I chose to take a closer look at the different dialect regions within the United States of America because during the last semester at university I had been trying to adopt the American English accent into my own speech, and I wanted to learn where all the things the teachers had told l me to do had their origins. At first I wanted to deal with each and every of the ten dialect regions within the US, looking at all the phonemes which in some way characterized them. After I had done some research I learned that this way I would have had to spend a year on that paper, instead of the planned two months. So I decided to concentrate only on three Northern American dialect regions: Eastern New England, the South and the Central Midland. After writing the first part of my paper, including the study on the dialect spoken in the South, I found out that my topic was still too big. That was why I made the final decision to leave out the vowels in my study and to concentrate mainly on consonants, with the exception of the r-coloring. This turned out to be a research field easily big enough for my first paper of that kind.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. The sounds of American English
2.1. Consonant phonemes
2.2. Vowel phonemes
3. American English dialect regions
4. The South
4.1. The origins of Southern American English
4.2. Characteristics of the regional variety of the South
4.2.1. The retroflex /r/
4.2.2. The r-coloring
4.2.3. Voiced fricative /z/ versus unvoiced fricative /s/
4.2.4. Light /l/ versus dark / ɫ /
4.2.5. The approximant /j/
5. Eastern New England
5.1 The origins of the variety spoken in Eastern New England
5.2. Characteristics of the regional variety of Eastern New England
5.2.1. The retroflex /r/
5.2.2. The r-coloring
5.2.3. [hw] and [w]
5.2.4. The approximant /j/
6. The Central Midland
6.1 The origins of the variety spoken in the Central Midland
6.2. Characteristics of the regional variety of the Central Midland
6.2.1. The retroflex /r/
6.2.2. Voiced fricative /z/ versus unvoiced fricative /s/
6.2.3. The approximant /j/
7. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
The primary objective of this paper is to examine phonological variations within specific regional dialects of the United States. The author investigates how historical settlement patterns and linguistic influences have shaped the pronunciation of consonants, specifically focusing on three distinct regions: the South, Eastern New England, and the Central Midland.
- Phonetic analysis of consonant phonemes in American English dialects.
- Examination of the historical origins of regional linguistic varieties.
- Comparison of the retroflex /r/ and r-coloring across different US regions.
- Study of specific phonetic markers like the approximant /j/ and fricative voicing.
- Contrastive analysis between regional dialects and Standard American English.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1. The retroflex /r/
The most obvious feature of the southern dialect is the omitting of the /r/ when preceding a consonant, at the end of words and sometimes also between two vowels, as in words like ‘very’ or ‘Carolina’. In Standard American English we normally have a clearly audible /r/-sound in words like ‘farm’, ‘fierce’ and ‘surely’ or in ‘fear’, ‘there’ and ‘core’. In the South, for example ‘farm’ would not be pronounced as [fa:rm], as usual in the American Standard, but as [fa:m], ‘fear’ would not sound like [fi:r], but like [fɪə], [fɪəs] would replace [fi:rs] at pronunciation of the word ‘fierce’, and far would be [fa:] instead of [fa:r].
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author outlines the motivation for studying American dialects and explains the decision to focus on three specific regions to maintain academic manageability.
2. The sounds of American English: This chapter provides a foundational overview of the 24 consonant phonemes and 12 vowel sounds that constitute the phonetic system of American English.
3. American English dialect regions: The text categorizes the United States into ten distinct dialect regions based on geographical and settlement criteria.
4. The South: This section details the historical migration patterns that established the southern accent and analyzes specific phonetic traits, such as r-omission and fricative usage.
5. Eastern New England: The author examines the unique linguistic profile of this region, highlighting the impact of early English Puritan settlers and phenomena like intrusive r-coloring.
6. The Central Midland: This chapter explores the diverse settlement history of the Midwest and notes how its dialectal features often align more closely with the American Standard than the previously discussed regions.
7. Conclusion: The author reflects on the research process and discusses the surprising finding that American regional dialects show less extreme divergence than initially hypothesized.
Keywords
American English, Regional Dialects, Phonetics, Consonants, Retroflex /r/, R-coloring, Southern American English, Eastern New England, Central Midland, Linguistic Variation, Language Settlement, Phonology, Dialectology, Speech Variety, Standard American English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this publication?
The work investigates the phonological differences in consonant pronunciation across three major American English dialect regions: the South, Eastern New England, and the Central Midland.
Which linguistic aspects are analyzed?
The analysis concentrates primarily on consonant phonemes, including the usage of the retroflex /r/, r-coloring, fricative voicing, and the placement of the approximant /j/.
What is the author's primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how different historical settlement waves in the United States contributed to the development of unique regional speech patterns compared to the American Standard.
Which scientific method is applied?
The paper employs a descriptive linguistic approach, comparing phonetic transcriptions of specific words across regional dialects against the norms of Standard American English.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section consists of a detailed breakdown of the three selected regions, documenting the historical origins of their speakers and conducting a comparative phonetic analysis of their specific consonant traits.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include American English, Regional Dialects, Phonetics, Consonants, Retroflex /r/, R-coloring, and Linguistic Variation.
How does the author define "r-coloring"?
The author defines r-coloring as the phonetic modification of vowels when they are immediately followed by an /r/, which is a common feature in Standard American English but varies significantly by region.
What makes "Eastern New England" linguistically unique according to the text?
This region is noted for the phenomenon of "intrusive r-coloring," where an r-sound is pronounced at the end of words that do not orthographically or etymologically contain an /r/, such as "law" or "idea."
What distinction is made regarding the "Central Midland" dialect?
The Central Midland is described as having a "patchwork" settlement nature and is noted for being phonetically closer to the American Standard than the South or Eastern New England.
Does the author believe that American dialects cause communication barriers?
The author concludes that despite the vast size of the US, the degree of difference between dialects is surprisingly low, especially when compared to the intense regional variation found in smaller countries like Austria.
- Quote paper
- Dagmar Hecher (Author), 2004, Regional Dialect Variation within the United States of America, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/60698
