AMERICAN REGIONAL LEXICAL SURVEY: GENDER AND AGE IN LEXICAL CHANGE IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

Vol.5,No.2(2012)

Abstract
The American South has always been a distinct linguistic region. Using data from the American Regional Lexical Survey, this study shows the overall decline in use of Southern lexical terms. The following explores these changes in lexical choice in this region by comparing gender over time. Women’s choice to use Southern lexical items decreases whereas men’s usage of Southern lexical items increases significantly in the youngest generation. The results from this survey depict the effects of changing population demographics and labour statistics on choice of lexical item.

Keywords:
dialectology; sociolinguistics; lexical choice; regional terms; lexical survey
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