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DOCUMENT RESUME FL 007 181 AUTHOR Wolfram, Walt; Christian DOCUMENT RESUME ,ED 112 687 95 FL 007 181 AUTHOR Wolfram, Walt; Christian, Donna TITLE Sociolinguistic Variables in Appalachian Dialects. INSTITUTION Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. BUREAU NO BR-4-0493 PUB DATE 75 \GRANT VIE-G-74-0026 NOTE 413p. EDRS., PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$20.94 Plus Postage DESCRIPTORS *American English; Applied Linguistics; *Dialect Studies; Grammar; Language Research; Language Usage; *Language Variation; Nonstandard Dialects; Phonology; *Regional Dialects; Sociocultural Patterns; Socioeconomic Status; *Sociolinguistics IDENTIFIERS *Appalachian English; West Virginia ABSTRACT The aim of the research reported here was to describe dialect diversity in Appalachia (Monroe and Mercer Counties, West Virginia) and to examine the possible effect of this diversity on education. The present volume contains the first two parts of the report, the third being submitted separately. The first part includes chapters 1-5, the second 6-9. Chapter 1 sets forth the sociocultural setting for the study, while chapter 2 establishes a sociolinguistic framework for viewing the linguistic diversity of the region. Chapters 3 and 4 outline the main features of Appalachian English, focusing on phonological and grammatical levels of language organization. Educational considerations are discussed in chapter 5. Part One is intended primarily as a reference work for educators, particularly reading specialists, language arts specialists and speech pathologists. In Part Two, several select features of Appalachian English are examined in more technical detail; this section is intended primarily for the professional linguist. Chapter 6 deals with "A-prefixing," and chapter 7 with irregular verbs. Chapter 8 discusses the perfective "done," and chapter 9 deals with subject-verb concord. Appendix A provides a sample of two interview questionnaires, one used for adults and one for adolescents. Appendix * consists of a sample informant interview, and AppendixC gives a complete list of the informants who participated in the project, including their age, sex, and occupatiin. A bibliography concludes the volume.(Author/CLK) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. *************k********************************************************* SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIABLESIN APPALACHIAN DIALECTS BY WALT WOLFRAM AND DONNA CHRIS TIAN U 5 DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO RECEIVED FROM DUCED EXACTLY AS ORIGIN THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OROPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRE INSTITUTE OF SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL EDUCATION POSITION OR PotICY SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIABLES IN APPALACHIAN DIALECTS National Institute of Education Grant Number NIE-G-74-0026 Final Report Walt Wolfram and Donna Christian Center for Applied Linguistics Arlington, Virginia 1975 The research reported herein was supported by the National Institute of Education of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. PREFACE The research reported here was carried out under contract Number NIE-G- 74-0026, Project Number 4-0493 with the National Institute of Education, from June 20, 1974 to August 31, 1975. The aim of the project was to describe dialect diversity in a negleCted geographical area of the United States and to examine the possible effect of this diversity on education. The report is comprised of three parts, two of which are contained in this volume,, and a third which is submitted under separate cover. The first part, Chapters One through Five, is intended to give an overview of the descriptive features of Appalachian English and the implications of this linguistic diversity for education. Chapter One sets forth the socio-cultural setting for this study and Chapter Two establishes a sociolinguistic framework for viewing this diversity. In Chapters Three and Four we give an overview of the main fea- tures of Appalachian English, focusing on phonological and grammatical levels of language organization. These chapters summarize the bulk of our descrip- tive work, which serves as a basis for the educational considerations dis- cussed in Chapter Five. Although we have adopted a particular sociolinguistic model for our description, we have attempted to present our findings in such a way that would make them accessible to specialists in fields other than professional linguistics, although we have intended them to be useful to linguists as well. We are primarily interested in providing a meaningful reference work for educators, particularly reading specialists, language arts specialists, and speech pathologists. Part II of this volume, which includes Chapters Six through Nine, examines ines several select features of Appalachian,Engish in more technical detail and is intended primarily for the professional linguist. In these chapters we have taken several prominent linguistic features found inAppalachian English which have not been described in great detail previously andattempted to give a formal descriptive account of them.This part of the report should complement the general overview presented in the first part of this volume. The more comprehensive description of select featureS of Appalachian English includes a-prefixing, irregular verbs, perfective done, and verb concord. A familiarity with current sociolinguistic models for the formal representation of linguistic variation is assumed in-this section of the report. Part III of this rept..rt, submitted under separate cover, examines the possible effect that language differences in Appalachian Engish may have on the evaluation of reading abilities. This section provides a sample study of how the descriptive sociolinguistic information presented in this volume can be used in looking at one aspect of the educational/implications of lin- guistic diversity in Appalachia. Hugh Rudorf, of the University of Nebraska, was responsible for the research and writing of this part of the report. The research reported in thos volume was conducted by Walt Wolfram, prin- cipal investigator, and Donna Christian, research associate. Since the analysis reported here was, in all respects, a joint effort, the final report is sub- mitted under the joint authorship. There are many people to whom we are indebted for their assistance and consultation. Prominent among them are those individuals in Monroe and Mercer Counties who aided us in our initial contacts in the area.Mary Compton and William McNeel in Monroe County and C. D. Lilly and Harold Okes of Mercer County were most gracious in-helping us establish contacts in the area. They generously opened up the schools in these counties for those aspects of the research which were conducted in connection with the schools. We could not have participated in a more cordial working relationship. They also offered their kind assistance in extending our contacts to ,other individuals in the area who assisted us in this venture, including Haskell Shumate, county clerk of Monroe County, West Virginia, who provided us with invaluable insight into the history'of the region. The study could not have been conducted without the assistance of our f.eldworkers from the two counties. Nora Mann and Gary M. Pence, of Monroe County, and Harless Cook, Brenda Lohr, Agnes PietrantoZzi, and Rebecca Michael, of Mercer County, have demonstrated that indigenous fieldworkers can be used to great advantage in a study of this type. Their adaptation of the question- naire and general knowledgeof the area proved to be a rich, useful resource in this investigation.We owe our greatest debt to them and the informants who provided the interviews that serve as our data base for this analysis. Although the informants; who remain anonymous in this report, may have been puzzled by the seeming inanity -of our probing, they willingly tolerated the intrusion into their everyday world. Finally, we are indebted to our professional colleagues. Roger W. Shuy, Peg Griffin, and Rudolph Troike, of the Center for Applied Linguistics, who ii interacted with us at many stages in the formation, analysis, and completion of this project. TerranceGraham, of Virginia Polytechnical Institute, worked with us in setting up the original project and consulted with us throughout the duration of the research and writing, and Ralph W. Fasold of GeorgetoWtk University, and Corky Feagin, read and commented on parts of the manuscript.', Peggy Good has been committed to seeing this project through to completion at some inconvenience to her own schedule of activities. Her constant regard for the final form of the manuscript has been appreciated greatly, even though her concern for perfection has many times been hindered by the manu- script from which she had to type the final report. Walt Wolfram Principal Investigator Center for Applied Linguistics August, 1975 iii E >' TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface Table of Contents iv Part One Chapter One:
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