The Origin of the Dialectal Differences in Spoken American English
| Autor: | Hans Kurath |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1928 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Modern Philology. 25:385-395 |
| ISSN: | 1545-6951 0026-8232 |
| Popis: | The publication of J. S. Kenyon's American Pronunciation in 1924 and of G. P. Krapp's The English Language in America in 1925 bears witness to a new interest in spoken American English and its history. In the period intervening between these recent books and the nineties, when Grandgent, Sheldon, Emerson, and Hempl were engaged in ascertaining usage in the various parts of this country, both by personal observation and by carefully prepared questions submitted to competent observers, the pronunciation of English in America received little attention. Even less thought was given to the history of our pronunciation, to which these scholars had also devoted themselves, without, however, pushing their studies very far. As a result we are today not much better informed on these questions than thirty years ago, although W. Read's recent papers on southern pronunciation' have materially increased our knowledge of that area. And yet, a thorough survey of actual usage in the various sections of the country is as necessary to the historical study of our pronunciation as for the question of a standard of pronunciation. Until we shall possess such a survey, all historical investigation must proceed largely by "safe guesses," and all arguments for a standard will be swayed by local or personal preference. In undertaking a discussion of the origin of our regional differences in pronunciation I am not unaware of the fact that pitfalls must lie hidden in this scantily explored field, and I fully realize that my views are of a tentative nature. 1 "The Vowel System of the United States," Englisch Studien, XLI, 70 ff.; "Some Phases of American Pronunciation," JEGP. XXII, 217 ff. [MODWPX PHLOLOGY, May, 1928] 385 |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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