Comments | anthropologist: Rangers talk; linguist listens

malkin767 in anthropologist

Rangers talk; linguist listens

Jan 29, 2006 21:18

LINGUISTICS:A researcher studies and then presents a paper on the fading dialect of Iron Range English ( Read more... )

minnesota, dialects, languages, linguistics

Comments 5

amerrydeath January 30 2006, 03:43:41 UTC

That's really interesting, thanks for this. I can't wait to be a linguist so I can go study obscure dialects and get baked goodies given to me!

billydontrat January 30 2006, 16:18:01 UTC

Actually, Fargo was closer to the mark than not. I grew up in Northen Minnesota, and although my accent has deminished since moving away, it comes out every once in a while. I didn't live right on the Range; I was about an hour and a half away, but there were still plenty of Scandahoovians who lived in the desolate no-man's land North of the small town of Gonvick (nordagonvick). When you reach Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi, there is a small town named Bagley about 20 miles further north. Then Clearbrook, then Gonvick, then NOTHING for about 3 hours until you hit either Roseau, Warroad, or Canada. There are still folks who speak Finnish, Norweigan, or Swedish as a first language. The accent you hear is just as thick as any you might encounter on the Range. Long drawn out "o"s, dangling participles, rising inflections, the works. And snacks. Food almost functions as currency there. Bars and cakes and jerky and soup and you-name-it; oh, and Lutefisk. Closer to the metro area, Lutefisk becomes more of a running gag ( ... )

caatinga January 31 2006, 05:09:01 UTC

The loss of farming as a more direct contributor to the loss of linguistic difference than, say, the ususal scapegoat: Baywatch and CNN news anchors. Interesting.

caatinga January 31 2006, 05:09:32 UTC

Whoops, that was supposed to be a reply to the above comment, but LJ wasn't down with that I guess...

billydontrat January 31 2006, 16:02:48 UTC

Well, I think it's valid. Granted I share the same thoughts about Laguna Beach and Fox "News", but as a cultural function disappears also too the culture that perfoms it. Youth move away to larger, more urban areas and their dialect disappears (probably from watching too much Baywatch). As for TV, well, there are some folks with satellite hookups, but generally the case is still analog sets with rabbit ears. And once the digital mandate comes to bear, that will be the end of that. Oh, brave new world!