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Southern American English is a regional dialect primarily spoken by White Southerners and is becoming more concentrated in rural areas.
Answer: True
Explanation: Southern American English is indeed primarily spoken by White Southerners and is increasingly concentrated in rural areas, as stated in the source material.
"Southern White Vernacular English" and "Rural White Southern English" are informal terms for Southern American English.
Answer: False
Explanation: These terms are formal terms used in American linguistics, not informal ones, for Southern American English.
Research from the 2000s identified southern Appalachian and certain Texan accents as the most innovative within Southern American English.
Answer: True
Explanation: The source indicates that southern Appalachian and certain Texan accents were considered the most innovative in 2000s research on Southern American English.
Southern American English is considered the smallest American regional accent group based on its number of speakers.
Answer: False
Explanation: Research has described Southern American English as the largest American regional accent group based on its number of speakers.
Before the American Civil War, Southern dialects were uniform, primarily influenced by 19th-century London upper-class speech.
Answer: False
Explanation: Before the American Civil War, Southern dialects exhibited diversity, resulting from a mix of English speakers from the British Isles and borrowed elements, rather than being uniform or primarily influenced by London upper-class speech.
The consolidation of a more unified Southern American English began after World War II, primarily due to industrialization.
Answer: False
Explanation: The consolidation of a more unified Southern American English began around the last quarter of the 19th century and spread until about World War II, intensified by events like the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, not primarily after World War II due to industrialization.
The 2006 Atlas of North American English documented the Southern accent exclusively in rural areas of the traditional Southern states.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 2006 Atlas of North American English documented Southern accents in urban areas across many Southern states, as well as in parts of Texas, Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, and Oklahoma.
The Southern accent has been increasingly concentrated in urban areas for decades, making them better studied than rural areas.
Answer: False
Explanation: For decades, the Southern accent has been increasingly concentrated in rural areas, which are often less well-studied than urban areas.
21st-century scholarship limits the Southern American English dialect region to only the states traditionally considered part of the Deep South.
Answer: False
Explanation: 21st-century scholarship expands the Southern American English dialect region beyond the areas documented by the 2006 Atlas, including southern Maryland, eastern and southern Oklahoma, and other regions.
Shared linguistic features between Midland and Southern accents are found only in Texas and Oklahoma.
Answer: False
Explanation: Shared features between Midland and Southern accents extend across all of Texas and Oklahoma, as well as eastern and central Kansas, southern Missouri, southern Indiana, southern Ohio, and southern Illinois.
The Atlas of North American English identifies Atlanta, Georgia, as a culturally Southern city that has retained a strong Southern accent.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Atlas of North American English notably identifies Atlanta, Georgia, as a culturally Southern city that lacks a Southern accent, either because it shifted away from it or never had it.
The discussion of 'Southern dialect' in the United States always encompasses all social and ethnic groups in the South.
Answer: False
Explanation: Discussion of 'Southern dialect' in the United States sometimes focuses specifically on English varieties spoken by white Southerners, even though it could encompass dialects from other social or ethnic groups.
Which of the following is a formal term for Southern American English in American linguistics?
Answer: Rural White Southern English
According to 2000s research, which accents were considered most innovative within Southern American English?
Answer: Southern Appalachian and certain Texan accents
How is Southern American English characterized in terms of its number of speakers?
Answer: It is the largest American regional accent group.
What was a key characteristic of earlier Southern dialects before the American Civil War?
Answer: They exhibited a diversity resulting from mixed English speakers and borrowed elements.
Which historical period saw the consolidation of a more unified Southern American English?
Answer: The period immediately following the American Civil War until World War II.
According to the 2006 Atlas of North American English, which of the following urban areas is documented as having a Southern accent?
Answer: Tulsa, Oklahoma
In which type of geographical areas is the Southern accent increasingly concentrated?
Answer: Rural areas
Which of the following states is included in the Southern American English dialect region by 21st-century scholarship, beyond the 2006 Atlas documentation?
Answer: Southern Maryland
Which region is NOT listed as exhibiting shared features between Midland and Southern accents?
Answer: Northern Michigan
Which of the following culturally Southern cities is notably identified by the Atlas of North American English as lacking a Southern accent?
Answer: Atlanta, Georgia
How is the discussion of 'Southern dialect' sometimes limited in the United States?
Answer: It sometimes focuses specifically on English varieties spoken by white Southerners.
