1st Edition
The Social Life of Appalachian Englishes A Sociolinguistic Introduction
Appalachian Englishes (AEs) possess an array of linguistic features that distinguish them from other American Englishes, yet the rich history of language in the United States has created a wealth of linguistic resources through factors such as immigration and contact, providing the environment for AEs to grow and adapt in ways that are also similar to other varieties of English. AEs have a long history of representation in linguistic literature, but until now no single work has examined the interplay of language production and perception with an eye toward the role that language plays in the construction of personal and social identities.
The Social Life of Appalachian Englishes takes a sociolinguistic/sociocultural approach to exploring specific linguistic features highlighted in the Linguistic Atlas Projects and the social life of Appalachian varieties in terms of perceptions and use. Focusing on the single theme of the social life of language in Appalachia, the book aims to explore the implications of the kinds of variation found, reinforce the notion that social meaning and variation are inseparable, and illustrate how linguistic production and perception are interrelated. It uses new data to amplify this theme, presenting a novel combination of data from different sociolinguistic traditions (specifically, perceptual dialectology and traditional atlas-style dialectology). Opportunities for engagement are provided through QR codes linking to additional resources and discussion questions and exercises at the end of each chapter.
This book is designed for students and researchers interested in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, American Englishes, language variation, linguistic anthropology, and Appalachian studies.
Preface
Acknowledgements
Glossary
Chapter 1: “It tickles him so good” – The Social Life of Language in Appalachia
Setting in
Appalachia as a construct
Perceptions of Appalachia
The study of language
Introducing sociolinguistics
Appalachia in previous sociolinguistic studies
Contextualizing Appalachian Englishes
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 2: “She’d write him a dun” – Words and Meanings
Setting in
Variability in language
Vocabulary in Appalachia
What the LAP can tell us about an ‘Appalachian vocabulary’
Appalachian vocabulary features in the LAP
A cottage industry
Fanning the lexical flames
Out of the fire and into the pan
Where you put your groceries
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 3: “Build us a far” – Sounding Appalachian
Setting in
The study of speech sound
The sounds of Appalachian Englishes
Appalachian pronunciation features in the LAP
Hwæt happened to the /h/?
Intrusive consonants?
One vowel or two?
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 4: “They didn’t nobody starving” – Making Sense of Grammatical Variation
Setting in
The study of grammar
The grammatical features of Appalachian Englishes
Appalachian grammatical features in the LAP
Growed up too fast
We was all waiting
Three mile of bean plants
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 5: “All he's talked about up that mountain” – Discourse and Narrative
Setting in
Discourse, narrative, and meaning
Appalachian discourses in the LAP
Excerpt 1: That’s good cooking in that
Excerpt 2: Some people call ‘em pokes and things
Excerpt 3: Them’s quilts or coverlets
Excerpt 4: Well of course a pen [pɛn] if you say it distinctly
Excerpt 5: Who? What? Y’all?
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 6: “Roots of my raisin” – Perceptions of Appalachian Englishes
Setting in
Perceptual dialectology
Mental maps
Qualitative approaches
Insiders and outsiders
Where are Appalachian Englishes?
What are Appalachian Englishes?
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Chapter 7: “A relatively distinct way of speaking” – Integrating Our Understandings
Setting in
Putting the “dialect” in perceptual dialectology
Mapping production and perceptions
Perception, production, and identity
Appalachia(n) as ‘other’
Recollection
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Jennifer Cramer is Professor of Linguistics and Affiliate Faculty of Appalachian Studies at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA. She is the author of Contested Southernness (2016), co-editor of Cityscapes and Perceptual Dialectology (2016), and co-author of Linguistic Planets of Belief (2020) and English with an Accent (2022).
Allison Burkette is Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA, where she currently serves as Department Chair and as the Editor of the Linguistic Atlas Project. Burkette is the author of Language and Material Culture (2015) and Language and Classification (2018).
The Social Life of Appalachian Englishes offers the most thorough and engaging portrait of the language and culture of one of America’s most distinctive and iconic regions. The work stems from one of the most ambitious undertakings in dialectology, the Linguistic Atlas Project, and contextualizes the ensuing linguistic analyses in the voices and stories of Appalachian residents. This volume examines not only the history that gave birth to the ways of speaking throughout the Appalachian region, it offers a compelling commentary on how those ways of speaking are viewed from within and outside the region and why this matters. Additionally, the authors persuasively explain why learning more about Appalachian English is essential for anyone interested in language and culture, and in doing so, pays the region the homage it deserves.
Jeffrey Reaser, North Carolina State University, USA
