Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 22:17:22 -0700

From: Rudy Troike RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ARIZVMS.BITNET

Subject: Re: diversity of accents



More re change from above:

In my investigation of "McDavid's Law" (|z| -- |d|/__N) several years

ago (see Journal of English Linguistcs), it was very clear that the reversal

of this change, once prevalent among the upper crust, was proceeding downward

at present. It is not clear how much the media might be affecting this, but

it clearly is a top-down process. There is always SOME movement BOTH ways,

but I don't notice much evidence of such regularlized past participles as

have went or unchanged preterits as He come yesterday making any gains on

the social scale.

I am worried that one of my own most cherished pronunciations, in

which pin = pen , may be slipping, but I am not sure whether it is more due

to media influence or Yankee colonization of the South. In any case, the

development is not bottom-up.

Lexicon is always most easily influenced by the media. How many people

under 30 know any other term for cottage cheese (unless they grew up on a

farm in Pennsylvania)? Store labeling plus advertising has made this the

uniform term.

--Rudy Troike



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Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1993 05:33:03 -0600

From: Natalie Maynor maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.MSSTATE.EDU

Subject: Re: diversity of accents



I'm really interested in all the responses, since I looked for citations for my

dissertation from linguists refuting the myth that television would lead to

homogeneity in Am. Eng. and it was hard to find this discussion in print

anywhere.



I also have looked in vain for print discussion of this topic. I was looking

for it because somebody once asked me what evidence I had for my casual

comment that television and radio have not affected dialectal diversity in

the U.S. -- *except in lexicon*. I finally had to give up and reply that

the lack of evidence that there has been such influence leads us to believe

that there hasn't been.



Although I've never dealt with this topic in any work I was doing for

publication, I've mentioned it from time to time in teaching or in

general conversation and have pointed out that our speech does not seem

to be affected very much by listening to somebody on television or radio --

that interaction is required for such influence to occur (except in lexicon).

I don't know why I "know" this, however, and will appreciate the help if

anybody can tell me why I think I know it.



I've always said "except in lexicon" because it has always seemed common

sensical to me that the media do influence lexicon.

--Natalie (maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.msstate.edu)



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Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1993 05:36:41 -0600

From: Natalie Maynor maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.MSSTATE.EDU

Subject: Re: diversity of accents



Is there anybody who doesn't know who Barney is?



I didn't know who Barney was until a discussion of him on WORDS-L a month

or two ago.

--Natalie (maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.msstate.edu)



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Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1993 10:57:32 -0700

From: Rudy Troike RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ARIZVMS.BITNET

Subject: Re: diversity of accents



Do computer conferences become part of the media?

--Rudy Troike



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End of ADS-L Digest - 24 Nov 1993 to 25 Nov 1993

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There are 2 messages totalling 85 lines in this issue.



Topics of the day:



1. diversity of accents (2)



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