The Appalachian English (AE) dialect has changed over time. AE developed in the 1700s when Scottish-Irish immigrants settled in the cheap, mountainous territory that makes up the Appalachian Mountains. Isolated from the outside world for centuries, the Appalachian people spoke a distinct dialect that became known as AE. Unique features characterize the speech in Appalachia; the use of these features is fading as the area becomes less isolated. Migration and advances in technology have played a key role in shifting the dialect toward Standard English. The Appalachian English dialect, which has several unique features, developed in the Appalachian Mountain area due to migration and isolation in the 1700s and began to fade due to migration,
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By recording interviews that were conducted by family members a true representation of speech can be collected. The family members were more comfortable talking to a familiar person, in a familiar setting, and thus their speech was not altered. The family’s speech was examined, and differences between the migrant’s speech and non-migrants were compared. The family consisted of six migrants, and three non-migrants. Migrants did not consistently visit their home throughout their migration, but were able to maintain some of the specific features of AE. The older family members were unable to attend school, and had to work in order to support the family. As the family became more stable, younger children were able to attend more school than their older siblings. Although the entire family shared some features, the non-migrants only used certain features. The time spent away from home by each migrant affected his or her use of certain features. The non-migrants use more vernacular features than the migrants (Hamilton and Hazen, 2009). The older family members shared more dialect features than the younger family members. Therefore, it is possible that the diversity of AE is caused by the altered speech from migrants who were returning home. Many factors other than migration, have contributed to change in AE. Technological advances exposed to region to a more standard form of English (Richards, 2001). As further advances were made, it became easier for individuals to travel; the residents of Appalachia were exposed to more forms of English. These advances made the region more susceptible to change, which accounts for the changes in
By recording interviews that were conducted by family members a true representation of speech can be collected. The family members were more comfortable talking to a familiar person, in a familiar setting, and thus their speech was not altered. The family’s speech was examined, and differences between the migrant’s speech and non-migrants were compared. The family consisted of six migrants, and three non-migrants. Migrants did not consistently visit their home throughout their migration, but were able to maintain some of the specific features of AE. The older family members were unable to attend school, and had to work in order to support the family. As the family became more stable, younger children were able to attend more school than their older siblings. Although the entire family shared some features, the non-migrants only used certain features. The time spent away from home by each migrant affected his or her use of certain features. The non-migrants use more vernacular features than the migrants (Hamilton and Hazen, 2009). The older family members shared more dialect features than the younger family members. Therefore, it is possible that the diversity of AE is caused by the altered speech from migrants who were returning home. Many factors other than migration, have contributed to change in AE. Technological advances exposed to region to a more standard form of English (Richards, 2001). As further advances were made, it became easier for individuals to travel; the residents of Appalachia were exposed to more forms of English. These advances made the region more susceptible to change, which accounts for the changes in