivers
37. ___ Will
– Wheel
38. ___ Woof
– Wolf
39. ___ Yinz
– You all, you guys, you’uns, y’all, etc.
40. ___ Yinzer
– A Pittsburgh native
5. Language
Change, For Better or Worse? The English of
1000 years ago was so different from today’s English that we can’t read
it
today without translation. Here’s a small sample from the book of
Genesis in
the Bible:
On angynne
gescēop God heofonan and eorðan. [Old English]
In the
beginning, God created heaven and earth. [Modern
English]
Do you think that English has deteriorated
since the Old
English version was written? What criteria would you use to make your
claim?
Explain the difference between change and deterioration. Use your
answers to
these questions to discuss a prescriptive attitude to modern English,
and as
you do so consider the following quotation from Jefferson: “I am no
friend,
therefore, to what is called Purism, but a zealous one to the Neology
which has
introduced these two words without the authority of any dictionary. I
consider
the one as destroying the nerve and beauty of language, while the other
improves both, and adds to its copiousness.”
6.
Non-Mainstream English in Newspapers: Find articles
from several mainstream newspapers (The
New York Times, Wall Street
Journal,
Boston Globe, etc.) in which direct quotations appear. Are any
of the
quotes
written in non-mainstream English? Is quoted language used in the same
ways in
newspapers as in literature? Explain.
7. Translation
into non-Mainstream English: Translate the
following selection of prose into a variety of informal English,
instant
messaging language, or a non-mainstream form of English.
“The Tale-Tell
Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe
“No doubt I
now grew very pale,--but I talked
more fluently,
and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased--and what could I
do? It
was a low, dull, quick sound--much such a sound as a watch makes when
enveloped
in cotton. I gasped for breath--and yet the officers heard it not.”
8. Grammar and
Non-Mainstream Varieties: In Do
You Speak
American?, William Labov discusses the fact that Franklin Delano
Roosevelt had
certain British characteristics in his speech, including what Dr. Labov
refers
to as “r-lessness.” While r-less speech was considered high class in
Roosevelt’s time, today it is often stigmatized—that is, regarded
unfavorably.
Give some examples of other speech characteristics associated with
regional
dialects that are stigmatized today. Is there something in the language
itself
that promotes these unfavorable attitudes? Or, do people tend to
stigmatize
certain speech characteristics because they hold stereotypes about the
speakers
who use such features?
9. Thinking
About Teaching: What aspects of this segment
have affirmed the way that you teach your students or interact with
their
parents? What aspects have caused you to challenge the way that you
teach
students or interact with their parents?
Extension
Activity
Observing From Different Perspectives: Note
some
instances in which you and others make prescriptive observations about
language. Also make some attempts at
describing interesting new features of spoken language use. For example, notice new slang terms and
phrases
that students use, and figure out what they mean and what communicative
and
social functions they seem to fulfill. Are the new terms governed by
norms? Consider parts of speech, for
example. If the term is a verb, can it function as a noun?
Under what conditions?
What does this activity reveal about the contrast between prescriptive and descriptive approaches to language?
Related Resources On Major
Regional Dialects
WEB RESOURCES
Bailey, G. &
Tillery, J. “Lone Star Language” : An
examination of the language and culture of Texas.
Bailey, G.
& Tillery, J. “Sounds of the
South”: A
look at the current and historical factors that have shaped Southern
English as
well as the various perceptions that outsiders have of different types
of
Southern English.
Eckert, P.
& Mendoza-Denton, N. “Getting
Real in the
Golden State” : A look at the influential dialects of Californians
including
Valley Girls, Surfer Dudes, and Hollywood.
Gordon,
M. “Vowel Shifting” : A description of the ways in
which vowel pronunciations are changing in different parts of the
United States.
Mallinson, C., et
al, “Smoky Mountain Speech” : A
description of the people, history, and speech of the Appalachian
Mountains.
Melacon, M.
