Chapter 14
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 |
|
French accent |
14 |
383 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of France |
|
|
Spanish accent |
14 |
383 |
The Speech Accent Archive: Spanish 1-88 |
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=find&language=spanish |
|
Chicano English |
14 |
383 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Arizona One (Mexican-American male, age 25, Whittman, AZ, student) |
http://www.dialectsarchive.com/arizona-1 |
|
Puerto Rican English |
14 |
383 |
International Dialects of English Archive: New York Three (Puerto Rican male age 49, The Bronx, NY, file clerk) |
|
|
Cuban English |
14 |
383 |
International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Cuba |
|
|
Martha's Vineyard |
14 |
391 |
A Life of Learning: Six People I Have Learned From by William Labov (scroll down to hear sound clips) |
http://www.acls.org/publications/audio/labov/default.aspx?id=4462 |
Discussion questions
1. Listen to the samples of all the accents mentioned in this chapter and consider the following quote from Chapter 14 (p. 261):
Just as Disney never thought to give the character of a carpenter (or a fire fighter, or a street sweeper) a French accent, filmmakers find it difficult to imagine Latinos/as as accountants, copy shop owners, engineers or veterinarians.
In which kinds of roles do you think these accents are most often used? Why? What does this reveal about standard language ideology?
2. Listen to the samples from speakers with Chicano*, Puerto Rican*, and Cuban* backgrounds. What variation do you hear between these speakers? How do these language varieties differ from *SAE?
3. Listen to the samples of the language variety spoken on Martha’s Vineyard* and revisit the information about Labov’s famous study of the connection between language and identity (p. 266; also explained on the website where the sound files can be found). Are there any linguistic variables that are linked to a local identity in your area?
Videos
Bill Santiago – “Spanglish”
Comedy Central Stand-Up
http://comedians.jokes.com/bill-santiago/videos/bill-santiago---spanglish/
Discussion question
1. Evaluate the various facets of Bill Santiago’s language ideology (based on what he says in this routine).
Further Resources
Hill, J. (2007) Mock Spanish: A Site For The Indexical Reproduction of Racism in American English. In J. Healy and E. O’Brien (Eds.) Race, Ethnicity, and Gender: Selected Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Hill, J. (2008) The Everyday Language of White Racism. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Silva-Corvalán, C. (2004) Spanish in the Southwest. In E. Finegan and J. Rickford (Eds.) Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zentella, A.C. (2002) Latin@ Languages and Identities. In M. Suárez-Orozco and M. Páez (Eds.) Latinos: Remaking America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Zentella, A.C. (2004) Spanish in the Northeast. In E. Finegan and J. Rickford (Eds.) Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Links
“Talking with Mi Gente: The distinctive dialect of Chicano English”
Do you Speak American?
http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/chicano/
Chicano English Quiz
Do you Speak American?
http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/chicano/quiz/#