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Southern Dialect Essay

585 Words3 Pages

America is a melting pot of different cultures and peoples, so it’s no surprise that the same applies to languages. A wide variety of languages can be heard here everyday. Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic are the top 5 spoken after English, with nearly 50 million speakers. Even within English, America has plenty of variation, distinguished by slang and accents. Linguists recognize 5 main regions, which can be split up into 24 smaller regions. These languages and dialects are different, but they’re all equally American. My personal dialect is Coastal Southern, which is within the larger Southern dialect. A Coastal Southern dialect is the “classic Southern” accent. The dialect is non-rhotic, meaning words ending with an “-er” …show more content…

America has many different cultures and languages, due to the large amount of immigration. While some places in America speak almost entirely English, there are many places that speak other languages entirely. French Creole (Cajun) is used in Louisiana, Pennsylvanian German in Amish communities, Spanish in Southwest, Haitian Creole and Spanish in Florida, are some examples. Their shared language and culture unites people within the area. These non-English speaking communities don’t divide America, as many people believe, but actually allow non-English speaking immigrants to feel more at home in America. This is seen in New York City -a hub for immigration- where neighborhoods consist of one language, culture, or country of origin. Despite the citizens fully embracing their own culture, New York City is still regarded as one of the most American cities in the US, showing that we are not strictly confined to English as a nation. The official language of a country is the language that the government uses. It is often the language that the majority of the population speak. Having an official language is practical, as it saves money within the government. Outside of the government though, it doesn’t accomplish much. While some people argue that it promotes national unity, many agree that an official language contradicts America’s “melting pot” culture. English should not be the official language,

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