Topic 5
- a vehicle
of culture
- a means
of communication
- identity
for culture groups
Some
points to remember...
- settlers introduced distinctive
forms of speech which still exist in Texas today.
- three types of dialects
- Northern
- Midland: Midwestern and
Hill Southern
- Plantation South: Black
English is a variation
- language changes. Most
accents/vocabulary words are becoming "American" because of media.
However, the accent in Texas is moving
away
from national norms.
- "The
fact that language change is not grinding to a halt in Modern
English and the fact that not all change is toward a national
standard really should not be surprising. Langauge is one of
the ways that we negotiate an identity; as long as there is a
need for unique and different identities, there will be the
requisite for linguistic change and diversity."
Bailey, 1993
Texans have interesting ways of
expressing their thoughts.
Geography of
Texas Home Page
Copyright, 1997, Sarah W.
Bednarz
Revised 1/11/01