American Tongues Essay
Alex Bakaitis
GEPL 3050
2/18/15
American Tongues Essay
Depending on where you're from and where you've lived in the United States, you probably say things a little differently than people from other parts of the country. American Tongues is a documentary that films different varieties of English that people speak all around the United States. American Tongues is a documentary that films different varieties of English that people speak all around the United States. The English language is composed of many linguistic varieties, such as Black English, Standard English, Appalachian English, southern English, New York dialect, and Spanish influenced English and many more. The movie represents some of the social and regional differences in how Americans speak and portray their opinions and attitudes on how different everyone is. People’s attitudes about dialects and accents that are typically negative toward one another and are seen as sub-standard forms of English.
One good point that was made during the film was that depending on someone’s accent, people will judge you in the way you speak and how you actually say your words. People might not like someone because of their accent, so people are quick to make judgments on you. Those people also pass judgments about that specific area you are from due to their accents. The film gives some examples of how it is true proof. People that are from the south are likely considered to be more uneducated by people from the north. This has to do with the bigger emphasis on agriculture based life than in the north, so there is less need for education higher education. This is the stereotype that comes from southerners being less uneducated. People who are prejudice against southern accents feel that their accents imply ignorance and even racism. It's disrespectful and childlike to judge people by their dialect and accents because people shouldn’t judge someone’s character by how they speak or the words they use.
There are many
GEPL 3050
2/18/15
American Tongues Essay
Depending on where you're from and where you've lived in the United States, you probably say things a little differently than people from other parts of the country. American Tongues is a documentary that films different varieties of English that people speak all around the United States. American Tongues is a documentary that films different varieties of English that people speak all around the United States. The English language is composed of many linguistic varieties, such as Black English, Standard English, Appalachian English, southern English, New York dialect, and Spanish influenced English and many more. The movie represents some of the social and regional differences in how Americans speak and portray their opinions and attitudes on how different everyone is. People’s attitudes about dialects and accents that are typically negative toward one another and are seen as sub-standard forms of English.
One good point that was made during the film was that depending on someone’s accent, people will judge you in the way you speak and how you actually say your words. People might not like someone because of their accent, so people are quick to make judgments on you. Those people also pass judgments about that specific area you are from due to their accents. The film gives some examples of how it is true proof. People that are from the south are likely considered to be more uneducated by people from the north. This has to do with the bigger emphasis on agriculture based life than in the north, so there is less need for education higher education. This is the stereotype that comes from southerners being less uneducated. People who are prejudice against southern accents feel that their accents imply ignorance and even racism. It's disrespectful and childlike to judge people by their dialect and accents because people shouldn’t judge someone’s character by how they speak or the words they use.
There are many