Language Insights from Netflix

Dialects!  I love them.  But sometimes dialects get a bad rap by those who draw a sharp line between dialects and languages.  Dialects are variations in language.  A noted modern linguist, John McWhorter, suggests that all we truly have are dialects, because everyone speaks a dialect of some type. But our natural tendency is to think that our own dialect is much superior to everyone else's, 

English Dialects

I began thinking about dialects while watching our recent favorite Netflix series, "Republic of Doyle," which is set in St. John's, Newfoundland.  I am a sucker for anything filmed in a foreign location.  This series has not disappointed me, with its seaside location and brightly colored buildings.  But the most intriguing cultural element has been the use of an English St. John's dialect by certain characters in the episodes. (Well, one of the main characters, the private investigator Jack Doyle, is fairly intriguing even when he isn't speaking, I must admit.)

Jake Doyle

I began noticing that the series characters have a slightly different twist on the English language in certain situations.  For example, Malachy, Jake's father and fellow private investigator, sometimes uses the objective pronoun "me" in place of  the possessive pronoun "my" (as in "I lost me cell phone")  when speaking informally, mostly to other family members.

Malachy Doyle

And I kept hearing a word at the end of their sentences that sounded like "boy." Closed captioning transcribed the word as "b'y," and I heard it used to refer to both sexes.  The word "dude" seems to be an American equivalent, being used for both sexes as well.

A recent story line on the series has a policewoman, Leslie Bennett, (and romantic interest for Jake) going undercover to catch a drug dealer.

Leslie Bennett

This clean cut, serious office of the law, changes her appearance dramatically to fit the character. She begins working in a bar, living in a small, messy apartment, and dressing in a provocative manner, using lots of makeup.  But most interesting of all, Leslie adapts her language to fit the undercover character.  The most noticeable element of Leslie's language change is her constant addition of "s" on the end of all of her present tense verbs.  "I knows how we can meet Mr. Big."  brags Leslie.

The Newfoundland dialect is much more complex than is depicted on the Netflix series, containing elements of, among other languages, Irish, West Country English, and French.  The writers of the series have selected a more standard Canadian accent with a few elements of the local dialect thrown in for authenticity.  I am grateful for that decision, because I would have a hard time with understanding if the series language were like the following:

Often the label of dialect is pinned on a language as a pejorative term, meaning "my language variety is better than your language variety." But I view dialects as an essential element to express cultural identity. In last night's episode of "Republic of Doyle," a visitor to St. John's was trying to act cool by saying something like, "How about a pint, b'y?"  Jake replied, "You can't use b'y.  You aren't from St. John's."

Do you speak a dialect of English?

Would you say that you speak a dialect of English?  If you answered "No"  to this question, you may want to continue reading!

Let's first consider the word "dialect."  Is it as prestigious as the word "language"?  Do we sometimes put the words "just a ..." in front of the word dialect?   Does "dialect" conjure up images of unacceptable grammar forms, unusual vocabulary, and unintelligible pronunciations in your mind?

To linguists, "dialect"  has the same meaning as "variety."  And variety doesn't carry the negative baggage that "dialect"  does.  The truth of the matter is that all English speakers use a dialect (variety) of English.  Yes, even you!

No one speaks an idealized Standard English all the time. If we are very careful in our speech, we can probably produce a spoken English sentence with neutral pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.  But when we speak normally, we show variations in our language.

We may reveal the region of the English speaking world we grew up in.  My dialect of English identifies me as having grown up in Texas, but on the border with Mexico in an English-Spanish bilingual atmosphere.. My British friends complain of my Texas drawl, and my Texas friends accuse me of being too precise in my pronunciation and sounding British! What's a person to do?

Here is a YouTube video that you may enjoy about a person speaking in 21 different English accents.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3UgpfSp2t6k

I also reveal my rural upbringing on a cotton farm by occasionally calling the refrigerator an "ice box."  I would never ask the salesperson in an appliance store to show me an "ice box,"  but I might say to my husband, "Did you remember to put the milk back in the ice box?"

Almost every time I open my mouth to speak, I also reveal the generation I am a member of.   I try to follow current language trends in order not to appear so old-fashioned by choosing words such as  "actually," "random," and "streaming."  But all too often I come out with terms like "beauty shop", "five and dime," and "printer ribbon" (Yes, I really did request a ribbon instead of a cartridge at Office Depot.  Very embarrassing!)

Differences in male-female speech are still being studied by linguists.   In my English dialect can be found traces of some features that have traditionally been considered typical  of female speech. I often add tag questions to the end of statements.  For example, I would probably say, "Nice weather we are having, aren't we?"   My language is not peppered with obscenities (except when they are truly needed to express my consternation over a situation!)  But I could never say, "It sucks."  And I do watch my grammar, trying to get "lie" and "lay" used correctly and adding -"ly" to my adverbs, as in "Let's say it differently" rather than "Let's say it different."

I hope that after considering various factors in language variation,  you now feel more comfortable in admitting that you speak (and everyone else speaks) a dialect of English.  Of course, we all know that our dialect is the best English  :)