Voices of North Carolina

Webinar 1: The Reality of Dialects

February 1, 2011

Introduction to the webinar

• 3 hours online• 7 hours outside work• 1 CEU• Topics include:

– Language myths -Lumbee English– Tools for language analysis -African American English– Dialect patterns -Cherokee– Outer Banks English -Spanish – Mountain Talk -Language ideology

Introduction to the webinar

• 450-minute, multi-media instructional unit• Classroom, teacher-taught• Dovetails with the NC 8th grade social studies Standard

Course of Study• NC Department of Public Instruction endorsed • Products

– Teacher manual– Student workbook– Extensive online media – Dialect Jeopardy!

• Downloadable at: http://ncsu.edu/linguistics/dialectcurriculum.php

Dovetailing with the SCSNC eighth-grade SCS objective

1.01 Assess the impact of geography on the settlement and developing economy of the Carolina colony

1.07 Describe the roles and contributions of diverse groups, such as American Indians, African Americans, European immigrants, landed gentry, tradesmen, and small farmers to everyday life in colonial North Carolina, and compare them to the other colonies

3.05 Compare and contrast different perspectives among North Carolinians on the national policy of Removal and Resettlement of American Indian populations

Met in curriculum by:

Isolation caused by ocean, swamps, and mountains is examined, as is the Great wagon Road

 American Indians, African Americans, and diverse groups of European Americans are examined in urban and rural contexts

The historical contexts of the Lumbee and Cherokee are contrasted, including the early integration and loss of native tongue for the Lumbee and the forced removal and return of the Cherokee

Dovetailing with the SCSNC eighth-grade SCS objective8.01 Describe the changing demographics in North Carolina and analyze their significance for North Carolina's society and economy

8.04 Assess the importance of regional diversity on the development of economic, social, and political institutions in North Carolina

Met in curriculum by:

One of the fastest growing populations in North Carolina is Hispanics. This causes people to make assumptions about the effects of this group. The linguistic and social effects are examined

 Understanding regional diversity can be enhanced by examining regional linguistic diversity, which is reflective of social and economic institutions

In total, the curriculum directly addresses 12 objectives

and 6 of 9 strands

Curriculum goals

• To develop a respect for the systematic patterning of all language varieties

• To develop an appreciation for the link between historical development and language and culture

• To gain authentic knowledge about how dialects pattern

• To develop an awareness and appreciation for other ways of speaking

Other curriculum characteristics

• Extensive background information for teachers• Easy to use layout • Flexible lesson ideas • Variety of activities • Accommodates multiple learning styles • Teaching tips • Extensive multimedia resources • Minimal linguistics vocabulary • Positive portrayals of languages, cultures, and people• Answer keys with careful explanations

What does a voice tell us?

In a moment, you will see two short video clips. As you watch the first vignette, try to imagine what the speaker is like. Think about all the characteristics of a person that may be associated with a voice

As you watch the second vignette, think about how language prejudice evolves and how it may affect different groups in different settings.

What does a voice tell us?

In a moment, you will use your Web browser to view two short video clips. As you watch the first vignette, try to imagine what the speaker is like. Think about all the characteristics of a person that may be associated with a voice. The first clip is located here: http://tiny.cc/wlyuh

As you watch the second vignette, think about how language prejudice evolves and how it may affect different groups in different settings. The second clip is located here: http://tiny.cc/u3gic

We will pause for 5 minutes while you watch these clips

Linguistic profiling

• Definition: Using vocal cues to identifying the probable ethnicity of a person (often over the telephone) and then “discriminating” against that person because of a perceived ethnic or social affiliation

• Can happen in many contexts, including employment, housing, access to services, criminal convictions

• Estimated to be between 2 to 4 million cases annually of linguistic profiling related to housing (between 6000 and 15,000 cases per day)

• Fair Housing Act: Sec. 804. [42 U.S.C. 3604 a-f] “It shall be unlawful… (b) To discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin.”

