Pervasive Dialectal Perceptions in Education Contributing to Language Dedialectalization: Appalachian, a Case Study A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Education Department Carson-Newman University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree Doctorate of Education By Nola Carrie Queen Isobe May 2016 Committee: Dr. Deborah Hayes, Dr. Mark Brock, and Dr. Patrick M. Taylor (Advisor) i ii Copyrighted by Nola Carrie Queen Isobe 2016 iii iv Abstract Pervasive Dialectal Perceptions in Education Contributing to Language Dedialectalization: Appalachian a Case Study Nola Carrie Queen Isobe School of Education, Carson Newman College May 2016 Appalachian English is a dialect of American Standard English. It is spoken in much of North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. There is concern that this dialect could follow the path of dedialectalization through cultural unacceptance, generational changes, and saturation of newcomers to the area. Society views speaking proper English, the standard dialect, the route for much of the rural areas inhabitants to take to achieve better jobs and find social acceptance and a successful life. Society’s social view of an uneducated people speaking the Appalachian dialect prompts teachers to change students’ dialect to help them ensure success in school and society at large. Could teachers in fact hold perceptions of students that are accelerating the dedialectalization of the Appalachian dialect? This study will shed some light on the perceptions that educators have in regards to dialects, specifically the Appalachian dialect. v List of Figures and Tables FIGURE 1: Appalachian Regional Commission Map of Appalachia……………………….. 1 FIGURE 2: Robert Delany Map of American English……………………………………… 140 FIGURE 3: Summary of Dialect Samples Graph………………………………..…………... 141 TABLE 1: Summary of Dialect Samples Chart………………………………………………. 144 TABLE 2: Individual Dialect Sample Results………………………….………………...….. 145 vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………..… v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………..…………………………………… 1 Research Problem……………………………………………………………………… 5 Purpose of the study…………………………………………………………………… 6 Rationale of the study………………………………………………………………….. 7 Specific need for the study…………………………………………………………….. 8 Research question……………………………………………………………………… 8 The Researcher………………………………………………………………………… 9 Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………… 12 Chapter Summary…………………………………………………………………….. 13 LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………... 14 Introduction …………………………………………………………………............. 14 The History…………………………………………………………………………… 15 The Appalachian Dialect in Literature……………………………………………….. 16 The Geographical Area………………………………………………………………. 17 The Culture…………………………………………………………………………... 18 The Language………………………………………………………………………… 20 The Teachers Role…………………………………………………………………… 21 vii Languages that Die Include Dialects that Die……………………………………….. 23 Summary……………………………………………………………………………… 23 RESEARCH METHODS……………………………………..…………………….. 25 Description of qualitative research………………………………………………….. 25 Description of specific research approach…………………………………………… 25 Description of the study participants and setting……………………………………... 26 Data collection ……………………………………………………………………….. 26 Sample………………………………………………………………………………... 27 Instrumentation………………………………………………………………………. 27 Pilot Study……………………………………………………………………………. 28 Proposed Data Analysis………………………………………………………………. 28 Trustworthiness/Credibility………………………………………………………….. 28 Transferability………………………………………………………………………... 29 Dependability………………………………………………………………………… 29 Confirmability………………………………………………………………………... 30 Limitations and Delimitations………………………………………………………... 30 Ethical considerations………………………………………………………………… 30 Summary………………………………………………………………………………. 31 2. MANUSCRIPT ONE: BRIDGING THE CULTURAL GAP IN EDUCATION THROUGH APPALACHIAN MUSIC AND DANCE……………………………….. 32 The Importance of Music Education…………………………………………………... 33 Appalachian Folk Music and Dance…………………………………………………... 34 viii Appalachian Music Time Periods……………………………………………………... 35 Appalachian Music History and Styles………………………………………………... 36 Appalachian Instruments……………………………………………………………… 38 Dance Philosophy……………………………………………………………………... 39 Importance of Dance Instruction……………………………………………………… 40 Appalachian Folk Dance………………………………………………………………. 41 Buck Dancing………………………………………………………………………….. 41 Flat Footing……………………………………………………………………………. 42 Clogging……………………………………………………………………………….. 42 Teacher’s Role…………………………………………………………..…………….. 44 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….………………. 45 References………………………………………………………..…………………… 46 Article Submission Guidelines for Chapter 2…………………………………………. 