(South) Midland accents share the Southern Vowel Shift with Southern accents, but lack GOAT fronting.
Answer: False
Explanation: (South) Midland accents share GOAT fronting with Southern accents but typically lack the Southern Vowel Shift.
A defining phonological feature of the Southern regional accent is the diphthong /aɪ/ retaining its strong gliding quality in all environments.
Answer: False
Explanation: A defining phonological feature of the Southern regional accent is the diphthong /aɪ/ losing its gliding quality and becoming [aː] in many or all environments.
Southern drawling causes short front vowels to become monophthongs, making words like 'pet' sound like 'pat'.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southern drawling, or diphthongizing, of short front vowels causes words like 'pet' and 'pit' to sound more like 'pay-it' and 'pee-it', not monophthongs like 'pat'.
Southern vowel changes are unrelated to a chain shift of vowels, instead being isolated phonetic phenomena.
Answer: False
Explanation: The changes in Southern vowels appear to be related to a complicated chain shift of vowels that defines the accent.
Fronting is common for back vowels in Southern American English, including those in the GOAT and GOOSE lexical sets.
Answer: True
Explanation: Fronting is common for back vowels in words belonging to the GOAT, GOOSE, STRUT, and FOOT lexical sets, and also in the first element of the MOUTH diphthong.
Southern accents are typically non-rhotic, meaning they drop the /r/ sound in most positions.
Answer: False
Explanation: Rhoticity, the pronunciation of all historical /r/ sounds, is the norm in Southern accents, similar to General American accents.
All Southern accents, regardless of sub-region or speaker group, are consistently rhotic.
Answer: False
Explanation: Some sub-regional accents from earlier periods and Black Southern accents may be largely non-rhotic.
The pin-pen merger in Southern American English results in the distinct pronunciation of 'pin' and 'pen'.
Answer: False
Explanation: The pin-pen merger means the vowel sounds in words like 'pin' and 'pen' are pronounced the same, typically as [ɪ].
What key feature do (South) Midland accents share with Southern accents, while typically lacking the Southern Vowel Shift?
Answer: GOAT fronting
What is a defining phonological feature of the Southern regional accent regarding the /aɪ/ diphthong?
Answer: It loses its gliding quality and becomes [aː].
How does Southern drawling typically affect short front vowels like in 'pet' and 'pit'?
Answer: They sound diphthongized, like 'pay-it' and 'pee-it'.
What is the relationship between Southern vowel changes and a chain shift?
Answer: They are related to a complicated chain shift of vowels that defines the accent.
What is the typical rhoticity of Southern accents?
Answer: Rhoticity is the norm, similar to General American accents.
Which group of Southerners may exhibit largely non-rhotic accents?
Answer: Black Southern accents and some sub-regional accents from early 20th-century Southerners.
What is the 'pin-pen merger' in Southern American English?
Answer: The pronunciation of 'pin' and 'pen' with the same vowel sound, typically [ɪ].
In Southern American English, the auxiliary verb 'done' is used to indicate future tense actions.
Answer: False
Explanation: The auxiliary verb 'done' in Southern American English is used to convey the past tense, not future tense actions.
Non-standard preterites like 'knowed' and 'drownded' are rarely found in Southern American English.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southern American English features several non-standard preterites, including 'drownded' for 'drown' and 'knowed' for 'know'.
Southern American English typically uses 'have been' instead of 'been' in perfect constructions.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'been' is often used instead of 'have been' in perfect constructions.
The phrase '(a-)fixin' to' in Southern American English indicates a completed past action.
Answer: False
Explanation: The phrase '(a-)fixin' to' indicates immediate future action, meaning 'intending to' or 'about to'.
The use of 'fixin' to' is more common among educated upper classes and older people in urban areas.
Answer: False
Explanation: The use of 'fixin' to' is more frequently used by people with a lower social status, younger people, and those in rural areas.
Southern American English has eliminated older English reflexive datives like 'me' and 'him'.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southern American English preserves older English reflexive datives such as 'me' and 'him', used to indicate that the action benefits the subject.
In Southern American English, 'this here' and 'that there' are used to indicate a greater degree of uncertainty about an object's location.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'This here' and 'that there' are used in place of 'this' or 'this one' and 'that' or 'that one', respectively, not to indicate uncertainty.
Existential 'it' in Southern American English replaces 'there' only when referring to a physical location.
