PreWriting:
I conceive of this category as covering much more than the language and culture of southeastern Ohio, which is, of course, where Ohio University is. But Ohio University is arguably unique in the surrounding area in that it brings together multiple cultures and languages in the forms of students and university employees. Also, the Ohio University environment encourages the development of multiple discourse ecologies. Students are learning the professional discourses of their fields, as well as the discourses of dorms, classes, social groups/clubs/teams--the combinations are rich and various.
The reason why my one particular place-entry for this category centers on the language of the world immediately around OU is that, unlike most on-campus discourses, this language is almost entirely overlooked by OU affiliates. Students can, and often do, graduate from OU without ever knowing they'd lived for 4 years in Appalachia; even those with a cursory knowledge of OU's Appalachian background view "the natives" through a lens of prejudice, if not disdain. Language is one of the most noticeable cultural markers separating OU from its surroundings, and the Appalachian dialect spoken in southeastern Ohio is as often misunderstood as any aspect of rural culture.
Something that irritates me about as much as anything regarding peoples' the mistaken interpretations is the sense that Appalachian dialect is "wrong" language--these are speakers who have simply failed to speak correct English, and the "wrong" language has become habitual. This is what we are taught in school, for goodness sake: we are speaking "wrong" when our subjects and verbs don't "agree," and "ain't" ain't a word, stupid.
The truth is more cultural. The Appalachian dialect is inherently creative, with words and expressions that were invented by the speakers themselves from a sheer love of language. The roots of the dialect come from a combination of influences, predominantly the English spoken by the Scotch-Irish, a group which composed some of the earliest settlers, and whose linguistic influence runs deep in modern Appalachian speech. (Having Celtic roots has become trendy in recent years--thank you, Riverdance--but ironically few people make the connection between Celtic Appalachia and Celtic Europe.) An overview of some of the predominant Scotch-Irish features that can be heard from speakers in Athens County might prove illuminating to people who could otherwise mistake this language as simply incorrect.
Tentative Topic: The Scotch-Irish influences in Athens County rural dialect.
Research Plan:
I would like to investigate some regional variation of speech in Athens County. I think the best way to do this is simply listen to people--hang out in public places and see what I catch. Of course, those public places will likely have to be off-campus; not many OU students are locals, and while their speech undoubtedly has its own regional variation, I'm interested at the moment in the speech of Athens County. I will then research some of the variations I hear, and see if they have a traceable Scotch-Irish origin. This will require some linguistic research; I'll probably be using the works of Michael Montgomery of John McWhorter for this.
Modal Construction:
I've got at least two video clips I'd like to include. One is from a documentary about Appalachian dialect history; the other is a video my student made, asking people in his dorm what they thought about Appalachia. In addition, I'd like to include images of the Appalachian landscape, particularly the Southeastern Ohio landscape, to provide visual context. (Also because, seriously, this place doesn't get enough credit for natural beauty.) I'd like to possibly compare this with images of the Scottish/Irish landscapes--I've heard it said that there is a resemblance between Appalachia and parts of these countries, and since the point of the entry is to provide an alternate context for Appalachian speech development, these images might be fitting.
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