Benjamin’s Long and Rambling Talk – 米国ん方言

Last week I gave a quick overview of some of the major dialects in America and the kinds of features that set them apart. While the discussion was rather superficial, the topic is extremely broad and the goal of introducing the breadth of the subject was accomplished.

First we discussed my own research (based on the theory of indexical order and Kumamoto dialect), moving on to discuss some examples of the two major classes of dialect, regional and social. Regional dialects discussed were those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, the South, and Northern Midwest America. Social dialects included the Boston Brahmins, AAVE (African American Vernacular English), and Boston North End dialects.

If you are interested in learning more about these dialects, please check out the clips from American Tongues, a great documentary, which are freely available on Youtube. The wonderful nature of the internet and 20 minutes of watching American dialect in use can tell you more than you’d ever learn from reading a book (or a blog post for that matter).

Enjoy!