DIALECTS

1
DIALECTS
A dialect is simply a habitual variety of a
language, regional or social. It is set off from
all other such habitual varieties by a unique
combination of language features Raven I.
McDavid, Jr.
2
Regional Dialects in the US Causes

• Borrowings other languages (from Spanish, French,
  etc)
• Language contact (Indians, slaves, other
  immigrants)
• Industrial revolution (move to big cities, new
  inventions, better mobility)
• Trade immigration (the big cosmopolitan centers
  influenced other towns). Ex. bird boid
  (Brooklyn accent New Orleans)
• Environmental Factors (topography, climate,
  plants, animals, etc). Ex. fresh-water streams.

3
Dialects How They Differ

• The frequent 1st reaction of a person who hears
  an unfamiliar dialect is that the strange sounds
  and words are a chaotic mess. This is similar to
  the feeling an American has when he sees British
  motorists driving on the wrong side of the
  street.
• Roger W. Shuy

4
Languages Dont Lack Anything!

• Should we say that in pahk the cah the r was
  deleted? Or should we say that in park the car
  an r has been inserted?
• In order to avoid prejudices, it is better to
  say One has the absence of the feature and the
  other has the presence of it.

5
FINAL COMMENTS

• Dialectal distinctive features of other dialects
  are more noticeable than those of our own dialect
  
• Prescriptive vs Descriptive perspectives
• Self-esteem of dialects speakers