Dialects, Idioms, Slang and Pronunciation of the American Language
There are hundreds of regional dialects within the same language. These dialects reflect the everyday experience of people living in different parts of the country and shape their cultural identity. Someone from Pittsburgh sounds very different than someone from Texas, and if they speak to each other, they will have a good guess as to where the other is from. The type of English spoken in the United States is commonly known as American English (Delaney). Various dialects are the result of historical, geographical, and social factors. There is a considerable range of language diversity within each of the different dialectal speech communities, with individual speakers varying their speech. We all speak with an accent and we all speak a dialect these include both the Standard English dialect and the Modern Non-standard Dialects. (Delaney) There are variations of accents according to a speaker’s age, gender, ethnicity and social and educational background.
Dialect describes a language variety where a users regional or social background appears in a persons use of vocabulary and grammar. A lot of dialect has to do with what native language a person speaks, where a person comes from, where a person lives, who a person hangs out with, and how they spend free time. These are just several ways in which dialect has been influenced. We tend to be more welcoming of ethnic diversity in our country, however, when it comes to academic writing, a language barrier is set. Students are not encouraged to write in whatever dialect they chose but are expected to use Standard Written English. Language varies through different regions, because people have different acce...
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...where a person is from and what dialect they were raised to speak. Another example is refrigerator some people refer to a refrigerator as a fridge or an icebox. There are many other examples of words that can be pronounced and interpreted differently it just all depends on the region you live in and the customs of that area.
All in all the primary social function of any dialect or of all language is communication. Language plays a very vital role in human society. The language of any human society tells a lot about that certain society. Therefore, it can be further emphasized that language and communication are inseparable. Dialect plays an extremely important role in our American culture and will continue to evolve and change as time goes on. One thing is for certain we will always have a wide variety of dialects and speech in our culture.
While some features of AAVE are apparently unique to this variety, in its structure it also shows many similarities with other varieties including a number of standard and nonstandard English varieties spoken in the US and the Caribbean. Speakers and writers of this dialect use some distinctive aspects of the phonological, lexical, and grammatical traits associated with this dialect. Many sociolinguists would reserve the term AAVE for varieties which are marked by the occurrence of certain distinctive grammatical features.
The article Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan is a personal look into how language, and the dialects of that language, can affect a person 's life. It 's a look into how the people inside the cultural circles who use dialect derivatives of a major language are treated by people who exist outside of those cultural circles. It shows us how society treats a person using a "broken" or "limited" dialect, and how society 's treatment of these people can also affect the children who grow up using these "broken" dialects. Tan wrote this article try and convey to the reader that English is a colorful, and ever-changing language that has many dialects. Tan makes the point, several times throughout the article, that society judges you based on the type of English that you use. Throughout the article, Tan uses both her mother, herself and society 's treatment of them as evidence to support her idea. The purpose of pointing this out is to show the reader that the language a person uses, whether it be taught to them in school or by a parent at home, isn 't indicative of a person 's intelligence or value, and they shouldn 't be judged as less for using it.
American Tongues Response EssayThe documentary American Tongues (1987) examines an array of American dialects and accents in all regions of the United States, as well as the perceptions tied to specific ways of speaking. The film does this by interviewing people of multiple ethnicities, geographical locations, education-levels, and socio-economic classes. The information presented in American Tongues makes the audience consider its distinct way of speaking and the insight it may provide to those around them. The film clearly shows that the way individuals speak, as well as the diction they choose to use or eradicate from their vocabulary, is intricately tied
Language in the South varies according to which area someone is in and what the person’s ethnic background is. Most white people that live in the South have a country draw in their accent or talk very proper. Most black people in the South talk using Ebonics or are really proper, but some do have a draw in their accent. The other ethnic groups talk in their native language or in English with a distinct accent associated with their ethnicity. If one is in Southern Louisiana their accent will be Cajun. The language in the South is alike in most places according to the person’s race except in Southern Louisiana.
