Do you speak Texan? (fwd link)

[Richard Zane Smith]

interesting Phil, especially about the identity and place connection.

I'll say that there is a noticeable twang in some Okies learning their
indigenous languages.
Some can't get beyond it no matter how hard they try.

We had a visiting a Quebec Wendat woman who's involved in wendat language
revitalization.
when she heard the kids (here in NE Okl.) singing in Wyandot she said "they
sound like Americans!"
I said, "thats funny,  when i hear you speaking Wendat ,it sounds like
French!" (we both laughed)

I'm guessing second languages will always be influenced by the speakers
first language.
its why its so important to bring kids up with more than one language EARLY.

its also much harder to reach consensus for those of us rousing dormant
languages.
when there ARE NO ELDERS to pester us by demanding we "say it right"

Richard



On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 11:28 PM, Phillip E Cash Cash <
cashcash at email.arizona.edu> wrote:

> I thought the news article was interesting for a number of reasons.
> Probably the most obvious one is how a speech pattern/dialect achieves a
> kind of symbolic status when it is associated with things like "identity"
> and "belonging."  Similar experiences can be found in endangered language
> communities.
>
> Too, I have always been curious if heritage language speakers in Oklahoma
> and surrounding southern areas maintain a natural distinction between
> speaking a southern American English dialect/accent and their own native
> language or if they are somehow mixed with a "twang" (whatever that might
> be).  The same interesting questions Richard poses apply here as well.
>
> I know for many indigenous communities, it is quite easy to hear when a
> native language speaker speaks with an English accent.  Some older
> teachers/elders tend to mercilessly correct their student learners on
> this.  But then, is it really an accent in this case or is it just simply
> the consequences of acquiring a second language?
>
> Just a few thoughts to add on here.
> Phil
>



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