dialects

[Laurence Horn]

>"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

Or that Youpers, born and bred in the U.P. of
Michigan, are phonologically indistinguishable
from Texans.  Or (if there's an exception for
those south-of-whatever) from Utahns.  Maybe he
was misquoted?

LH

>
>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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