“Stirring the Linguistic Gumbo” : An investigation
of the various dialects and languages that are heard in Louisiana
Preston,
D. “They Speak Really Bad English Down South and
in New York City” : An investigation
into
the attitudes of Americans toward different dialects.
Trester, A.
"Do You Speak Presidential?" : Speech
samples from FDR and other presidents.
PRINT RESOURCES
Carver, C.
(1987). American
Regional Dialects: A Word Geography. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
This work offers the most complete discussion
available
of vocabulary differences among the major regional dialects of American
English.
Farr, M.
(2004). Ethnolinguistic Chicago: Language and Literacy
in the City’s Neighborhoods.
Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum.
This book, written for linguists, investigates
language
patterning in the ethnically diverse city of Chicago. It examines
language as
it relates to class, ethnicity, gender, and neighborhood.
Niedzielski,
N. A. & Preston, D. R. Folk Linguistics.
Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2003.
Intended for a college-level audience, this
book offers a
detailed overview of public perceptions and attitudes about language.
Much of
the book is accessible to readers who do not have a background in
linguistics.
Wolfram, W.
& Schilling-Estes, N. (2005). American
English: Dialects and Variation. 2nd ed. Malden, Mass.:
Blackwell.
Intended for readers with little or no
background in
linguistic science, this college-level textbook includes chapters on
the range
of regional, social, and ethnic variation in American English; language
and
gender; style shifting; the history of English in America; and the
general
nature of language variation.
Related Resources On
Perspectives on Written and
Spoken English
WEB RESOURCES
Eble,
C.: “Slang and Sociability” : A scholarly look at
the history of slang and how new slang terms enter and spread through
the
language.
Elster,
C.H.: “Big Book of Beastly Pronunciations” : A
resource that provides prescriptive pronunciations and definitions of
some
words that are often mispronounced.
Finegan, E.: "What is
'Correct' Language?" : An
overview of who descriptive and prescriptive linguists are and what
they do,
including setting usage standards and describing language usage.
Fought,
J.: "Gatekeeping" : An examination of the
linguistic features that get noticed most.
Preston,
D.: “They Speak Really Bad English Down South
and in New York City”: An investigation about the attitudes of
Americans toward
different dialects
PRINT RESOURCES
McWhorter, J.
(1998.) The
Word on the Street: Fact and Fable about American English. New
York: Plenum Press.
This very accessible book talks about the
speech patterns
and accents of a variety of American regions and ethnic groups and
about the
ever-changing nature of language.
This volume contains information about when,
where, and
why words were incorporated into English; where some prescriptive rules
come
from; and differences between American and British English.
DVD Episode & Chapters: For DVD users, DYSA has been broken down into episodes and chapters. The term chapter is industry standard for sections or "breaks" programmed into the DVD video. A number indicating the DYSA episode will always be followed by a number indicating the DVD chapter within an episode. (i.e. 1.2 is Episode 1, Chapter 2. The numbers 1.2 appear on-screen for DVD users.) DVD users may watch a DYSA episode straight through or alternatively, jump to specific sections of the program by referring to a main menu available on the DVD.
Chapter Description
Chapter (or section) descriptions are available on-screen
for DVD users only, and include a text description along side the
episode number and the chapter
number
within the episode (i.e. 1.2 Pronunciation in Maine). Videotape users
will
need to refer to printed versions of the curricular units to benefit
from the chapter descriptions.
Running Time The running time indicates the length of the section of video.
Videotape (VT) Time Code Videotape users should fast forward or rewind to the corresponding number displayed in the videotape counter window in the front of the videotape playback device. (i.e. Videotape users should insert the videotape in the player and shuttle to [01:27:19] in the counter window to see the beginning of the Springville,Texas section.)
Do You Speak American? professional development materials for educators were produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC. This material was made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the Center for Applied Linguistics.
Sponsoredby:
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National Endowment |
William and Flora Hewlett |
Ford |
Rosalind P. |
Arthur Vining |
Carnegie |
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