English in the Southern United States

2003 overview of the foundations of and research on language variation in southern United States.

Stephen J. Nagle (Edited by), Sara L. Sanders (Edited by)

9780521822640, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 January 2003

260 pages
23.7 x 16 x 2.4 cm, 0.58 kg

Review of the hardback: 'Nagle and Sanders have done a masterful job of creating a concise and coherent whole from a series of articles … Not only are the articles consistently accessible, but they are carefully sequenced so that what emerges is both a broader and more detailed picture of the structures and contexts of southern dialects and their evolution.' Jo Tyler, Mary Washington College

The English of the southern United States is possibly the most studied of any regional variety of any language because of its rich internal diversity, its distinctiveness among regional varieties in the United States, its significance as a marker of regional identity, and the general folkloric appeal of southern culture. However, most, if not all, books about Southern American English have been directed almost exclusively toward scholars already working in the field. This 2003 volume, written by a team of experts, many of them internationally known, provides a broad overview of the foundations of and research on language variation in the southern United States designed to invite inquiry and inquirers. It explores historical and cultural elements, iconic contemporary features, and changes in progress. Central themes, issues and topics of scholarly investigation and debate figure prominently throughout the volume. The extensive bibliography will facilitate continued research.

Introduction
1. The origins of southern American English John Algeo
2. Shakespeare in the coves and hollows? Toward a history of southern English Edgar Schneider
3. Eight grammatical features of southern US speech present in early modern London prison narratives Laura Wright
4. The shared ancestry of African-American and American white southern Englishes: some speculations dictated by history Salikoko Mufwene
5. The complex grammatical history of African-American and white vernaculars in the South Patricia Cukor-Avila
6. Grammatical features of southern speech: yall, might could, and fixin to Cynthia Bernstein
7. Sounding southern: a look at the phonology of English in the South George Dorrill
8. Vowel shifting in the southern states Crawford Feagin
9. Enclave dialect communities in the South Walt Wolfram
10. Urbanization and the evolution of southern American English Jan Tillery and Guy Bailey
11. The Englishes of southern Louisiana Connie Eble
12. Features and uses of southern style Barbara Johnstone.

Subject Areas: Sociolinguistics [CFB]