80 2003 midwest - sites.fas.harvard.eduling80/lectures/midwest.pdf · 1 phol´s sqs´dz...
TRANSCRIPT
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pHol´S sQs´dZ
lINgwIstlINgwIst´́ks ejRijks ejRijdAjdAj´́lEkts lEkts √√v INglv INgl´́SS
dd´́ mIdwEstmIdwEst
What is the Midwest?What is the Midwest?
What is the Midwest?What is the Midwest? IntroductionIntroduction• Two common perceptions of Midwestern accent
– no accent at all– more nasal
• There is in fact a variety of very distinct midwestern accents• They are characterized primarily by their vowel systems:
– Minnesota-type– Northern Cities shift
• Midwest includes all 3 dialect areas (as we’ll see):– Chicago, Minnesota, North Dakota in North– middle of IL, IN, in Midlands (warsh, needs washed, wait on)– southern tips in South (e.g. pin/pen merger in southern Indiana)
• ethnic influences– German (bratwurst)– Polish (kielbasa)
– Scandinavian (kringle)
Stereotypes of the MidwestStereotypes of the Midwest
• Maude from the Simpsons (Minnesota?)• Fargo
–note in particular "pure" (i.e. monophthongal) vowels; MN/ND accent
• Bill Swerski’s Quiz Masters (6)• Lansing phone sex commercial (23)• What linguistic features were exploited?
Settlement historySettlement history• Major conduit from the East to the West• 4 main entryways into the Midwest:
– Cumberland Gap/Wilderness Trail (1775-; Kentucky →Ohio Valley)
• after War of 1812: KY, TN, VA, NC → southern OH, IN, IL– Ohio River (Northeast, PA, MD → Cincinnati and
other river towns; cOH– National Road (now 70), 1833-: PA, MD →
Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis– Great Lakes/Erie Canal: NY, NEng → nOH, nIN, nIL,
MI, WI• Each stream remained separate; → 3-tiered
settlement pattern:
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Settlement historySettlement history
Percentage of the 1850 population in Ohio from three Eastern hearth areas (Wilhelm 1982)
New England Mid-Atlantic (PA, NJ, DE, MD) South (VA, KY, NC, TN)
••7676--100%100%
••5151--75%75%
••2626--50%50%
••00--25%25%
••7676--100%100%
••5151--75%75%
••2626--50%50%
••00--25%25%
••7676--100%100%
••5151--75%75%
••2626--50%50%
••00--25%25%
Settlement historySettlement history
• Diffusion of methods of wood construction– Upper South: log
construction brought from PA
– Lower South: frame construction from Southern Tidewater hearth
– Upper North: frame construction from New England
– Lower North: post-log construction, from PA vis National Road
The 3 dialect areas in the MidwestThe 3 dialect areas in the Midwest
PronunciationPronunciation
• Northern Cities Vowel Shift• bag• commonly thought to say [®Uf], [®Ut], etc. (but
do they?)• stopping (working-class, as in Boston, NYC)
SyntaxSyntax
• where’s he at? etc.• take with, come with
Midwest vMidwest vocabularyocabulary
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Midwest vMidwest vocabularyocabulary Midwest vMidwest vocabularyocabulary
Midwest vocabularyMidwest vocabulary
•on accident/by accident• level below the first floor•Long john
Upper Midwest vUpper Midwest vocabularyocabulary• Place to buy cigarettes and lottery tickets• Casserole = ?• Drive in circles in a car = ?• Duck duck _ ?
MichiganMichigan
•party store, party pack store = ma and pa convenience store
•Devil’s night:
Devil’s NightDevil’s Night
110. What do you call the night before Halloween?a. gate night (0.38%)b. trick night (0.32%)c. mischief night (11.53%)d. cabbage night (1.73%)e. goosy night (0.38%)f. devil's night (12.16%)g. devil's eve (0.74%)h. I have no word for this (68.87%)i. other (3.90%)
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ChicagoChicago
• Goethe, Devon…• jagoff• gaper's block
Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
• Wis[k]onsin vs. Wis[kh]onsin• Mwaukee• Bubbler• Cannibal samwich• Freeway• sudsy, barley-pop = beer (Milwaukee)
Meals, convenience store, drive-through liquor store, o, “North Dakota”, talk, y’know, eh, road tripping
MinnesotaMinnesota
• hot lunch• bar• ramp• borrow me a
quarter• farmer
matches
Final questionsFinal questions
• Does Standard American English = Midwestern American English?– Why do so many people think this?
• What are the best sources of Midwestern accents on TV?– Jerry Springer, Oprah, Jenny Jones (Lower North)– hockey players (Upper Midwest)
Carbonated beveragesCarbonated beverages
Exceptions: St. Louis, Milwaukee
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The Northern Cities Vowel ShiftThe Northern Cities Vowel Shift
• Throughout the industrial inland North
• Most strongly advanced in the largest cities: Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Flint, Gary, Chicago, Rockford.– log, fog, on, etc. > [A]– Chicago potty : Boston party– cat
i´I
E √Q
A
Å
Targeted in Da Bears and Lansing Phone Sex
BagBag
108. baga. [Q] as in “sat”
b. [E] as in “set”
c. [ej] as in “say”
d. other (2.63%)
Tennis shoesTennis shoes
73. What is your *general* term for the rubber-soled shoes worn in gym class, for athletic activities, etc.?
a. sneakers (48.07%)b. shoes (1.70%)c. gymshoes (5.67%)e. jumpers (0.01%)f. tennis shoes (39.09%)g. running shoes (1.43%)
Roof, &c.Roof, &c.
25. roof, room, broom, roota. [uw] as in "sue" (75.29%)b. [U] as in "put" (3.10%)c. all 4 do not have the same vowel (21.61%)