Unique to only Miami, the dialect known as “Miami dialect” is widely spoken throughout the city. It originates from second or third generation Hispanics, including Cuban-Americans whose first language was not English. The dialect is close to a standard American accent, but with some changes from the dialects in the Mid-Atlantic. It incorporates pronunciation and rhythm influenced by Spanish. The administrative languages of Miami are English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. While Spanish is the most spoken language in Miami, there are others that speak different languages, just as you would find in any other big metropolitan city.
All characters have their own dialect and their ways of speaking differ slightly" (Hansberry 40).They speak a real language of their community, a language that is unconventional. They speak a common dialect in the black communities (Hansberry 40).
The United States is made up of multiple cultures, race, and languages. Many people come from Mexico or Asian parts of the world, like China in search for a better life. One of the struggles many people have when coming from a different country is the language, in this case English. Everyone has a unique way of communicating. In the United States, after people learn English they realize they use different Englishes without knowing, in order to communicate, whether it be with parents, professors, or your own pets.
The video “American Tongues” is about variety of English dialect in America, and people still carry prejudice and stereotypes in people’s accents and dialects. These accent and dialects are not limited in pronunciation. There are different words, phrases and grammars in their dialects, therefore, some people are noticed where they are from. As a premise, everyone has an accent. However, some people believe they don’t have an accent because people around them have the exact same accent and dialect in their community. Therefore, they haven’t noticed differences. In the video, there was a scene of a woman was correcting her accent for work to speak “standard dialect”. It was required for her to speak “standard dialect” for work because when she was out of her original community where
Those dialects are affected by the communities that use them. People add slang or shorten words to make the language their own. This has an immense impact on how authors write. Some authors will attempt to use proper English, but often times will use words common to their community. In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara (DiYanni, 2007, pp. 1).
Language is a universal trait that every culture has, whether it is written or spoken, people around the world have a need to communicate with one another. Language reflects your background and where you come from, according to Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams (2011), an accent is a regional phonological distinction (p. 433). That being said, in the United States the most prevalent language is English, but depending on the region, your language might sound different to other people. If someone from Wisconsin visited one of the southern states, they would definitely notice a drawl in a southerner’s language, whereas the native southerner would think the Wisconsin resident’s accent sounds nasally.
Language is a very powerful thing. It is the way that people communicate with each other. For a foreigner living in America I think that this is essential. This is why I believe that if a foreigner only attempts to learn English, then they are already assimilating to American culture. Whether or not they choose to change their whole lifestyle into an American way of life, if they take on the English language then they are assimilating to a certain extent.
One obvious reason is interaction with other languages. If one tribe of people trades with another, they will pick up specific words and phrases for trade objects,for example.
In our society, there are many cultures with language and dialect variations, but Standard English is the language of the dominant culture. Therefore, it is necessary for all students to learn to write and speak Standard English effectively. However, for many students of Urban school districts, especially African Americans, writing and speaking effective Standard English can occasionally pose a problem. Many African American students speak a variation of Standard English (Black Vernacular Speech) whose linguistic patterns sometimes conflict with those of Standard English. It is true that African American speech is an essential aspect of their African American culture, so the educational system would be doing African American students a disservice by insisting that they learn Standard English as a primary discourse. It is also a fact however, that in order to be viewed as a successful, functional member of society, Standard English, if learned as a secondary discourse, should be written and spoken as fluently as the primary discourse.
Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996,p.304). In America there are many ethnic groups with many varieties of language. The U.S. was created through many people from different countries migrating to the new states. In the U.S. there is an “official speech” which is the English language. The language of both these countries are not only different in meaning and sound, but also reflect the way in which the people in these societies live, believe, and function.
Despite the fact that English is considered one language, there are many regional varieties called dialects spoken all over the world. Although these dialects are mutually intelligible by English speakers, they are quite different. For example, British English is markedly different than American English. British speakers pronounce words differently and use a different vocabulary. Some words and phrases have different meanings in American English versus British English. One example is the word “bathroom.” If an American were to ask where the bathroom is in a British home, they might be sent to a room with a bath and no toilet, which is probably not what the American wanted. The two dialects may even differ in grammar in some cases. For example, “gotten” is considered correct in American English, but in British English, “got” is used.