Transforming dialect perception

• Entrenched language ideology

• The most persistent sociolinguistic challenge in all venues of public life continues to be the widespread application of the principle of linguistic subordination:

Lippi-Green, 1997: 73

Discrimination based on language variation is “so commonly accepted, so widely perceived as appropriate, that it must be seen as the last back door to discrimination. And the door stands wide open”

The importance of language study

Of what use is linguistics? …In the lives of individuals and of society, language is a factor of greater importance than any other. For the study of language to remain solely the business of a handful of specialists would be a quite unacceptable state of affairs. In practice, the study

of language is in some degree or other the concern of everyone.”

(Ferdinand de Saussure, 1916)

Challenges

• Principle of linguistic subordination

• Lack of established tradition of education in public schools

• Insufficient sociolinguistic information in teacher preparation

• The “mis-education” of the American public

• Acceptance of popular interpretations of “lay experts” as correct views about language differences

Linguists everywhere…

“That’s the good thing about dialects; anybody can do it as a

hobby.” – Taxi cab driver, Albuquerque

– January 5, 2006

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

– Mark Twain

Dialect myth

A dialect is something that someone else speaks

Everyone who speaks a language speaks some dialect of the language

Dialect myths

Dialects always have highly noticeable features that set them apart

Dialect is not directly related to public commentary about its special characteristics

Dialect myths

Dialects are ill-formed derivatives of Standard English

Dialects are highly patterned, intricate and systematic varieties of a language

Dialect myths

Regional and ethnic dialects are dying due to the influence of the mass media

Dialects are dynamic; while some dialects are receding, others are intensifying. There is no universal convergence of dialects in the US

Dialect myths

There is little reason to learn about dialects apart from innate curiosity

There are significant scientific, social, historical, educational, and personal benefits from studying dialects

Dialect myths

Speaking a dialect limits a student’s ability to express academic concepts

All language systems have roughly the same ability to express complexity

Language ideology

• Definition: The widely shared, “common sense” understanding of how language works and how it ought to work

• Closely linked to power• Embedded in social conventions • Used to legitimizing existing social relations and differences of

power• Most effective when its workings are least visible

“If one becomes aware that a particular aspect of common sense is sustaining power inequalities at one’s own expense, it ceases to be common sense”

-Fairclough, 2001: 71

Linguistic patterns: pin/pen

Listen to a Southern speaker pronounce the following pairs of words, which feature the “short i" and “short e” vowels.

You will then hear the same speaker pronounce a second list of word pairs with the same vowels.

Pay careful attention to the pronunciations and try to figure out when this speaker says the “short i" and “short e” vowels so that they sound alike.

Linguistic patterns: pin/pen

List A:

1. tin and ten

2. kin and Ken

3. lin and Len

4. windy and Wendy

5. sinned and send

List B:

1. lit and let

2. pick and peck

3. pig and peg

4. rip and rep

5. litter and letter

Write a rule that describes the pattern for when i and e are pronounced the same and when they are pronounced differently

Linguistic patterns: pin/pen

Use your rule to predict whether the speaker will pronounce the following pairs of words the same or differently

1. bit and bet

2. pit and pet

3. bin and Ben

4. Nick and neck

5. din and den

Answer key:

1. bit and bet differently

2. pit and pet differently

3. bin and Ben same

4. Nick and neck differently

5. din and den same

Definitions

Dialect –

A form of a language spoken by a group of people from the same regional or cultural background. Everyone speaks a dialect, even though some dialects are more noticeable than others. Dialects differ in their vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.

Definitions

Dialect vocabulary –

The ways in which speakers of a certain dialect use different words to mean the same thing.

In different dialects, a sub is also known as a hoagie, torpedo, hero, poor boy, etc.

Different dialects call a carbonated beverage pop, soda-pop, soda, coke, co-cola, or dope

Definitions

Dialect pronunciation –

The different ways in which speakers of a different dialects would pronounce the same word. Similar to an accent.

In eastern New England, many speakers drop the r off of words like mother and car.

