A Cross Generational Dialect Study in Western North Carolina Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Yolanda Feimster Holt M.Ed. Graduate Program in Speech and Hearing Science The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Robert A. Fox, Advisor Cynthia Clopper Ewa Jacewicz Donald Winford Copyrighted by Yolanda Feimster Holt 2011 Abstract This dissertation evaluates the relationship between African American English and White Vernacular English as spoken in a small rural town in western North Carolina for consistencies in vowel production by group membership and for participation in the Southern Vowel Shift (SVS), a vowel rotation currently occurring in the Southern United States. A sociophonetic approach is used to gather and analyze data from male and female African American (AA) and European American (EA) lifelong or near life-long community residents. Sixty-four speakers aged 19 - 70+ were recorded reading the word list heed, hid, hayed, head, had, hod, whod, hood, hoed, hawed, heard, hide, hoyed, howed representing the vowel contained in the hVd frame. Measures of vowel duration, normalized vowel space area, trajectory length (TL), and spectral rate of change (SROC) are completed. Analysis of variance of the obtained mean values categorized by gender, ethnicity, and age group (pre-integration or post-integration) are completed. The results of the data analysis indicate that ethnicity is not always a main effect of the variance found in the mean values. When ethnicity is a main effect there is a substantial difference in the variance accounted for when AA speakers have greater mean values than when EA speakers have greater mean values. When AA speakers have greater values the variance accounted for is typically between 50% and 60%. When EA speakers have greater values the variance accounted for ranged from 50% to 7%. There is no clear pattern of ii divergence between AA and EA speakers in this community. There is no definitive pattern of difference in vowel productions by gender or age group. Instead there are trends of similarity by age or gender or ethnicity on a number of parameters. A complex and evolving relationship of group membership to vowel production is evident. In assessing community participation in the SVS participation by both AA and EA speakers is evident. The data indicate community participation in the SVS is in regression with EA females leading the change. Both older and younger EA female speakers produce vowels in a manner suggesting earlier generations may have fully participated in the Southern Vowel Shift. A discussion of the findings is presented. iii Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Fox, Dr. Clopper, Dr. Jacewicz, and Dr. Winford for the insight and guidance they have provided. I am indebted to you as a scholar. Thank you. iv Vita May 1985................................................................Statesville Senior High School 1988......................................B.S. Political Science, Western Carolina University 1996............M.Ed. Communication Science, North Carolina Central University Fields of Study Major Field: Speech and Hearing Science v Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review ............................................................... 10 Chapter 3: The Community ............................................................................................. 44 Chapter 4: Theoretical Framework .................................................................................. 58 Chapter 5: Methods .......................................................................................................... 86 Chapter 6: Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 108 Chapter 7: Discussion .................................................................................................... 154 References ....................................................................................................................... 163 APPENDIX A SWVE & AAE PHONOLOGY ........................................ 173 APPENDIX B MEAN VOWEL VALUES ................................................. 198 APPENDIX C VOWEL DURATION .......................................................... 202 APPENDIX D NORMALIZED VOWEL SPACE AREA .................... 220 APPENDIX E TRAJECTORY LENGTH .................................................. 223 APPENDIX F SPECTRAL RATE OF CHANGE .............................................. 226 vi APPENDIX G SOUTHERN VOWEL SHIFT ........................................... 229 APPENDIX H SUBJECT RECRUITMENT .............................................. 239 APPENDIX I STIMULUS WORDS............................................................ 241 APPENDIX J SURVEY QUESTIONS ....................................................... 242 APPENDIX K SUBJECTS ................................................................................... 243 vii List of Tables Table 1 Front vowels /i/ /ɪ/ /e/ / ɛ/ / æ/ ........................................................................... 15 Table 2 Front vowels ......................................................................................................... 16 Table 3 Front vowels ........................................................................................................ 17 Table 4 Front vowels ......................................................................................................... 18 Table 5 Diphthong /ai/ ...................................................................................................... 20 Table 6 AAE Front vowels /i/ /I/ /e/ / ɛ/ / æ/ .................................................................... 24 Table 7 AAE /ɪ,e/ .............................................................................................................. 25 Table 8 AAE /æ/ ............................................................................................................... 26 Table 9 AAE Diphthong /aɪ/ ............................................................................................ 27 Table 10 Speaker Groups ................................................................................................ 104 Table 11 Normalized vowel space area ........................................................................... 128 Table 12 TL of /aɪ/ vowel ................................................................................................ 149 Table 13 Stage 2 Participation ........................................................................................ 152 viii List of Figures Figure 1 Dialect Map southeastern US ..............................................................................11 Figure 2 Southern Dialect Area......................................................................................... 12 Figure 3 Appalachian Region............................................................................................ 12 Figure 4 /aɪ/ vowel trajectory General American English ................................................ 42 Figure 5 Three Stages of the SVS ..................................................................................... 43 Figure 6 percent enslaved 1860 ........................................................................................ 46 Figure 7 Front vowels male speakers.............................................................................. 109 Figure 8 Front vowels female speakers ...........................................................................114 Figure 9 Vowel Duration /i/, /ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/ ............................................................................117 Figure 10 Vowel Duration other .......................................................................................118 Figure 11 Vowel Space Area Males ................................................................................ 123 Figure 12 Vowel Space Area Females ............................................................................. 124 Figure 13 mean z-score vowel space area males ........................................................... 125 Figure 14 mean z-score vowel space area females ......................................................... 126 Figure 15 z-score gender and age interaction ................................................................. 130 Figure 16 mean TL heed, hid .......................................................................................... 133 Figure 17 mean TL hayed, head ..................................................................................... 134 Figure 18 mean TL hide, had .......................................................................................... 135 ix Figure 19 mean SROC heed, hid .................................................................................... 139 Figure 20 mean SROC hayed, head ...............................................................................