Answer: False
Explanation: Existential 'it' is substituted for 'there' when 'there' refers to the existence of something, not a physical location.
The word 'ever' is never used in place of 'every' in Southern American English.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'ever' is sometimes used in place of 'every'.
'Liketa' in Southern American English means 'exactly' and is used to express certainty.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Liketa' means 'almost' or 'nearly' and is often used in an exaggerated or violent figurative sense, not to express certainty.
The term 'yonder' in Southern American English is an archaic demonstrative indicating a very close proximity.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Yonder' indicates a third, larger degree of distance beyond 'here' and 'there', suggesting something is a longer way away.
Southern American English shows a preference for contracting the auxiliary verb and 'not' rather than the subject and the auxiliary verb.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southern American English shows an increased preference for contracting the subject and the auxiliary verb rather than the auxiliary and 'not' when contracting a negated auxiliary verb.
Multiple modals, such as 'might could', are standard grammatical constructions in all English dialects.
Answer: False
Explanation: Multiple modals are not standard in English and refer to the use of two or more modal auxiliary verbs in a row within a single verb phrase.
The origin of multiple modals in Southern American English is definitively traced back to Middle English, with no controversy among linguists.
Answer: False
Explanation: The origin of multiple modals is controversial, with theories ranging from Modern English development to Scots-Irish settlers, and there are differing opinions among linguists.
In multiple modal constructions, deontic modals typically precede epistemic modals.
Answer: False
Explanation: In multiple modal constructions, an epistemic modal is followed by deontic modals.
Southerners use conditional syntax primarily to express direct commands and assert authority.
Answer: False
Explanation: The purpose of using conditional syntax in Southern speech is to soften obligations or suggestions, make criticisms less personal, and generally express politeness, respect, or courtesy.
The primary purpose of conditional syntax in Southern speech is to make criticisms more direct and personal.
Answer: False
Explanation: The primary purpose of conditional syntax in Southern speech is to soften obligations or suggestions and make criticisms less personal, not more direct.
Evidential predicates like 'reckon' are used in Southern American English to assert knowledge with absolute certainty.
Answer: False
Explanation: Evidential predicates indicate an uncertainty of the knowledge asserted, allowing speakers to hedge their assertions.
The word 'ain't' in Southern U.S. English is exclusively used as a contraction for 'is not'.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Ain't' is used to mean 'am not', 'is not', 'are not', 'have not', 'has not', and other similar negated forms of verbs.
Nonstandard past-tense forms like 'riz up' and 'drownded' are absent from Southern American English.
Answer: False
Explanation: Nonstandard past-tense forms of verbs, including 'riz up' for 'rose up' and 'drownded' for 'drowned', are found in Southern American English, particularly in certain regions.
'Y'all' is a term used in Southern American English to address a single person formally.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Y'all' is a widely recognized and frequently used term in Southern American English to address multiple people, serving as a plural form of 'you'.
In Southern American English, how is the auxiliary verb 'done' typically used?
Answer: To convey the past tense, placed between the subject and main verb.
Which of the following is an example of a non-standard preterite found in Southern American English?
Answer: 'knowed' for 'know'
How is 'been' often used in perfect constructions in Southern American English?
Answer: It is used instead of 'have been'.
What does the phrase '(a-)fixin' to' indicate in Southern American English?
Answer: An immediate future action, meaning 'intending to' or 'about to'.
Which demographic group is most likely to use 'fixin' to' more frequently?
Answer: People with a lower social status, younger people, and those in rural areas.
How does Southern American English preserve older English reflexive datives?
Answer: By using terms like 'me' and 'him' between the verb and object to indicate benefit to the subject.
What is the function of 'this here' and 'that there' in Southern American English?
Answer: To replace 'this' or 'this one' and 'that' or 'that one'.
What is 'existential it' in Southern American English grammar?
Answer: The substitution of 'it' for 'there' when 'there' refers to the existence of something, not a physical location.
How is the word 'ever' sometimes used differently in Southern American English compared to Standard English?
Answer: It is sometimes used in place of 'every'.
What does the distal demonstrative 'yonder' indicate in Southern American English?
Answer: A third, larger degree of distance beyond 'here' and 'there'.
When contracting a negated auxiliary verb, what is the preference in Southern American English compared to General American English?
Answer: Increased preference for contracting the subject and the auxiliary verb.
What are 'multiple modals' in Southern American English grammar?
