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November 13, 2005
Social Group influence
I do believe social group is a very important distincter of dialects. In my previous post I mentioned I don't have the common Maine accent of dropping my r's or saying "Maine words" and I would also say these are associated a lot of the time with being part of the lower or working class in Maine; generally the lobstermen, fishermen, hunters, etc, or being ignorant or uncultured Though I will definitely note not everyone with a Maine accent is uncultured or ignorant. It is a stereotype those without a Maine accent have.
The way I speak with different groups of people (friends, family, acquantinces, higher-up's, men I'm attracted to) varies according to who they are and my comfort level with them. Generally, I am less self-conscious of what I say or more informal with my friends and family. I am usually very careful of what I say anyway, no matter who I am talking with but this especially comes into play with people I want to impress or I need to be wary of because they have authority over me, like my boss (though, this is less now since I have been working for him for 3 years and he is an ex-hippie from California...) or rigid/old-fashioned teachers.
However, I don't believe I really switch dialects. I might hold back upon using the word "friggin'" but I don't try to change how I pronounce my words.
Posted by lcisfreya at November 13, 2005 10:35 PM