Date:  Thu, 14 Dec 1995 20:29:30 EST

From:  Terry Lynn Irons <t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MOREHEAD-ST.EDU>

Subject: Re: Unauth Index to "American Tongues" - Improvements Invited



Having used the video tape on many occasions, I can attest that

the following index by Ms. Dumas is not accurate. It is not even

accurate as an outline. An excellent educational supplement to

the video tape was prepared by Walt Wolfram, which suggests that

the video tape falls into three natural parts: the nature of

dialects, the origin of dialects, and the consequences of speaking

a dialect. Ms Dumas index not only does not reflect that structure,

but is seriously incorrect if it intends to reflect the linear

progression of the tape.



The tape, nonetheless, is worthwhile for all to use.



>

> Unauthorized Index to Contents of "American Tongues"

>

> Compiled by Bethany Dumas, UTK English Department, 1994

>

> 1.   Southern (Black English?)

> 2.   Mary had a little lamb

>     Its fleece was white as snow

>     And everywhere that Mary went

>     The lamb was sure to go

>     6 speakers: white male, white female, (Penn Dutch?), white

>     male, black male child, white female, white female

> 3.   Ranch talk--Texas

> 4.   Northern cities--

> 5.   Black female teenagers

> 6.   Speakers about other dialects

> 7.   Student actors (Shakespeare, etc.)

> 8.   Institutional speech (sales talk, computers, etc.--jargon)

> 9.   Church singing

> 10.   Tangier Island ("Tangiermen") ("I figure I sound just like

>     Walter Cronkite.         ")

> 11.   Comments on settlement history of USA (fewer regional

>     distinctions east of the Mississippi)

> 12.   Roger W. Shuy (Georgetown University)

> 13.   Style differences

>     >Kentucky radio call-in program ("I'm just a plain old

>     hillbilly.") (Cratis Williams) (He may could wear it in a 8

>     1/2.")

>     >Ohio ("Midwest--straight American, bland") (We don't talk

>     funny, but if you want funny, go about 70 miles south."

>     >Texas (Most Westerners in their speaking ... are more

>     open, more forthright.")

> 14.   Foreign language influence (Louisiana French Creole)

> 15.   New York City deli

> 16.   Vocabulary differences--cabinet (RI), gumband, pau hana,

>     jambalaya, antigogglin, snickelfritz, schlep

>     [Today we could add words like dis--what else?]

> 17.   Children's games

> 18.   Walt Wolfram (now of NC State) on how children acquire

>     language patterns, vocabulary

> 19.   Southern female black (professional)

> 20.   NO STANDARD ENGLISH ACCENT--but there is a

>     "NETWORK" STANDARD (voice of Directory Assistance--

>     generic speech, "the voice from nowhere")

> 21.   Female "Yalie" on West Virginia speech ("this really kind of

>     'you all' stuff") ("I was not gonna have little Southern

>     babies who talked like that.")

> 22.   REGIONAL STEREOTYPES

>     "Southerners talk like 'niggers'."

>     "Rampant brain death west of the Hudson"

>     In Manhattan the air is skyscrapers is so thin that people

>     have a nasal accent.

>     Northerners are not hospitable (grating, nasal, unkind).

>     /a:s/ for /ays/ ("See, ice, ass-holes.")

>     Texan on Northern stereotypes about Southerners (always

>     depicted as dumb hick in movies) (Examples)

> 23.   Regional and ethnic humor (Georgians talk in questions--no

>     wonder they lost the Civil War)

> 24.   Linguistically insecure female speaker

> 25.   Consequences of speaking a nonstandard dialect (Brooklyn

>     speaker with speech coach) (Wolfram) (not what corporate

>     world is looking for)

> 26.   Variation in Boston speech

> 27.   To tell which dialect is better, look at WHO is better: Urban

>     better than rural, mc better than wc, white better than black,

>     cultured vs. white trash (uneducated--"I ain't got no") vs.

>     black

> 28.   If you speak a dialect, you have to be better [sound

>     familiar?]

> 29.   Female speakers on style-shifting ("Look at them two

>     beautiful girls--if they'd keep their mouths shut, they'd be

>     perfect.")

> 30.   Boston Brahmins

> 31.   Other speakers on stereotypes--reasons for exaggeration

>     (Boston Italian North End--no r's, etc.)--advantages ("The

>     women, they eat it up" and "Guys are intimidated")

> 32.   Black English--necessary for relating? ("I don't want my

>     boys sounding like white males.") ("She a school girl

>     instead of a mama girl.")

> 33.   Pride in regional variation

> 34.   Fred G. Cassidy--don't spoil communication

> 35.   Attitudes

> 36.   Credits

>





--

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Terry Lynn Irons    t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]morehead-st.edu

Voice Mail:       (606) 783-5164

Snail Mail:       UPO 604 Morehead, KY 40351

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