Answer: The use of two or more modal auxiliary verbs in a row within a single verb phrase.
What is true regarding the origin of multiple modals in Southern American English?
Answer: It is controversial, with theories ranging from Modern English development to Scots-Irish settlers.
In multiple modal constructions, what is the typical combination order of epistemic and deontic modals?
Answer: Epistemic modals are followed by deontic modals.
How do Southerners often use conditional syntax in requests and suggestions?
Answer: To create distance between the speaker's claim and the hearer.
What is a primary purpose of using conditional syntax in Southern speech?
Answer: To soften obligations or suggestions and express politeness.
What do 'evidential predicates' like 'think' or 'reckon' indicate in Southern American English?
Answer: An uncertainty of the knowledge asserted in the sentence.
What does 'ain't' mean in Southern U.S. English?
Answer: 'am not', 'is not', 'are not', 'have not', 'has not', and similar negated forms.
Which of the following is a nonstandard past-tense form of a verb found in Southern American English?
Answer: 'drownded'
What is the significance of 'y'all' in Southern American English?
Answer: It serves as a plural form of 'you'.
The phrase 'bless your heart' in the Southern United States is always used to express genuine sympathy and never sarcastically.
Answer: False
Explanation: While 'bless your heart' can express sympathy, it is often used sarcastically in modern contexts.
In Southern U.S. English, a 'buggy' refers to a small, horse-drawn carriage.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern U.S. English, 'buggy' is used as a synonym for a 'shopping cart'.
The verb 'carry' in Southern American English is used only in its standard meaning of transporting something.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'carry' can additionally mean to 'escort' or 'accompany' someone.
'Catty-corner' means located directly opposite.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Catty-corner' means located or placed diagonally.
'Chill bumps' is a term used in Southern American English to describe a sudden feeling of coldness.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Chill bumps' is a common synonym for 'goose bumps'.
In the Southern United States, 'Coke' refers exclusively to the Coca-Cola brand of soft drink.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the Southern United States, 'Coke' is often used as a generic term for any sweet, carbonated soft drink, regardless of brand.
The Southern American English term for 'crayfish' is 'crawdad'.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'crawfish' is the term used for 'crayfish'.
In Southern American English, 'cut on' means to physically sever a connection.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Cut on/off/out' are used to mean 'turn on/off/out', typically referring to lights or electronics.
Southern American English speakers prefer the term 'frosting' over 'icing' for confectionary coatings.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'icing' is preferred over 'frosting' when referring to the sweet coating on cakes and other confectionaries.
In Southern U.S. English, 'ordinary' means common or typical.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern U.S. English, 'ordinary' can mean 'disreputable'.
The word 'ornery' in Southern American English means 'well-behaved' and is derived from 'orderly'.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Ornery' means 'bad-tempered' or 'surly' and is derived from the word 'ordinary'.
When used as an adverb, 'powerful' in Southern American English means 'with great physical strength'.
Answer: False
Explanation: When used as an adverb in Southern American English, 'powerful' means 'great in number or amount'.
In Southern American English, 'right' as an adverb indicates a direction.
Answer: False
Explanation: When used as an adverb in Southern American English, 'right' means 'very' or 'extremely'.
The term 'reckon' in Southern American English is primarily used to mean 'to calculate a sum'.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'reckon' is used to mean 'think', 'guess', or 'conclude'.
In Southern American English, 'rolling' refers to the act of driving a vehicle.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'rolling' refers to the prank of 'toilet papering' a house or property.
In Southern American English, 'taters' refers to tomatoes and 'slaw' refers to a type of stew.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Taters' is a synonym for 'potatoes', and 'slaw' is a synonym for 'coleslaw' in Southern American English.
A 'toboggan' in Southern American English refers to a type of sled.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'toboggan' refers to a 'knit cap', often called a beanie in other regions.
The word 'tote' in Southern American English means to 'pull' something heavy.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'tote' means to 'carry'.
The verb 'tump' in Southern American English means to 'jump' or 'leap'.
Answer: False
Explanation: 'Tump' means to 'tip or turn over' as an intransitive verb.
In Southern American English, 'ugly' exclusively refers to physical appearance.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'ugly' can also mean 'rude'.
A 'varmint' in Southern American English refers to a small, harmless pet.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'varmint' means 'vermin' or 'an undesirable animal or person'.
