America: A History Podcast
Why Do Americans Speak Differently?
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Episode notes
This week we are talking about talking.
The United States of America is a diverse country - geographically, demographically, and culturally, where every state has its own unique sense of identity. And a big part of that identity is language and dialect.
So in this episode, I want to understand why and how American accents are so different, both from each other and from the British, as I ask… why do Americans speak differently?
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Special guest for this episode:
- Valerie Fridland, a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is an expert on the relationship between language and society, and is co-author of the book Sociophonetics. Her latest book, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English is available to buy now.
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Highlights from this episode:
- The podcast explores the complexities of American accents, emphasizing their diversity across regions, which reflects the different cultural identities found in the USA.
- Differences between dialects and accents are discussed, with dialects representing broader linguistic variations while accents focus specifically on pronunciation features.
- Language evolution is shaped by both nature and nurture, as cognitive structures influence language change while social factors determine specific dialectal features.
- The historical context of language in America is highlighted, illustrating how early settlement patterns contributed to the development of distinct American accents over time.
- The impact of mass media on language and accents is nuanced, as it has not significantly altered established accents but can reinforce existing linguistic trends.
- The three-generation pattern of language loss among immigrant communities demonstrates how ethnic identities persist through evolving accents even when original languages are forgotten.
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Additional Resources:
Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland
Sociophonetics (Key Topics in Sociolinguistics) by Tyler Kendall, co-authored by Valerie Fridland
Why We Talk Funny by Valerie Fridland
Language in the Wild | Psychology Today
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And if you like this episode, you might also love:
What Makes Country Music so American?
Are the Oscars Still Relevant?
Why Does Everyone Love Disney?
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