Shows that results of a study that suggests one difference between Indian English (IE) and American English (AE) varieties is the phonetic realization of prominence may be due to misinterpretation of the positioning of stress in Indian English. Shows that by considering the louder syllable to the stressed one, IE stress correlates differ in…

Examines a case of dialectal variation in a subpart of the tense-modality aspect system of Indian English. Focuses on functions associated with an existing form: the use of the pluperfect "had" + V-"ed" construction. Contrasts this usage with that of British and American English. (Author/VWL)

Examines the realization of accent in Indian English (IE) compared to American English produced by teaching assistants in similar contexts. In teaching discourse, a lexically accented syllable is often realized in IE with a relative drop in frequency and without a reliable increase in amplitude. (Author/VWL)

Discusses Ocracoke English as an endangered dialect, examining the social responsibility linguists and dialectologists should assume in documenting and disseminating information about the state of moribund dialects and describing a community-based, collaborative model involving the development of materials and programs that foster knowledge of and…

Current work in American dialectology is summarized and commented on. (Available from: See FL 508 214.) (RM)

Answers to three of the questions used in gathering material for the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) are analyzed in this paper. The data was collected state by state, and the number studied in each state was based on the 1960 population figures and known patterns of settlements and migrations. In the first question, the informants…

The variety of syntactic forms for expression of directives is commented on. Data has been collected investigating the empirical distribution of formal variants across social features and predictability of the form of a directive if social features of its context are known. (Author/RM)

Offers evidence that contradicts the idea of a relatively homogeneous North American dialect area in which vowel systems remain fairly stable. The article examines back vowel fronting in Canadian English and its relationship to the shift affecting the front lax vowels, as well as to the general principles of vowel chain shifting. (29 references)…

This bibliography is divided into five sections. The second, third, fourth, and fifth sections are each devoted to publications in one specified area, American, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English respectively. The first section lists bibliographies pertaining to all of these areas. Entries in all sections include both American and…

This paper reports on the Arkansas Language Survey, which had two purposes: (1) to explore the idea advanced by Labov that Americans generally have negative attitudes about their language, and to see to what extent this applies to Arkansawyers; and (2) to determine how Arkansawyers judge the way other Americans speak English. The twenty-four white…

Selected phonological, morphological, and syntactic evidence from two hours of tape recordings of conversations of a four-year-old Native American New Mexican was examined to determine its value in assessing the child's bidialectalism. (Author/SW)

This paper traces the history of changing attitudes toward American English. Two approaches to language policy have always been present, the conservative one, which considers British English the only acceptable standard, and the liberal, which favors American English. (CFM)

The history of efforts to agree upon standard English usage is outlined here, with particular attention to the role of the National Council of Teachers of English. Controversy among teachers often meets the Council's attempts at reform. Efforts to balance policy between standard spoken usage and individual dialects are noted. (CHK)

Suggests that good business writing is dependent on solving the problem of the best psychological approach to readers, organization, writing style, and English usage. (MH)

Provides evidence from a small northern U.S. city for Canadian raising, a Canadian phenomenon that heightens the onset of diphthongs in /ai/ and /au/ relative to the low central onset in neighboring dialects. Findings suggest that the Canadian diphthong varieties may not be conforming to the U.S. norm, but instead that the two varieties are…