Dialects in Film Revisited

[Mullins, Bill]

>
> Hi everyone. We talked about the authenticity of dialect in
> film last=20 spring. I'm wondering now if anyone can suggest
> examples of films that use= =20 dialects in ways that either
> convey prestige (that is the character using= =20 the dialect
> is upper class, respected etc) and films that use dialect
> to=20 enforce negative prestige (to put down the character).
>
> I don't have a certain dialect in mind, although southern
> seems to be used= =20 often in this respect.
>


"Million Dollar Baby" certainly links Maggie's Arkansas accent to
her trailer-trash background.  But it doesn't do so in an offensive
manner (at least, to this southern boy).