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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

http://www.dialectsarchive.com/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)
International Dialects of English Archive: Arizona Two (Mexican-American female, age 62, Nogales, AZ)
International Dialects of English Archive: New Mexico One (Hispanic female, 70s)
International Dialects of English Archive: Texas Three (Hispanic male, born 1974, Laredo, TX, student)

http://www.dialectsarchive.com/arizona-1
http://www.dialectsarchive.com/arizona-2
http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-mexico-1
http://www.dialectsarchive.com/texas-3

Puerto Rican English

14

383

International Dialects of English Archive: New York Three (Puerto Rican male age 49, The Bronx, NY, file clerk)
The Speech Accent Archive: Spanish 15
The Speech Accent Archive: Spanish 51

http://www.dialectsarchive.com/new-york-3
http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=329
http://accent.gmu.edu/searchsaa.php?function=detail&speakerid=753

Cuban English

14

383

International Dialects of English Archive: Dialects and Accents of Cuba

http://www.dialectsarchive.com/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/#