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Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community University of Kentucky UKnowledge Appalachian Studies Arts and Humanities 3-12-2013 Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community Amy D. Clark University of Virginia’s College at Wise Nancy M. Hayward Indiana University of Pennsylvania Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Clark, Amy D. and Hayward, Nancy M., "Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community" (2013). Appalachian Studies. 27. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_appalachian_studies/27 hayward APPALACHIAN STUDIES clark “Talking Appalachian is a wonderful collection, challenging readers to learn about the many and histories that have shaped appalachian dialectical diversity.” —ann kingsolvEr, director of the appalachian center, University of kentucky “clark and hayward are to be praised for assembling a well-ordered broad spectrum of conversant essays and literary pieces that stand to bring the study, understanding, and appreciation of appalachian English(es) into a new era of cultivation.” —chris grEEn, director of the loyal Jones appalachian center, Berea college ∏ alking alking ∏alking “This book fills a need in college and secondary classrooms in a unique and exciting way— examining a stigmatized, regional variety that also serves as a strong indicator of in-group membership and identity for many (but not all) of its speakers through the use of both appalachian research studies and essays/literary excerpts.” —Jim michnowicz, assistant professor of spanish, North carolina state University Voice, Identity, and Community Identity, Voice, Voice, Identity, and Community a radition, community, and pride are fundamental aspects of the history of appalachia, and the language of the region is a living testament to its rich heritage. despite ppalachian unflattering stereotypes and cultural discrimination associated with their style of ∏speech, appalachians have organized to preserve regional dialects—complex forms of English peppered with words, phrases, and pronunciations unique to the area and its people. Talking Appalachian examines these distinctive speech varieties and emphasizes their role in expressing local history and promoting a shared identity. Beginning with a historical and geographical overview of the region, editors amy d. clark and nancy m. hayward explore a variety of subjects, including the success of african american appalachian English and southern appalachian English speakers in professional and corporate positions. with excerpts from works by authors such as george Ella lyon and silas house, this balanced collection is a comprehensive, accessible study of appalachian language. amy d. clark is associate professor of English at the University of virginia. nancy m. hayward is professor emeritus of English at the indiana University of Pennsylvania. ISBN: 978-0-8131-4096-4 9 0 0 0 0 Cover art, background: werksmedia/istockphoto.com; bottom, left to right: “reflection” (1999) by amy d. clark; blackie/istockphoto.com; peeterv/istockphoto.com. 9 780813 140964 cover design by Jen huppert design Edited by amy d. clark and nancy m. hayward Talking Appalachian Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 1 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 2 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM TALKING APPALACHIAN Voice, Identity, and Community Edited by Amy D. Clark and Nancy M. Hayward Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 3 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM Copyright © 2013 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com 17 16 15 14 13 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Talking Appalachian : voice, Identity, And Community / Edited by Amy D. Clark and Nancy M. Hayward. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8131-4096-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8131-4097-1 (epub) — ISBN 978-0-8131-4158-9 (pdf) 1. English language—Dialects—Appalachian Region. 2. English language—Variation— United States. 3. Americanisms—Appalachian Region. 4. Appalachian Region— Languages. I. Clark, Amy (Amy D.) editor of compilation. II. Hayward, Nancy M., 1945- editor of compilation. PE2970.A6T35 2013 427’.974—dc23 2012045878 This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials. Manufactured in the United States of America. Member of the Association of American University Presses Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 4 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM Contents Preface vii Introduction 1 Amy D. Clark and Nancy M. Hayward Part I: Varieties, Education, and Power in Appalachia The Historical Background and Nature of the Englishes of Appalachia 25 Michael Montgomery The Appalachian Range: The Limits of Language Variation in West Virginia 54 Kirk Hazen, Jaime Flesher, and Erin Simmons Think Locally: Language as Community Practice 70 Nancy M. Hayward African American Speech in Southern Appalachia 81 Walt Wolfram Dialect and Education in Appalachia 94 Jeffrey Reaser Voices in the Appalachian Classroom 110 Amy D. Clark Silence, Voice, and Identity among Appalachian College Women 125 Katherine Sohn Language and Power 141 Anita Puckett The Treatment of Dialect in Appalachian Literature 163 Michael Ellis Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 5 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM Part II: Voices from Appalachia Personal Essays Voiceplace 185 George Ella Lyon In My Own Country 193 Silas House Southern Exposure 205 Lee Smith A Matter of Perception 209 Jane Hicks Novel Excerpts Carrie Bishop: From Storming Heaven 215 Denise Giardina The High Sheriff: From One Foot in Eden 219 Ron Rash Ezra’s Journal and Andrew Nettles: From Hiding Ezra 226 Rita Quillen Short Story Holler 231 Crystal Wilkinson Poetry Spell Check 245 Anne Shelby Acknowledgments 247 List of Contributors 249 Permissions 255 Index 257 Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 6 2/19/2013 3:33:55 PM Preface As editors, we came to this book with personal histories in Appalachia and keen interests in language. To clarify why we are so passionate about this topic, we offer our stories. Amy D. Clark I grew up in the far southwestern corner of Virginia in what might be called the heart of Appalachia, a part of the state that converges with east- ern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southern West Virginia. Born to teenage parents, I was a fourth living generation in a family of front porch storytellers, so numerous linguistic heirlooms were passed on to me over the years. My great-grandmother (whom we called “Mamaw”) sparked my in- terest in the history of Appalachian Englishes. I grew up just a mile from her farm in Jonesville, Virginia. She referred to a bedspread as a “coun- terpane” and the peacocks that clattered on the roof of her house and in the surrounding woods as “pea-fowls.” She talked about what she “com- menced to” do that day and warned us that we would “feel right com- mon” the next morning if we ate too many green apples. She and my great-grandfather told stories about “haints” that had—at certain points in their pasts—revealed themselves up and down the “holler” where they lived. While growing up, I attributed the different kind of English they spoke to their ages; I thought it was just the way older people from the hills talked. But I also remember how Mamaw described our ancestors, a strange breed originally from Scotland. It would be years later, when I returned to her recorded voice and heard the melody in her vocabulary and grammar and the way she pronounced her words that I would begin vii Hayward Talking Appal BOOK.indb 7 2/19/2013 3:33:56 PM viii Preface to link her version of English to the place we call home and to my own language patterns. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I watched enough television to see and hear the cultural demarcation between mainstream America and my region, particularly in the way people in my family and in my commu- nity spoke. I loved to read, but I was never introduced to Appalachian lit- erature in my high school English classes, where I might have recognized my home voice in that of the characters. Our curriculum did not include classes that invited discussions of Appalachian issues or culture, so I did not identify as an Appalachian, nor did I understand that I spoke a par- ticular regional dialect. Because I devoured so much literature, I had tacit knowledge of the rules of standard American English (SAE) and honed the skill of code-switching from an early age; I could turn off my dialect when I wanted to, but it was always at the risk of teasing from friends and family who believed that SAE was for people who thought they were too good to be associated with our neck of the woods. A class at Clinch Valley College (renamed the University of Virgin- ia’s College at Wise in 1999) changed all that. The class, called Appala- chian Prose and Poetry, introduced me to James Still, Lee Smith, Mary Lee Settle, Harriette Simpson Arnow, and many others. Their characters’ voices mirrored my own. I remember feeling so proud when I realized that my culture was worthy of study, that an entire field was dedicated to my homeplace, people, and culture.
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