"Midwestern" English: U.S. and World Perspectives.

Abstract

Students of around the world are commonly taught according to one of two models, British English, and English. Indeed, there is a persistent popular myth (present in many linguistics and second-language texts) that a single Midwestern variety of American exists. The usage of the term English can be traced to the political ideology of the Yankees who settled around the Great Lakes region and promoted their dialect as General American. Scholarship, however, shows that the Yankees' inland northern dialect is, in fact, confined to a small part of that region usually called the Midwest in the United States. The variation patterns of spoken in this region are very complex. Demographics across the region are also highly complex, and dipthong variations are often extreme. The assumption that this region speaks a single dialect also ignores 60 years of research in dialect geography and urban sociolinguistics. A review of a few of the studies demonstrates that the so-called Middle part of the United States is home to several varieties of and is not the linguistic monolith suggested by many handbooks. (HB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** MIDWESTERN ENGLISH: U.S. AND WORLD PERSPECTIVES Timothy C. Frazer Western Illinois University Joan Livingston-Webber University of Nebraska-Omaha World Englishes Today April 2-4, 1992 Urbana, IL PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY jell/al/4, TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).2 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Eaucationi Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC, Oel'his document has been reproduced as reCeived from the person or organQa Oon lgona tong d C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of new or opinions stated in this dOCu ment do not necessarily represent official OE Pr position or policy

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