Question: Is Sarah Palin's "folksy" talk all a calculated schtick?
Is her "folksiness" designed to make people think she's a small-town girl who's one of them? Or is her "funny talk" really the way she speaks?
Answer: This is a more complex question than it first appears.
There are those who believe she speaks the way she does for purely political purposes to curry favor with small-town, Midwestern and rural voters. The evidence, however, disproves this.
Most linguists will tell you that, while not impossible, the way a person grows up using language is very difficult to change.
With a father who was an elementary school teacher, I doubt there was too much cursing in the house, and the way she pronounces "nuclear" drives many people nuts. Phonetically, she says "nükyülar" (or, for you linguists out there, "nųkyųlð"). But if that's your speech pattern as a child, it becomes your speech patern as an adult. It's part of a dialect.
Palin and her family have a Northern Minnesota dialect, which is a regional part of the bigger "Northern" dialect.
Although there are a host of variations, most people in the continental 48 are beginning to speak a dialect known as "Network English." It's called "Network" because it is the dialect that is slowly being disseminated via television. This is called a "dialect shift."
Network English actually originates from the suburban Chicago area (this might explain part of Barack Obama's popularity among Democrats). The Chicago area and the Midwest in the 1920s and 1930s was where the major manufacturers were and it's where first national radio broadcasts originated. This is where Network English was born.
Interestingly, broadcasters can bring their own dialects and regionalisms to their broadcasts, but according to prominent linguists, there are only so many that are permitted before the broadcaster either loses his/her job, or doesn't get one to begin with. Furthermore, the closer to home the broadcasts originate, the more the regionalisms are accepted.
Here's the crazy thing: in remote areas like Alaska, where there may not be many TV stations or broadcasts beyond the local or regional level -- the regional dialects are reinforced, rather than Network English.
In most of the US and the world, native languages are greatly affected by the influx of new languages. In most cases, a hybrid evolves, or the native language takes on characteristics of the new, creating a new native dialect. In Alaska, however, the arrival of large numbers of settles had the effect of completely obliterating the native language. What developed were dialect "pockets" of North American English (linguists call these pockets "isoglosses").
The dialect spoken where Palin comes from is a Northern Minnesota dialect, which is a sub-dialect of the larger Upper Midwestern Dialect (or North Central), which is a subdialect of the Northern Dialect. With the Northern Minnesota dialect, certain vowels are held longer (for micro-seconds, but longer, nonetheless) and certain words are shoved together. The result can sound something like, "Yoooou betcha!"
Linguists have determined that there are no "wrong" dielects. Elementary school teachers reinforce Network English to help their students obtain better jobs when they're older. This is because dialects reflect age, social class and education within a given region, and in most cases, most high-paying employers are looking for youthful, high-class and well-educated employees.
In Palin's case, her dialect simply reflects her region. She's obviously intelligent, which rules out "uneducated." Which means her "folksiness" probably reflects the influence of an older population and a working-class environment similar to the one found in the movie Fargo.
Essentially, what many are saying when they put down Palin's "folksiness" is that they don't accept her dialect. Most people expect politicians to speak Network English, because it's the dialect they're most familiar with and it's the one they've grown up hearing politicians speak most often.
This intolerance isn't all that strange, according to linguists. Often, people who hear a new or different dialect are repulsed by it. They find the dialect strange, and call it "funny talk" or "stupid-sounding," when the reality is that it simply reflects where they're from. This is one reason why (with apologies to my Southern friends) many people believe Southerners or Midwesterners sound uneducated. Their Southern dialect has been alienated by Network English, essentially making their dialect "strange," and eventually will make it obsolete.
California is a classic example of what happens when a heterogeneous group or groups of people settle in one area. No specific dialect is adopted until a dominant one overtakes them all. In California's case (with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course) the prevailing dialect is Network English.
Some people argue that Palin tends to move in and out of her "folksy" dialect, and therefore maintain that it's all a schtick. While this is how it may appear on the surface, there's a much more sensible explanation.
Shifting in and out of a dialect isn't all that unusual for people who find themselves in a new dialect area. The tendency is to conform to the new dialect area. It's part of the speaker's natural desire to sound educated or, at the very least, to avoid being ostracized because of his/her speech patterns.
During emotional periods or periods of excitement, the speaker momentarily forgets the new speech pattern and reverts back to his/her native dialect.
Whether you accept or reject Palin's dialect, it's not "wrong." It's simply her dialect.
Sarah Palin FAQ Index
There are those who believe she speaks the way she does for purely political purposes to curry favor with small-town, Midwestern and rural voters. The evidence, however, disproves this.
