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Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English

  • Luanne von Schneidemesser
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Volume 5 Varieties of English
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Volume 5 Varieties of English

Abstract

While regional variation in the English spoken in America existed from the time of the first English speakers on the continent, considerable interest in studying American English did not develop until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the founding of the American Dialect Society. This overview will present major directions of research, starting with the Linguistic Atlas approach, in the development of the field of dialectology or linguistic geography, the preeminant direction in regional studies at the time. Over time, the number of studies concentrating not on regionality but on social factors grew to a critical mass in studies on American English. While such studies were always present, the mood of the country with a push toward social and racial equality, and in linguistics Labov’s work in the 1960s and 70s, led researchers to turn toward studying social factors, e.g. type of community, age, education, gender, race, and ethnicity. Many turned away from dialect geography to the emerging field of sociolinguistics; the two areas drew little from each other’s work. Only in the late 80s did the two areas converge, with researchers beginning to realize mutual benefit in working together, and with a push from the publication of the first volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English. The volumes of DARE were followed by the publication of Labov et al.’s (2006) Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change, which immediately had and continues to have a huge influence on the study of social and regional varieties of American English.

Abstract

While regional variation in the English spoken in America existed from the time of the first English speakers on the continent, considerable interest in studying American English did not develop until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the founding of the American Dialect Society. This overview will present major directions of research, starting with the Linguistic Atlas approach, in the development of the field of dialectology or linguistic geography, the preeminant direction in regional studies at the time. Over time, the number of studies concentrating not on regionality but on social factors grew to a critical mass in studies on American English. While such studies were always present, the mood of the country with a push toward social and racial equality, and in linguistics Labov’s work in the 1960s and 70s, led researchers to turn toward studying social factors, e.g. type of community, age, education, gender, race, and ethnicity. Many turned away from dialect geography to the emerging field of sociolinguistics; the two areas drew little from each other’s work. Only in the late 80s did the two areas converge, with researchers beginning to realize mutual benefit in working together, and with a push from the publication of the first volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English. The volumes of DARE were followed by the publication of Labov et al.’s (2006) Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change, which immediately had and continues to have a huge influence on the study of social and regional varieties of American English.

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525045-003

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
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