Southern drawl origin? (non-member query)

[Derrick Chapman]

Of course, there are those who say that the southern (US)drawl doesn't
really exist at all.  Supposedly Southerners make vowel sounds lasting a
fraction of a second longer than Northerners, but I've read of scientific
studies done that say no measurable difference appears.

And if you've ever heard the rapid fire monologue of a Southern belle (Dixie
Carter comes to mind), you might just agree.

The Southern drawl is (according to these studies I can't put my finger on)
simply a difference in vowel pronunciation: the long i sound of the Northern
*my* gets pronounced in the South closer to *ma* or *ma-i*.  And of course
the Northern *ma* gets pronounced closer to *maw.*

And (it really should go without saying) you'd find so much geographical and
social rank variation in both North and South that the use of the terms
becomes ill-advised.  A Vermonter and a New Yorker are as distinguishable
from each other as a Texan and Virginian.

I, of course, am from Georgia, though you couldn't tell it, since my speech
is heavily influenced by my British mom and my American TV.  But I do
sometimes type with an accent.

Sometimes acute, sometimes grave.  I've even been known to umlaut among
close friends.





-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Salikoko Mufwene
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2000 6:52 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Southern drawl origin? (non-member query)


At 04:04 PM 7/6/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Is there any sort of consensus on the origin of
>the U.S. southern states dialect, especially the
>drawl?  Is there any evidence of African-American
>slave influence on the development of the southern
>dialect?   Is there is any publication which
>summarizes the state of knowledge/opinion on
>this matter?
>
      I should know better and keep "my mouth shut" at a time when I am far
behind on several deadlines. But I find it interesting that the first
explanation that is suggested is "African-American slave influence."
Caribbean English varieties don't have a drawl, nor do West African
varieties. Ah! the "black nanny myth" again.

Sali.


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Salikoko S. Mufwene                        s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
University of Chicago                      773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924
Department of Linguistics
1010 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html
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