The Origins of Missouri English: A Historical Sociophonetic Analysis

Missouri lies at a regional crossroads where the Midwest meets the South and the West begins. The contemporary dialect picture of the state reflects this blend of influences. Depending on their backgrounds, Missourians may share speech features with Chicagoans, Kentuckians, or Californians. The authors explore the history behind this current linguistic variation by listening to the voices of Missourians born between the 1880s and the 1930s. Drawing on a corpus of archival recordings, this book documents the unique linguistic features that characterized Missouri dialects over a century ago. State-of-the-art techniques in sociophonetics are applied to track patterns in pronunciation with a focus on regional differences related to vowel sounds. The study presents detailed examinations of several vocalic mergers and chain shifts heard today in various regional dialects. The evidence uncovered in the speech of older Missourians challenges prevailing ideas about the history of these particular features and about the origins and spread of sound change more generally. In addition to providing insight into the development of Missouri English and other American dialects, the book serves as a model for the application of large-scale sociophonetic analysis to the study of language history.