Chapter 13
Please note that the labels on each recording (for example, "Chicago English" or "Black English") were provided by the person who made the recording available for you to listen to. Other linguists or individuals may not agree on the description as it stands. The best example of this: you'll note that some recordings are marked "general" American, which is problematic for the same reasons the term "standard" English is problematic.
Audio Examples
Audio
|
Accent |
Chapter |
Page # |
Online Example Title |
URL |
|
Standard American English |
13 |
371 |
International Dialects of English Archive: General American |
|
|
Greek |
13 |
375 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Greece |
|
|
Farsi |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Farsi 1-13 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=farsi |
|
Portuguese |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Portuguese 1-35 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=portuguese |
|
Colombia |
13 |
376 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Colombia |
|
|
Swedish |
13 |
376 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Sweden |
|
|
Dutch |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Dutch 1-29 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=dutch |
|
Gaelic |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: English 253 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=857 |
|
Spanish |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Spanish 1-88 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=spanish |
|
Rumanian |
13 |
376 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Romania |
|
|
Thai |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Thai 1-9 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=thai |
|
Urdu |
13 |
376 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Urdu 1-7 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=urdu |
|
French accent |
13 |
377 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of France |
|
|
Puerto Rican accent |
13 |
377 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Spanish 15 |
Discussion question
1. Listen to the samples of people speaking English with different L2 accents*. Which of these accents do you think would be most tolerated or embraced in your area? Which would be least tolerated or embraced? Why?
Videos
“Town Passes English-Only Law”
Fox News, 7/28/10
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4295607/town-passes-english-only-law?r_src=ramp
“ACLU Targets Town’s English-Only Law”
Fox News, 4/30/10
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4204792/aclu-targets-towns-english-only-law
These video clips provide material to discuss the English-only movement in America.
Discussion question
1. How would you evaluate the arguments for the English-only policies described in these videos in light of the content of Chapter 13?
Further Resources
Fishman, J. (2004) Multilingualism and Non-English Mother Tongues. In E. Finegan and J. Rickford (Eds.).Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Munro, M. (2003) A Primer on Accent Discrimination in the Canadian Context. TESL Canada Journal 20(2): 38–51.
Piller, I. (in press) Multilingualism and Social Exclusion. In M. Martin-Jones, A. Blackledge and A. Creese (Eds.), Handbook of Multilingualism. London: Routledge. (accessed June 6, 2011) http://www.languageonthemove.com/downloads/PDF/piller_in_press_social_inclusion.pdf
Wiley, T. (2004) Language Planning, Language Policy, and the English-Only Movement. In E. Finegan and J. Rickford (Eds.) Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Images
Restaurant sign that says, “This is America, order in English”
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-GDfDN8NxWM/TJUEJFzavNI/AAAAAAAAC7s/Gq4G1SFw9zk/s400/images.jpg
T-shirt with Uncle Sam saying “I want YOU to speak English”
http://image.spreadshirt.com/image-server/image/composition/18126221/view/1/producttypecolor/2/type/png/width/378/height/378/i-want-you-to-speak-english-t-shirts_design.png
T-shirt that says “I don't want to press 1 for English, this is America”
http://images1.cpcache.com/product/united+states-this+is+america-speak+english+in+america/65691921v11_225x225_Front.jpg
Uncle Sam saying “I want you to speak English or get out!”
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KU51MsCR4AA/TNmOB5Ub9YI/AAAAAAAAABY/lYdsHp9n98Q/s1600/learn-to-speak-english-main_full.jpg
Handwritten sign saying “Respect are [sic] country – speak English”
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QtFVMEvuxHc/TNlAtm9bu_I/AAAAAAAAAJw/r8k45rGPP7I/s1600/english.jpg
Links
U.S. English
http://www.us-english.org/
English First
http://www.englishfirst.org/
Issues in U.S. Language Policies: The English Only Movement
http://www.languagepolicy.net/archives/engonly.htm
“The English-only movement in America”
PRI’s The World, October 28, 2010
http://www.theworld.org/2010/10/the-english-only-movement-in-america/
RSS & Blogs
Lose My Accent
http://blog.losemyaccent.com/