In the South, many speakers say greazy instead of greasy. The pin/pen merger is another example of a dialect pronunciation.

Definitions

Dialect grammar –

The particular ways in which speakers of a certain dialect arrange sentences and words or convey grammatical information.

In some parts of Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, speakers may say the car needs washed where other speakers say the car needs washing.

Some people from the Appalachian Mountains or from the Outer Banks may say the man went a-hunting where other people may say the man went hunting.

Definitions

Bias – A tendency to act or feel a certain way about particular things. In our case, people are often biased against certain dialects. Bias can be overt or covert. That is, people may openly say things like, “I don’t like the way kids talk today” or they may comment on a language variety indirectly by saying things like, “people from up North are always in a hurry,” which may mean that they speak in a rushed manner. Everybody has linguistic biases whether or not we are aware of it. Oftentimes, we project perceived characteristics of a group onto the language variety that the group speaks.

Levels of dialect

For each number, decide whether the difference between the sentences is at the level of vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar

1. That feller sure was tall

That fellow sure was tall

2. That road sure is sigogglin

That road sure is crooked

3. They usually be doing their homework

They usually do their homework

Pronunciation

Vocabulary

Grammar

Levels of dialect

For each number, decide whether the difference between the sentences is at the level of vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar

4. I weren’t there yesterday

I wasn’t there yesterday

5. They put their food in a bag

They put their food in a poke

6. It’s hoi toid on the sound soid

It’s high tide on the sound side

Grammar

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

Levels of dialect

7. I was hanging out with my peeps

I was hanging out with my friends

8. They’re to the school right now

They’re at the school right now

9. They caught some fish

They caught some feesh

10. They went hunting and fishing

They went a-hunting and a-fishing

Vocabulary

Grammar

Pronunciation

Grammar

Key points

• Everyone speaks a dialect• All dialects are patterned • There is a difference between grammatical and

acceptable • Evaluations of dialects are really evaluations of the

people who speak that dialect • Linguists describe differences between dialects in terms

of three levels: vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar

Any questions?

At this time, you may use the “raise hand” feature of the webinar software to ask any questions

Homework (estimated time: 2 hours)

1. Watch background “Webinar” on the curriculum: http://tiny.cc/zaeuu

2. Access the Voices of North Carolina curriculum online (http://ncsu.edu/linguistics/download.php)

3. Complete the a-prefixing and r-dropping exercises in the Student Workbook (pages 7-13)

-Read: Teacher’s Manual Days 1 and 2

-Watch videos: “Excerpt from The Carolina Brogue” (below Chapter 22); Chapters 23/24 on “Mountain Talk”; “Chapter 25 on “Cherokee”

4. Write two observations or questions related to the exercises in #3

5. Write a brief reflection on language ideology or language bias

6. Submit responses to #4 and #5 as a single attached file or in the body of a single email by 5:00 PM, February 18,

to: VoicesWebinar@gmail.com

http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/dialectcurriculum.php

Watch for Homework

Use to access materialsand videos

Exercises located here

Additional readings

Videos

If you need Quicktime

The two videos used in today’s webinar

The Pin/Pen merger clips

Videos used for homeworkactivities

Homework (estimated time: 2 hours)

1. Watch background “Webinar” on the curriculum: http://tiny.cc/zaeuu

2. Access the Voices of North Carolina curriculum online (http://ncsu.edu/linguistics/download.php)

3. Complete the a-prefixing and r-dropping exercises in the Student Workbook (pages 7-13)

-Read: Teacher’s Manual Days 1 and 2

-Watch videos: “Excerpt from The Carolina Brogue” (below Chapter 22); Chapters 23/24 on “Mountain Talk”; “Chapter 25 on “Cherokee”

4. Write two observations or questions related to the exercises in #3

5. Write a brief reflection on language ideology or language bias

6. Submit responses to #4 and #5 as a single attached file or in the body of a single email by 5:00 PM, February 18,

to: VoicesWebinar@gmail.com