Offensive vernacular?

[Vida J Morkunas]

I'm offended he wrote 'their' instead of 'there'. And the rest is not much
better.

I hope he doesn't teach English??

Vida.


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf Of
Sam Clements
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 8:06 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Offensive vernacular?

What I would want to know is--why did your colleague choose to write this
stupidity to his secretary in this instance?  It sounds like an urban legend
or some exponentially forwarded message that is sent in e-mail to my mother.

Is your colleague in the habit of doing this kind of thing in an official,
office situation?    Did "Joyce" (not her real name) talk in a similar
manner in her email?  WHY did he choose to reply to her the way he did? What
did his message have to do with her message?

SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Nardoni" <JNardoni at AOL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 10:12 PM
Subject: Offensive vernacular?


> Hi, a colleague of mine is taking some heat for sending the following
email
> message.  I will give a brief situation. He missed class one day, and
forgot to
> tell the secretary he would be out, so she couldn't tell his students who
> came looking for him.  She sent him an email request to remember next
time.  This
> is what he wrote:
>
> Shucks, Joyce, (not her real name), ya know, ah plumb forgot.  Mah Dean
> alreddy new it, 'n ah told mah classes on Frahday ah wuddn't be their.
Guess some
> folks wuz out thet day.  Ah'll dismember it neckst tahme.
>
> Some people at my college are claiming this language is a clear attempt to
> use a vernacular that "has been ascribed derisively, to people of color."
>
> While I'm not a linguist, it seems to me that this sounds more like the
> dialect of a southern white hillbilly, or even a parody of one, ala Li'l
Abner.
>
> What I am asking for is your considered opinions as to what dialectal
> influences you see in this language, and any information you have that
would suggest
> this kind of language has been ascribed in derision towards people of
color.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joseph Nardoni
>