50 3. MANUSCRIPT TWO: BRIDGING THE CULTURAL GAP IN EDUCATION THROUGH APPALACHIAN ORAL STORYTELLING……………………………. 52 Storytelling………………………………………………………………………….…. 52 Types of Storytelling……………………………………………………………...…… 53 Benefits of Storytelling…………………………………………………………..……. 56 Read Aloud vs. Storytelling…………………………………………………………… 56 Oral Storytelling through Songs and Ballads………………………………………….. 57 Storytelling in the Classroom………………………………………………………….. 58 ix Teachers Role in Storytelling………………………………………………………….. 61 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….. 62 References…………………………………………………………………………….. 63 Article Submission Guidelines for Chapter 3……………………………...………….. 66 4. MANUSCRIPT THREE: BRIDGING THE EDUCATIONAL GAP THROUGH DIALECT DIVERSITY APPRECIATION: APPALACHIAN A CASE STUDY…………………………...…………………………………………………… 69 Looking Through My Personal Lens…………………………………………………. 69 Linguistic Premises…………………………………………………...……………….. 70 Social Class and Linguistic Prestige…………………………………..………………. 71 Weak Ties Theory…………………………………………………………….………. 71 Regional, Social, and Local Dialects………………………………………………….. 72 The Study………………………………………………………………………...……. 73 Results of the Study…………………………………………………………...………. 75 Appendix Charts……………………………………………………………………… 78 Discussion……………………………………………………………………………... 85 Code Switching………………………………………………………………..………. 85 Code Switching in Appalachia…………………………………………………...……. 86 Loss of a Dialect………………………………………………………………...…….. 86 Restoring the Appalachian Dialect………………………………………….………… 87 Classroom Implementation………………………………………………...………….. 90 x Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….. 90 References……………………………………………………………….…………….. 91 Article Submission Guidelines for Chapter 4…………………………….…………… 94 5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………….…………….. 99 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………. 99 Summary of Chapters…………………………………………………………………. 99 The Study…………………………………………………………………………….. 102 Importance of the Study……………………………………………………………... 102 Implications…………………………………………………………………………… 103 Recommendations for Further Study…………………………………………………. 103 Limitations of the Study………………………………………………………………. 103 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………… 104 REFERENCES…………….………………………………....………………………………. 105 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………….. 120 APPENDIX A: Letter to Director of Schools……………………………………….. 120 APPENDIX A-1: IRB Request……………………………………………………… 121 APPENDIX A-2: Proposal Defense Approval………………………………………. 122 APPENDIX B: Letter to Teachers Requesting Volunteers………………………….. 123 APPENDIX C: Informed Consent Form…………………………………………….. 124 APPENDIX D: Focus Group Questions……………………………………………... 128 APPENDIX E: Interview Questions…………………………………………………. 132 xi APPENDIX F: Questionnaire………………………………………………………... 136 xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Introduction/Background of the Study Appalachia is a topographical area that spreads over Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania (Bergeron, 1999). The language/dialect spoken in this area is Appalachian English. Language is defined as any one of the systems of human language that are used and understood by a particular group of people (Merriam Webster, 2015). Dialect is a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area using some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations. In literature Appalachian English is referred to as both a language and a dialect because it has attributes of both. 1 In Appalachia and surrounding areas there is social pressure to stop speaking the Appalachian dialect and to teach children a more standard form of English (Clark & Hayward, 2013). In part this is due to the social pressure that the children face when immersed into public education. Typically the morphology and syntax will change in public school, but the phonology will not. This is the path that a language travels as it dies. There are four types of language death, sudden, radical, gradual, and bottom-to-top death (Brenzinger, 1992). Gradual death happens when there is a gradual shift to the more dominant language in language contact situations. When languages die, everyone suffers a loss of a part of a great culture. In order to understand a better way to preserve a dialect through education and acceptance, we will take a look at the pervasive perceptions that teachers hold of dialects. One such dialect is the Appalachian dialect. The teacher’s role, the history of the language, geographical area, the embedded culture, and how languages die will also be discussed. This in turn may show the perceptions of the Appalachian dialect. Languages and dialects are complex in nature and evolve with time to meet the needs of its users (Birner, 2012). One such language that is not immune to this characteristic of