Seth Weiss
Seth Weiss
Presence or Absence of the Rhotic [r] Sound in the Speech of New Yorkers vs. Upstate New Yorkers.
Background/Context: Sociolinguists have drawn American Dialect Region maps for years. Distinctions between varieties of English spoken throughout the country have been marked based on the processes known as dialect leveling, contact, and isolation, in addition to the varying points of origin of those who immigrated to the USA, and their migration patterns westward. According to one such map (Labov et al. 2006), there is a rather large area called the Inland North region, which basically stretches, from the eastern edge of the Great Lakes to the western edge. There is a much smaller area on the map simply labeled: NYC. This is obviously a single region assigned to the unique and diverse linguistic qualities of those who reside in the Big Apple. This paper will focus on the phonological differences in pronunciation by individuals from both of these previously mentioned Dialect Regions. More specifically, the different phonological pronunciations by individuals born and raised in the Upstate/Western New York portion of the Inland North region, from Labov’s American Dialect region map, and individuals hailing from the greater NYC metropolitan area will be compared and contrasted, focusing on a specific sound. This specific sound is the English /r/. According to Gerard Van Herk, rhotic is a term used to describe English dialects in which the /r/ following a vowel is pronounced. Also known as r-ful, (What is Sociolinguistics? 2012). Final consonant “r-fulness” will be examined in the speech of the research subjects.
Is there really noticeable geographical variation in relation to pronunciation? If so, do these geographical variations in pronunciation have an underlying cultural significance? Is education or some other social factor, such as the rural vs. urban landscapes associated with either region a major reason for these varying pronunciations?
Presence or Absence of the Rhotic [r] Sound in the Speech of New Yorkers vs. Upstate New Yorkers.
Background/Context: Sociolinguists have drawn American Dialect Region maps for years. Distinctions between varieties of English spoken throughout the country have been marked based on the processes known as dialect leveling, contact, and isolation, in addition to the varying points of origin of those who immigrated to the USA, and their migration patterns westward. According to one such map (Labov et al. 2006), there is a rather large area called the Inland North region, which basically stretches, from the eastern edge of the Great Lakes to the western edge. There is a much smaller area on the map simply labeled: NYC. This is obviously a single region assigned to the unique and diverse linguistic qualities of those who reside in the Big Apple. This paper will focus on the phonological differences in pronunciation by individuals from both of these previously mentioned Dialect Regions. More specifically, the different phonological pronunciations by individuals born and raised in the Upstate/Western New York portion of the Inland North region, from Labov’s American Dialect region map, and individuals hailing from the greater NYC metropolitan area will be compared and contrasted, focusing on a specific sound. This specific sound is the English /r/. According to Gerard Van Herk, rhotic is a term used to describe English dialects in which the /r/ following a vowel is pronounced. Also known as r-ful, (What is Sociolinguistics? 2012). Final consonant “r-fulness” will be examined in the speech of the research subjects.
Is there really noticeable geographical variation in relation to pronunciation? If so, do these geographical variations in pronunciation have an underlying cultural significance? Is education or some other social factor, such as the rural vs. urban landscapes associated with either region a major reason for these varying pronunciations?