BackgroundThe term Southern American English (also known as Southern States English) refers to a number of varieties of English spoken in many of the southern States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and parts of Arkansas, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia. Although these varieties are not uniform throughout these states, they share certain common characteristics that differentiate them from other varieties found in the Northern and Western United States.
GeographyThe precise boundaries of Southern American English depend upon the variables being studied, however Carver (1987) provides a map of the major dialect areas of the United States, including Southern American English (the background image is based on this map). This map delineates three major divisions of Southern American English: the Upper South, Lower South, and Delta South. There are also some narrower classifications, such as Virginia Piedmont and Southeastern Louisiana. It should be noted that this classification has been criticized in recent years (Frazer 1997).
Features of Southern American EnglishThere are a number of phonetic/phonological features of Southern American English, including the following:
Morphosyntactic features of Southern American English include the following:
There are also quite a few lexical distinctions that distinguish Southern American English from other varieties, including:
SamplesWilliam Clinton
ExercisesMany of the exercises found below will illustrate some of the characteristics of Southern American English, through the speech of William Jefferson Clinton, president of the United states from 1992-2000. Mr. Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas.