Madalyn Edwards curated this story from the Dialect archive collection from App State’s Special Collections Research Center. The archived collections are available to browse in person during the SCRC’s hours of operation.
Dialect is a common subject that many Appalachian culture scholars investigate in their studies. Many articles collected on dialect relate to its impact and social identity that is associated with it, citing some popular scholars and their reflections on the topic.
A 2019 article published by the Associated Press titled “Lawmakers want to give Appalachian dialect its due respect” begins with the line, “It’s pronounced ‘app-uh-latch-uh,’ not ‘app-uh-lay-sha.’”
The article discusses the advancement of a proposal to instate an official state manual called the Tennessee Blue Book, which studies and focuses on how people in Appalachia talk. The manual considers Appalachian to be a “fully legitimate dialect and most deserving of the respect afforded other dialects of American English.”
An Asheville Citizen Times article from 2006 is located in the collection, entitled “Appalachian natives work to preserve dying dialect.” The article discusses the ever-changing Appalachia dialect and the possibility that the dialect is fading out with each passing generation.
Several documents discuss the duality of stereotyping and Appalachian identity as it relates to dialect, including a National Geographic News article from 2006 titled “Appalachians are finding pride in mountain twang.”
Tom McGowan, who was an App State professor in the department of English at the time of the article’s publication, was quoted saying, “The way we talk is an expression of ourselves. It’s maintaining a sense of local identity, a sense of home. In postmodern American life, personal identity is really important.”
Many documents discuss Cratis Williams, the former dean of Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies at App State, and his contributions to the field of Appalachian culture.
The Messenger, a publication from Clemson, South Carolina, published an article in 1977 from a speaking event held by Williams in which he discussed Appalachian culture and dialect.
“Dr. Cratis Williams, probably the foremost scholar of Appalachian culture living today, spoke not too long ago to a tragically small but totally entranced audience at Anderson College,” the article reads. “A gentle and endearing man, Dr. Williams had his listeners in the palm of his hand within minutes. His quiet, whimsical humor and deep love and empathy for the Appalachian people, past and present, made his lectures memorable.”