A 'veranda' in Southern American English refers to a small, enclosed patio.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Southern American English, 'veranda' refers to a 'large, roofed porch'.
Southern Louisiana English is known for sharing most of its unique vocabulary with Appalachian English.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southern Louisiana English is known for unique vocabulary such as 'poor boys' or 'po' boys' for long sandwiches, 'doodle bugs' for woodlice/roly-polies, 'nose' for the end of a bread loaf, 'neutral ground' for pedestrian islands and median strips, and 'banquettes' for sidewalks, which are distinct from Appalachian English.
What is the common usage of 'bless your heart' in the Southern United States?
Answer: To express sympathy or concern, but often used sarcastically in modern contexts.
How is the verb 'carry' used uniquely in Southern American English?
Answer: To mean 'to escort' or 'accompany' someone.
What is a common synonym for 'goose bumps' in Southern American English?
Answer: Chill bumps
How is the term 'Coke' often used in the Southern United States?
Answer: As a generic term for any sweet, carbonated soft drink.
What do 'cut on/off/out' mean in Southern American English, typically referring to lights or electronics?
Answer: To turn on/off/out.
What is the preferred term for 'frosting' in the confectionary sense in Southern American English?
Answer: Icing
What does 'ornery' mean in Southern American English, and from what word is it derived?
Answer: Means 'bad-tempered' or 'surly', derived from 'ordinary'.
How is 'powerful' used as an adverb in Southern American English?
Answer: To mean 'great in number or amount'.
When used as an adverb in Southern American English, what does 'right' mean?
Answer: Very or extremely.
What does 'reckon' mean in Southern American English?
Answer: To think, guess, or conclude.
What does 'rolling' refer to in Southern American English?
Answer: The prank of 'toilet papering' a house.
What are 'taters' and 'slaw' synonyms for in Southern American English?
Answer: Potatoes and coleslaw.
What does 'tump' mean, and in which Southern regions is it common?
Answer: To tip or turn over; common in the western South.
In Southern American English, what can 'ugly' mean in addition to its standard definition?
Answer: Rude
What does 'varmint' mean in Southern American English?
Answer: Vermin or an undesirable animal or person.
What does 'veranda' refer to in Southern American English?
Answer: A large, roofed porch.
Which of the following is a unique vocabulary term characteristic of Southern Louisiana English?
Answer: 'Po' boys'
African-American accents have few common points with Southern accents, primarily due to distinct historical origins.
Answer: False
Explanation: African-American accents across the United States share many common points with Southern accents due to the strong historical ties of African Americans to the South.
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a highly diverse collection of dialects with no unified characteristics.
Answer: False
Explanation: African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is described as a fairly unified variety of English spoken by working and middle-class African-Americans across the United States.
The development of AAVE is primarily attributed to European linguistic influences, with minimal historical ties to slavery.
Answer: False
Explanation: The historical context of race and slavery in the United States is central to AAVE's development, as enslaved Africans learned English to communicate.
Post-Civil War changes simplified the relationship between AAVE and other English dialects, leading to greater convergence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Post-Civil War changes, including racial segregation and societal shifts, further complicated the relationship between AAVE and other English dialects.
Modern AAVE primarily developed from direct influences of West African languages, with little input from colonial English dialects.
Answer: False
Explanation: Modern AAVE largely developed from nonstandard dialects of colonial English, with only minor influence from Black Caribbean creoles/pidgins and some West African languages on vocabulary and grammar.
It is well-documented that early AAVE borrowed extensively from white Southern English, but not vice versa.
Answer: False
Explanation: It is uncertain to what extent current white Southern English borrowed from early AAVE, and vice versa, though it is better documented that white Southerners borrowed some morphological processes from Black Southerners.
Contemporary white Southern English and AAVE share very few grammatical features.
Answer: False
Explanation: Contemporary speakers of both white Southern English and AAVE continue to share unique grammatical features such as 'existential it', 'y'all', double negatives, and others.
The pin-pen merger is a pronunciation feature unique to white Southern English and not shared with AAVE.
Answer: False
Explanation: Both white Southern English and AAVE share pronunciation features including the pin-pen merger.
AAVE speakers fully participate in the Southern Vowel Shift and extensively front the vowel starting positions of /oʊ/ and /u/.
Answer: False
Explanation: AAVE speakers are not participating or barely participating in much of the Southern Vowel Shift and do not front the vowel starting positions of /oʊ/ and /u/.
