dialects

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Accent" technically refers to pronunciation only; "dialect" covers differences in pronunciation, syntax, word-choice, you name it.

  For ordinary purposes, the only people who don't have an "accent" (at least when speaking their native tongue) are people who live in a speech community so tiny that no identifiable and patterned differences in pronunciation exist.

  Something similar goes for dialects. The only sense I can make out of the radio comment is that native speakers of American English who live all their lives west of the Mississippi cannot be localized further just by listening to their pronunciation.

  This may be true, but I doubt it. It certainly was not true in the past. Even now I can't believe that people bred and born in North Dakota, for example, very often sound like people from Southern California.

  JL

Bill Le May <blemay0 at MCHSI.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Bill Le May
Subject: Re: dialects
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That should be Robert Beard, not Frank.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Bill Le May
> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 6:52 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: dialects
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Bill Le May
> Subject: Re: dialects
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------
>
> NPR's Steve Inskeep interviewed linguist Frank Beard on June
> 20th on Morning Edition. You can listen to it here:
>
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5496546
>
> At about 3:47 into the interview, Beard states "Once you get
> [westward] past Ohio there are no accents."
>
> I have no idea what differentiates an accent versus dialect
> and will watch any comments with interest.
>
> Bill Le May
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society
> > [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jan Kammert
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 10:49 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: dialects
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: Jan Kammert
> > Subject: dialects
> > --------------------------------------------------------------
> > -----------------
> >
> > Today, I was talking with some coworkers (we all work in a middle
> > school), and one of them started talking about something he
> heard on
> > NPR that claimed no one west of the Mississippi River has a
> dialect.
> > I said, "Everyone has a dialect." We sort of spiraled into does
> > not/does too, and then I dropped it.
> >
> > Anyone hear the story he was talking about? Can you give
> me details?
> > And can someone verify for me: Does everyone have a
> dialect? If I'm
> > wrong, I'll apologize tomorrow.
> > Thanks!
> > Jan
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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