The fifth volume of
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture
explores language and dialect in the South, including English and
its numerous regional variants, Native American languages, and
other non-English languages spoken over time by the region's
immigrant communities.
Among the more than sixty entries are eleven on indigenous
languages and major essays on French, Spanish, and German. Each of
these provides both historical and contemporary perspectives,
identifying the language's location, number of speakers, vitality,
and sample distinctive features. The book acknowledges the role of
immigration in spreading features of Southern English to other
regions and countries and in bringing linguistic influences from
Europe and Africa to Southern English. The fascinating patchwork of
English dialects is also fully presented, from African American
English, Gullah, and Cajun English to the English spoken in
Appalachia, the Ozarks, the Outer Banks, the Chesapeake Bay
Islands, Charleston, and elsewhere. Topical entries discuss ongoing
changes in the pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar of English in
the increasingly mobile South, as well as naming patterns,
storytelling, preaching styles, and politeness, all of which deal
with ways language is woven into southern culture.