Most linguists will tell you that, while not impossible, the way a person grows up using language is very difficult to change.
With a father who was an elementary school teacher, I doubt there was too much cursing in the house, and the way she pronounces "nuclear" drives many people nuts. Phonetically, she says "nükyülar" (or, for you linguists out there, "nųkyųlð"). But if that's your speech pattern as a child, it becomes your speech patern as an adult. It's part of a dialect.
Palin and her family have a Northern Minnesota dialect, which is a regional part of the bigger "Northern" dialect.
Although there are a host of variations, most people in the continental 48 are beginning to speak a dialect known as "Network English." It's called "Network" because it is the dialect that is slowly being disseminated via television. This is called a "dialect shift."
Network English actually originates from the suburban Chicago area (this might explain part of Barack Obama's popularity among Democrats). The Chicago area and the Midwest in the 1920s and 1930s was where the major manufacturers were and it's where first national radio broadcasts originated. This is where Network English was born.
Interestingly, broadcasters can bring their own dialects and regionalisms to their broadcasts, but according to prominent linguists, there are only so many that are permitted before the broadcaster either loses his/her job, or doesn't get one to begin with. Furthermore, the closer to home the broadcasts originate, the more the regionalisms are accepted.
Here's the crazy thing: in remote areas like Alaska, where there may not be many TV stations or broadcasts beyond the local or regional level -- the regional dialects are reinforced, rather than Network English.
In most of the US and the world, native languages are greatly affected by the influx of new languages. In most cases, a hybrid evolves, or the native language takes on characteristics of the new, creating a new native dialect. In Alaska, however, the arrival of large numbers of settles had the effect of completely obliterating the native language. What developed were dialect "pockets" of North American English (linguists call these pockets "isoglosses").
The dialect spoken where Palin comes from is a Northern Minnesota dialect, which is a sub-dialect of the larger Upper Midwestern Dialect (or North Central), which is a subdialect of the Northern Dialect. With the Northern Minnesota dialect, certain vowels are held longer (for micro-seconds, but longer, nonetheless) and certain words are shoved together. The result can sound something like, "Yoooou betcha!"
Linguists have determined that there are no "wrong" dielects. Elementary school teachers reinforce Network English to help their students obtain better jobs when they're older. This is because dialects reflect age, social class and education within a given region, and in most cases, most high-paying employers are looking for youthful, high-class and well-educated employees.
In Palin's case, her dialect simply reflects her region. She's obviously intelligent, which rules out "uneducated." Which means her "folksiness" probably reflects the influence of an older population and a working-class environment similar to the one found in the movie Fargo.
Essentially, what many are saying when they put down Palin's "folksiness" is that they don't accept her dialect. Most people expect politicians to speak Network English, because it's the dialect they're most familiar with and it's the one they've grown up hearing politicians speak most often.
This intolerance isn't all that strange, according to linguists. Often, people who hear a new or different dialect are repulsed by it. They find the dialect strange, and call it "funny talk" or "stupid-sounding," when the reality is that it simply reflects where they're from. This is one reason why (with apologies to my Southern friends) many people believe Southerners or Midwesterners sound uneducated. Their Southern dialect has been alienated by Network English, essentially making their dialect "strange," and eventually will make it obsolete.
California is a classic example of what happens when a heterogeneous group or groups of people settle in one area. No specific dialect is adopted until a dominant one overtakes them all. In California's case (with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course) the prevailing dialect is Network English.
Some people argue that Palin tends to move in and out of her "folksy" dialect, and therefore maintain that it's all a schtick. While this is how it may appear on the surface, there's a much more sensible explanation.
Shifting in and out of a dialect isn't all that unusual for people who find themselves in a new dialect area. The tendency is to conform to the new dialect area. It's part of the speaker's natural desire to sound educated or, at the very least, to avoid being ostracized because of his/her speech patterns.
During emotional periods or periods of excitement, the speaker momentarily forgets the new speech pattern and reverts back to his/her native dialect.
Whether you accept or reject Palin's dialect, it's not "wrong." It's simply her dialect.
Sarah Palin FAQ Index
- Why did Sarah and Todd Palin announce that their teenage daughter was pregnant?
- Was Sarah Palin chosen to be John McCain's running-mate just because she's attractive?
- Will Sarah Palin's family get in the way of her duties as vice-president?
- Did Sarah Palin commit nepotism as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
- Did Sarah Palin propose banning books at the Wasilla Public Library?
- Did Sarah Palin try to have her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska State Trooper?
- Did Sarah Palin ever support the "Bridge to Nowhere"?
- Will Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric factor into the VP Debate?
- Is Sarah Palin's "folksy" talk all an act?
