The Appalachian Dialect

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the unique American Appalachian dialect is often greatly misunderstood. It looks at how many modern Americans characterize the Appalachian dialect as a corruption of the English language, which is spoken by uneducated and unintelligent hillbillies. Instead, it shows how the Appalachian dialect is more aptly characterized as an archaic type of English that resembles the English spoken in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth. It also discusses how geographical, cultural, and social isolation have kept the Appalachian dialect essentially pure over the past 200 years of America's history and how, today, the Appalachian dialect continues to thrive, preserving one of America's great linguistic traditions.

From the Paper:

"Currently, the Appalachian dialect is used extensively in the region. The Appalachian dialect spoken today closely in many ways resembles the English that was spoken by the first settlers to America. The isolation of life in the mountains of Appalachia has carried on many traditional attitudes and behaviors, as well as maintaining the dialect of Appalachia (Virgin English). Interestingly, Dial notes that the dialect spoken today is a "watered-down" version of the dialect spoken in earlier times. Perhaps the influence of television, radio, movies, as well as a more transient American population have helped to contributed to changes in the Appalachian dialect seen in the past century."

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