Choose one item of grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation (see list below) that is used by some but not all speakers of American English and to which some Americans have a strong negative reaction. (You may choose an item to which you personally have a negative reaction, although this is not required.) Do some research into:
1) the current use of the item;
2) its history;
3) the reactions that people have to it. Write up your findings in a 3-4 page paper. (Double-spaced, standard 12-pt. font such as Times Roman, one-inch margins.) Your paper should include the answers to the following questions. (If you cannot find answers to some of these questions, explain what efforts you made to find them.)
1. Who uses this item (in this way)? Does its use correlate with: region, social class, age, gender, ethnicity, race, other factors? How strong are these correlations?
2. What is the history of the item? When was its first recorded use? Is its use increasing or was it used more at some times in the past than it is now?
3. What, if anything, do prescriptive grammars say about this item.
4. Who has negative reactions to this item? How can one explain these reactions? Can you find evidence of this item functioning as a shibboleth? Could the negative attitudes toward the item be characterized as stigmatization? Could the negative reactions be related to any kind of prejudice or discrimination against a particular group, or are they more a matter of personal taste? The last section of your paper should summarize what you have learned from your research and discuss any ways in which your own attitude toward this item has changed. You should be able to do all of your research on the Internet, although library material —especially some of the non-circulating reference works on the 2nd floor of Lockwood — could also be very useful. Be sure to include references within your paper indicating the source of all information, as well as a full bibliography at the end. You should use at least five different sources. You must use our textbook (Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US) as a source. Make sure it is clear in your paper that you have read and understood the section(s) of the textbook that you cite. The chapters that are likely to be most useful for this assignment are 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 The following websites should be generally useful. You should also search for additional material that is specifically relevant to your item.
Do You Speak American?’ (PBS documentary):
https://www.pbs.org/speak/
Language Log Archive for Peeving:
https://languagelogldc.upenn.edu/n11/?cat=62
Language Log Archive for Prescriptivist Poppycock:
https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/n11/?cat=5
Language Hat:
https://www.languagehat.com/
Mr. Verb: https://mr-verb.blogspot.com/
Oxford English Dictionary: https://www.oed.com.gatelib.buffalo.edu/
Guide to Grammar and Style:
https://andromeda.rutgers.edut-jlynch/Writing/index.html
Common Errors in English Usage: https://public.wsu.edut—brians/errors/errors.html
Grammar Girl: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl UE UsingEnglish.com: https://www.usingenglish.com/