Chapter 8

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	8	203	International Dialects of English Archive: General American	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/general-american
Korean accent	8	203	International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Korea	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/korea
Black English	8	204	International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Four (African-American female, born 1928, Chambers County, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Nine (African-American female, born 1942, Tuskeehee, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Thirteen (African-American male, age 20, Montgomery, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Illinois Four (African-American female, age 23, theater student) International Dialects of English Archive: Kentucky Four (African-American female age 19, Paducah, KY) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana One A (African-American male, born 1972, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Two (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Three (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Michigan Nine (African-American male, born 1984, Detroit, MI, student) International Dialects of English Archive: Mississippi Three (African-American male, sixties, Grenada, MS) International Dialects of English Archive: North Carolina Five (African-American male, 30s, Winston-Salem, NC) International Dialects of English Archive: South Carolina Four (African-American female, born 1986, Florence, SC) International Dialects of English Archive: Texas Seventeen (African-American male, raised in Texas)	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-13 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/illinois-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/kentucky-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/Louisiana-1a http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-2 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/michigan-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/mississippi-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/north-carolina-5 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/south-carolina-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/texas-17
New Yawkese	8	204	International Dialects of English Archive: New York Three (Puerto Rican male age 49, The Bronx) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Four (white male, Brooklyn/Bronx age 20) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Five (white male, Jewish, Queens, born 1947) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Six (white female, Jewish, Queens, born 1947) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Seven (white male, Jewish, Bronx, born 1940) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Eight (white female, Jewish, Bronx, born 1943) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Eleven (Italian-American male, Brooklyn/Queens, born 1954) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Thirteen (white male, Jewish, Manhattan, born 1975) International Dialects of English Archive: New York Sixteen (African-American female, Brooklyn, born 1967)	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-5 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-6 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-7 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-8 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-11 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-13 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-16
Alaskan accent (Palin)	8	212	The New York Times, Sarah Palin's Speech at the Republican National Convention	http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/conventions/videos/20080903_PALIN_SPEECH.html
African American English	8	213	International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Four (African-American female, born 1928, Chambers County, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Nine (African-American female, born 1942, Tuskeehee, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Thirteen (African-American male, age 20, Montgomery, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Illinois Four (African-American female, age 23, theater student) International Dialects of English Archive: Kentucky Four (African-American female age 19, Paducah, KY) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana One A (African-American male, born 1972, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Two (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Three (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Michigan Nine (African-American male, born 1984, Detroit, MI, student) International Dialects of English Archive: Mississippi Three (African-American male, sixties, Grenada, MS) International Dialects of English Archive: North Carolina Five (African-American male, 30s, Winston-Salem, NC) International Dialects of English Archive: South Carolina Four (African-American female, born 1986, Florence, SC) International Dialects of English Archive: Texas Seventeen (African-American male, raised in Texas)	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-13 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/illinois-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/kentucky-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/Louisiana-1a http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-2 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/michigan-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/mississippi-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/north-carolina-5 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/south-carolina-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/texas-17
Asian L2 accent	8	213	International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Asia	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/asia
AAVE	8	222	International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Four (African-American female, born 1928, Chambers County, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Nine (African-American female, born 1942, Tuskeehee, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Alabama Thirteen (African-American male, age 20, Montgomery, AL) International Dialects of English Archive: Illinois Four (African-American female, age 23, theater student) International Dialects of English Archive: Kentucky Four (African-American female age 19, Paducah, KY) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana One A (African-American male, born 1972, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Two (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Louisiana Three (African-American female, born 1985, New Orleans, LA) International Dialects of English Archive: Michigan Nine (African-American male, born 1984, Detroit, MI, student) International Dialects of English Archive: Mississippi Three (African-American male, sixties, Grenada, MS) International Dialects of English Archive: North Carolina Five (African-American male, 30s, Winston-Salem, NC) International Dialects of English Archive: South Carolina Four (African-American female, born 1986, Florence, SC) International Dialects of English Archive: Texas Seventeen (African-American male, raised in Texas)	http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/alabama-13 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/illinois-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/kentucky-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/Louisiana-1a http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-2 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/louisiana-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/michigan-9 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/mississippi-3 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/north-carolina-5 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/south-carolina-4 http://www.dialectsarchive.com/texas-17

Discussion questions

1. Listen to the sample of Sarah Palin’s Alaskan dialect*. Chapter 8 describes how both Sarah Palin and her detractors use her dialect as a tool to frame her in different ways. What do you think about her dialect? Which frame does her dialect reinforce for you?

2. Listen to the samples of African American English* and English with an Asian L2 accent found in the International Dialects of English Archive. These language varieties are mentioned in the discussion of mocking on page 137. Have you ever heard anybody mock AAVE or Asian accents? What was the context? What did this mocking reveal about the mocker’s language ideology?

Videos

“Palin / Hillary Open”
Saturday Night Live
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/palin__hillary_open/656281

This video clip provides material for the discussion of the way the media framed Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential election.

“Is Calling Obama ‘articulate’ bad?”
MSNBC News, 3/09/2007
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/is-calling-obama-articulate-bad/6yy5el7

This video clip provides material for the discussion of how Barack Obama was framed in the 2008 presidential election.

Discussion questions

1. How does Tina Fey’s parody of Sarah Palin frame Palin? How does Fey’s imitation of Palin’s language variety reinforce this frame?

2. What do you think about Obama being called “articulate” on the campaign trail after watching this clip and reading Chapter 8?

Further Resources

Lakoff, G. (2004) Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: The Essential Guide for Progressives. White River Junction: Chelsea Green.

Pinker, S. (2008) Everything You Heard Is Wrong. The New York Times. October 4.

Staples, B. (2008) Barack Obama, John McCain and the Language of Race. The New York Times. September 22.

Images

Sarah Palin as the “Bard of Wasilla”
http://mariopiperni.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Palin_Shakespeare2.jpg

Obama “Snob” poster
http://crushliberalism.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/snob.jpg

Links

FactCheck.org
http://factcheck.org/

Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
http://www.fair.org/index.php

RSS & Blogs

Language Watch: Doublethink from A to Zaxlebax: http://atozaxlebax.blogspot.com/