The divergence between AAVE and white Southern American English accents is primarily due to geographical isolation.
Answer: False
Explanation: A possible reason for the divergence is that historical and contemporary civil rights struggles have caused the two racial groups to stigmatize linguistic variables associated with the other group.
Why do African-American accents across the United States have common points with Southern accents?
Answer: Due to the strong historical ties of African Americans to the South.
What is African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) described as?
Answer: A fairly unified variety of English spoken by working and middle-class African-Americans across the United States.
What historical context is central to AAVE's development?
Answer: The historical context of race and slavery in the United States.
How did post-Civil War changes affect the relationship between AAVE and other English dialects?
Answer: They further complicated the relationship due to segregation and various societal changes.
What are the primary linguistic influences on modern AAVE?
Answer: Nonstandard dialects of colonial English, with minor influence from Black Caribbean creoles/pidgins and some West African languages.
What is known about the mutual influence between white Southern English and early AAVE?
Answer: It is uncertain to what extent current white Southern English borrowed from early AAVE, and vice versa, though white Southerners borrowed some morphological processes from Black Southerners.
Which of the following grammatical features is shared by contemporary speakers of both white Southern English and AAVE?
Answer: Deletion of 'had' and 'have'.
Which pronunciation feature is shared between white Southern English and AAVE?
Answer: The pin-pen merger.
How do AAVE speakers differ from white Southerners regarding the Southern Vowel Shift and vowel fronting?
Answer: AAVE speakers are not participating or barely participating in much of the Southern Vowel Shift and do not front /oʊ/ and /u/.
What is a possible reason for the divergence between AAVE and white Southern American English accents?
Answer: The two racial groups began to stigmatize linguistic variables associated with the other group due to civil rights struggles.
Since the mid-20th century, features of the modern Southern accent have been in decline, particularly among older and rural Southerners.
Answer: False
Explanation: The decline of Southern accent features since the mid-20th century is particularly pronounced among younger and more urban Southerners, not older and rural Southerners, among whom the decline is less pronounced.
The Southern dialect is generally perceived positively across the United States, associated with high social status.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the United States, there is a general negative stigma surrounding the Southern dialect, often associated with lower social and economic status, and ignorance.
Non-Southern Americans commonly describe the Southern accent using terms like 'sophisticated' or 'eloquent'.
Answer: False
Explanation: Non-Southern Americans commonly use labels such as 'hick', 'hillbilly', or 'redneck accent' to describe the Southern dialect.
Southerners universally hold negative judgments of their own accent.
Answer: False
Explanation: Southerners tend to have mixed judgments of their own accent, including both negative and positive associations like laid-back or humble.
The Southern accent is primarily associated nationwide with classical music and academic institutions.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Southern accent is associated nationwide with the military, NASCAR, and country music.
The decline of Southern accent features since the mid-20th century is mainly due to increased immigration from non-English speaking countries.
Answer: False
Explanation: The main presumed cause for the gradual decline of Southern accent features is the sum of negative associations nationwide.
A 2012 study found that children in both Tennessee and Chicago held equally positive attitudes towards Southern accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: A 2012 study found that Tennessee children were indifferent, while Chicago children were much more likely to attach positive traits to Northern speakers than Southern ones.
A 2014 'Southern accent reduction' class offered by the US Department of Energy was widely praised for promoting linguistic diversity.
Answer: False
Explanation: The class was canceled due to controversy and complaints from Southern employees who viewed it as stigmatizing Southern accents.
What has been the trend of the modern Southern accent since the mid-20th century?
Answer: Its notable features have been in gradual decline, especially among younger and urban Southerners.
What is the general social perception of the Southern dialect in the United States?
Answer: It carries a general negative stigma, associated with lower social status and ignorance.
Which labels are commonly used by non-Southern Americans to describe the Southern accent?
Answer: Hick, hillbilly, redneck accent.
How do Southerners themselves generally perceive their own accent?
Answer: With mixed judgments, including both negative and positive associations like laid-back or humble.
What nationwide associations does the Southern accent have?
Answer: Military, NASCAR, and country music.
What is the main presumed cause for the gradual decline of Southern accent features since the mid-20th century?
Answer: The sum of negative associations nationwide.
Why was the 'Southern accent reduction' class offered by the US Department of Energy in 2014 canceled?
Answer: It was canceled due to controversy and complaints from Southern employees who viewed it as stigmatizing.