Southern English Vs Southern Dialect

As a student originally from the South, Georgia to be specific, attending Western Washington University has led me to come across many different types of people and ways of speaking. Considering the vast diversity, a normal student will encounter many different dialects in various conversational situations. Most people have a vague idea of “American Southern English” that exists and are aware of a distinct region in the Southeastern United States where this dialect can be found. However most do not always have an accurate idea of what it entails.

The general Southern dialect region matches the borders of the Confederate states that seceded during the “Confederate War” (also more commonly known as the “Civil War”) and is still a culturally distinct

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology associated with the University of Chicago describes research developed by University of Chicago psychologists Katherine Kinzler and Jasmine DeJesus indicated how the South is rated high in pleasantness. Based on the idea that attitudes towards Northern versus Southern speech tend to emerge in the early school years, 9 to 10-year-old children living in both Illinois and Tennessee where studied for cultural stereotypes. It’s not just adult individuals who stereotype someone as “sweet” and “dimwitted” for having a drawl. The results reported that Northern-accented individuals sounded “smarter” and “in charge”, whereas Southern-accented individuals sounded “nicer”. Consequently, “children endorsed both positive and negative stereotypes about their own groups, instead of evaluating their own group in a relatively more positive light for every attribute”. It was observed that these attitudes were found in both Illinois and Tennessee children. Both researches suggest that Southerners “do not categorize speakers of either accent as being alien, because they hear Northern accents at a young age from National news anchors, film and television characters”. The kids in Chicago don’t have the same

Society is dominated by stereotypes and misconceptions from the way we talk, walk, or look has an impact on others judgments. For example, Americans can be taken back when hearing a African American speak with a proper British accent or when they discover that a rapper singing with a black accent is Caucasian. People who have southern accents are likely considered rednecks, hicks, or many other impolite things. It has been shown that Southern accented individuals are evaluated as sounding “nicer” and more “pleasant” when Northern accented individuals are considered “smart” and “in-charge”. Therefore it comes as no surprise that most people associate the Southern dialect with lack of education or laziness even though they sound