As I read the “Your Language” section of Anne Curzan and Lisa Damour’s book (19), I thought of an experience I had in English 1000 last semester. I was stood in front of a class of freshmen, encouraging them to bring their papers to the writing lab. During my speech, I involuntarily said the word “y’all” instead of the English second-person plural pronoun “you.” I felt a stirring in the class. I quickly apologized and explained that I am from
It seems that the Southern accent doesn’t carry much authority at MU and can even be a distraction. This is especially true when a speaker drops words in the Southern accent among strings of words spoken with the Standard English pronunciation, which is a good description of how I think I talk. This is probably something my English 1000 students can get used to. So, on the first day of class, I plan to mention that I have this tendency. I also plan to be more careful not do anything that distracts my students from what I am saying.
4 comments:
Andrew,
I think this is a strange tendency. I actually got one of my friends really upset with me because I noted that she would say something like "terr" for "tour." I wasn't implying a value judgment, but that's just how she took it. But then again, I had another friend who openly laughed at the way I say "accent" because I'm a subject (albeit unwilling) of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift.
I actually think it's a disheartening stereotype that you see in the media all the time — if you want to make someone sound stupid, you give that person a Southern accent. Also, I've had some of my friends from the South tell me they have been trained in their schooling to "mask" the accent. I have no idea where this cultural marker came from, and I'm obviously skeptical of it.
Anyway, I have no real conclusion, just a reaction.
-ktz
This may reflect my folklore background, but so what.
To me, how we speak is really important. I know that I sometimes bust out with a painfully strong Upper-Midwest accent (oh yah, get me a beer once), reminiscent of Fargo, and sometimes that makes people around me blink. Yes, I pronounce "bagel" incorrectly. But, I guess I don't see anything wrong with that, which is probably why I'm in folklore.
How we use our words is a reflection of our region, and a reflection of our background. I have no intention of changing my speech patterns to reflect a perfect NPR articulation just because someone might take me for a backwoods yokel.
I think that the only way that preconceptions and misconceptions will be changed is by articulate people with accents. Changing how we speak to reflect a dominant paradigm is not going to change stereotypes, but will instead probably reinforce them.
Andrew,
I can appreciate your concern on this issue. It was difficult for me the first few years in the classroom because I tried so hard to always be "proper" and "correct" with my speech. What I learned was that sometimes correct grammatical usage confuses students. I didn't resort to prepositions at the end of sentences, but I did learn to address the class in a more casual way. I think the stirring you felt from the class may have been surprise and maybe a little relief since it made you more "personable" and probably more approachable. I don't think that accents really matter as long as you have strong information to impart.
I'd agree with Rebecca that this may have been more of a disarming incident, especially if that was the only "southern" language used. It could also lead to a discussion of formal vs. informal in papers- for those students who write like they speak.
I'm surprised that Floyd and Alden's "Missourah" caused discomfort. My father is from Missouri (Moberly originally) and is resolute in this pronunciation. He of course claims that this is how native Missourians pronounce it. Maybe that's an older-generation thing, and the cable-raised youth lost their twang...
Joe
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