REGIONAL ACCENTS: WHY DO THEY EXIST?
Edition: Aglaia Ruffino Jalles
Have you ever wondered why different groups of people speak the same language differently? Is there a "correct" way to speak a language? Let's explore the fascinating world of regional accents, their origins, and their development.
WHAT ARE REGIONAL ACCENTS?
In linguistics, it is widely acknowledged that everyone has an accent, which refers to the distinctive way someone pronounces a language. This pronunciation can be influenced by various factors, including geographical region, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and more. Accents are a natural part of language variation and are present in every speaker, whether or not they are aware of it.
Accents are strictly about pronunciation. For example, someone from the southern United States might pronounce the word "car" with a noticeable drawl, while someone from Boston might drop the "r" sound altogether, saying "cah" instead. These differences in pronunciation are what define an accent.
However, accents are part of a broader concept known as dialects. A dialect is a variety of a language that includes not only pronunciation (accent) but also grammar, vocabulary, and sometimes even syntax. For instance, Southern American English is a dialect that encompasses unique grammatical structures and vocabulary, in addition to its distinct accent. In contrast, Received Pronunciation (RP) is a dialect of British English often associated with the upper class, featuring specific grammatical norms and vocabulary alongside its accent.
REASONS FOR ACCENT DEVELOPMENT
Accents and dialects develop for several reasons, including language learning, language contact, social differentiation, and natural language processes.
LANGUAGE LEARNING
Different language varieties often emerge when groups of people are isolated. Over time, these groups develop unique accents. For instance, American and Australian accents both originated from British settlers but evolved differently due to various influences like local languages and immigration patterns.
Children learning a language from their parents do not replicate the exact grammar and pronunciation. Through trial and error, they develop slight variations, which can spread within the community, leading to distinct accents.
LANGUAGE CONTACT
Accents can also be influenced by proximity to other languages. In Louisiana, for example, the Cajun English accent is heavily influenced by French due to the region's history. Originally part of French and Spanish territory, Louisiana had a significant French-speaking population. Over time, as English became the primary language, the French influence persisted in the form of a unique Cajun accent that persists till this day.
SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION
Social factors, such as socioeconomic status, also play a role in accent development. In Louisiana, the Cajun English accent was primarily spoken by lower-class individuals, while the upper class had different speech patterns. Similarly, Received Pronunciation in the UK is associated with the upper class and is considered prestigious, even though the majority of the population does not speak this way.
Racial and ethnic isolation can also lead to distinct accents. For example, African American Vernacular English (AAVE) developed within the black community in the United States due to historical and social isolation from the larger white population.
NATURAL PROCESSES IN LANGUAGE
Historical linguistics also explains accent development through natural processes in language like assimilation, dissimilation, syncope, and apocope. These processes involve changes in sound pronunciation over long periods of time and they are common to all human languages across the globe. If such changes become standardized within a community, they contribute to the development of a distinct accent.
For example, assimilation occurs when a sound influences another, leading to a change in pronunciation. As an illustration of this change, the word “stem” used to be pronounced in Early Old English as [stefn]. With time, the sound [f] started being assimilated by the sound [n] becoming a nasal (category of the sound) as well, which lead to the word being pronounced as [stemn] in Old English and, eventually, as [stem] in today's English, losing the final [n] sound altogether (MURRAY, 1996).
CONCLUSION
Accents are a subset of dialects, focusing on pronunciation. They arise due to various factors, including isolation, language contact, social differentiation, and natural linguistic processes. The diversity of accents and dialects is a natural part of human languages and thus there isn't one dialect or accent that is more “correct” or “better”, they are all acceptable developments of a common language. Understanding the natural change of language and the factors that cause such changes helps us appreciate the rich diversity of accents within any language.
If you found this topic intriguing, stay tuned for more insights into the fascinating world of linguistics!
If you want to dive deeper into this topic, make sure to check our Youtube video about Regional Accents with further explanation and more examples:
Bibliography
Murray, Robert W. (2005). "Historical Linguistics: The Study of Language Change". In: O'Grady et al (eds) (2005), 245-291.
