Disney Take On American History

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the Disney film "Pocahontas" from the standpoint of linguistics students. The dialect of each character is identified and classified, and put in perspective with the others. The native dialects and ethnicities of the actors providing the voices are taken into account as well. The paper illustrates Disney's ability to play into our preconceived ideas about how we should speak and how it relates to other aspects of our lives, including sexuality.

From the Paper:

" "In sixteen hundred seven we sail the open sea, for glory, God, and gold and the Virginia Company." So begin the opening lines of Disney's "Pocahontas," just to give a bit of background for the children in the audience who have not yet had American History. In the film "Pocahontas," Disney makes a very sincere effort to promote diversity and racial acceptance, and to dispel common stereotypes about Native Americans. At the same time, however, and perhaps unintentionally, they perpetuate other linguistic stereotypes, as I intend to show."

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