appropriate business attire, and you may
possible for you to “pick‐up” new
even have packed your laptop computer. If
variations from each area to add to your
you moved to another area altogether, you
dialect. Most deSinitely, this is simpliSied
probably packed everything but the
logic, but it does demonstrate that a
kitchen sink. However, no matter the
person's dialect can represent where they
reason for packing, did you ever once think
have lived. Maybe it's just a particular word
about packing your dialect, or maybe your
that they use, a particular meaning they
accent? Well, of course you didn't think
assign to a word, a particular way they
about it because it's an intrinsic part of
pronounce a word(s), and/or a particular
yourself. You really can't be totally
word order in a sentence (syntax) that they
separated from it. Moreover, once you got
use, but they are differences that can be
to your destination, were you ever asked,
recorded. Furthermore, if they can be
“Are you from around here?” This
recorded, they can be analyzed, which can
particular question is asked with the
possibly be useful in determining where
implication that you are obviously not from
our ancestors came from, or where they
“here”, and is usually asked after they have
had been. This type of migratory mapping
heard you speak. They probably heard
using linguistics [the study of language
something in your dialect that is different
and/or its structure] can be a useful tool in
from their dialect, but they are not sure
narrowing down the locations of possible
where your dialect is from; they just know
paper trails that our ancestors left while
it's “different.”
migrating.
However, factors such as you moving away a n d / o r o t h e r s m o v i n g i n t o y o u r
American Tongues Tease
community can help to change your dialect
Take a look at the opening scene from the
and accent over a long period of time. So, if
classic documentary about accents and
you have a series of moves over your
dialects ‐‐ AMERICAN TONGUES by Louis
lifetime and you stayed in each area for a
Alvarez and Andrew Kolker.
signiSicant period of time, it's quite ~ 37 ~