The Myths & Realities of Appalachian Englishes

Have you ever heard someone say that people from the Appalachian Mountains sound like Shakespeare? Or maybe you’ve been told that the language spoken there is frozen in time. These and other misconceptions about the linguistic varieties employed by Appalachians have hidden the vibrant and dynamic nature of their language and helped to perpetuate the idea that speakers of these dialects are old-fashioned and backwards. This presentation examines the myths and realities surrounding Appalachian Englishes by providing evidence that these varieties, like all others, are constantly changing.

This virtual program is done through Zoom on March 23 at 6:00 and will be live streamed to the library's Facebook page.

This program was funded in part by the Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This was a very well attended program for us, and our presenter, Jennifer Cramer, Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Kentucky, did an excellent job.