Effects of selected American regional dialects upon regional audience members

Abstract

Speakers displaying three regional dialects (General American, Appalachian, and Bostonian) were recorded during spontaneous monologues. These speech samples were presented by transcript or audiotape to audiences drawn from each of the speakers’ regions, and rated on the Speech Dialect Attitudinal Scale‐21. Transcript scores, although showing some dialect differences, failed to demonstrate substantial trends favoring the syntax and semantics of any of the three dialects. Listener ratings placed General American phonology highest on Socio‐Intellectual Status and Aesthetic Quality, with Bostonians highest on Dynamism. However, significant interactions between rater region and speaker dialect suggest that no single set of norms applies equally to audience members from all regions of the United States.