Race and the Rise of Standard American

Thomas Paul Bonfiglio

ISBN 10: 3110171899 / ISBN 13: 9783110171891

Published by De Gruyter, DE, 2002

About this Item

This study examines the effect of race-consciousness upon the pronunciation of American English and upon the ideology of standardization in the twentieth century. It shows how the discourses of prescriptivist pronunciation, the xenophobic reaction against immigration to the eastern metropolises - especially New York - and the closing of the western frontier together constructed an image of the American West and Midwest as the locus of proper speech and ethnicity. This study is of interest to scholars and students in linguistics, American studies, cultural studies, Jewish studies, and studies in race, class, and gender.

Seller Inventory # LU-9783110171891

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Race and the Rise of Standard American
• Publisher: De Gruyter, DE
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3110171899
• ISBN 13: 9783110171891
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 603 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This study examines the effect of race-consciousness upon the pronunciation of American English and upon the ideology of standardization in the twentieth century. It shows how the discourses of prescriptivist pronunciation, the xenophobic reaction against immigration to the eastern metropolises - especially New York - and the closing of the western frontier together constructed an image of the American West and Midwest as the locus of proper speech and ethnicity. This study is of interest to scholars and students in linguistics, American studies, cultural studies, Jewish studies, and studies in race, class, and gender.

About the Author

Thomas Paul Bonfiglio is Associate Professor at the University of Richmond, Virginia, USA.