Appalachian Studies: Dialect

English 2000 is a variable topics course that may cover a variety of topics within literature or culture. When the topic is Appalachian dialects, we look at language in the Appalachian region and how it varies both from the dialects spoken in other parts of the US and within the region itself. We examine how language is affected by place, age, membership in various social groups, and education, and how and when it's used in literary works. We learn a bit about linguistics, the study of languages, to help us have our conversations, but this is not a linguistics course. Instead, it's an exploration of culture and speech patterns with a very brief introduction to the scientific study of language.