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Linguistic Resistance on the Maine-New Brunswick Border

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Wendy Burnett
Wendy Burnett*
Affiliation:
Mount Allison University
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Abstract

Prior studies have established that the Atlantic region of Canada constitutes a dialect zone. Data from the Dialect Topography of New Brunswick, gathered from 2001 to 2003, permit a comparison of linguistic trends in this part of the Atlantic region with those observed in the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario. In both cases, there is a convergence towards American forms. However, at a certain point on the border between New Brunswick and Maine, where there is significant social contact between Canadians and Americans, the data suggest that Canadian youth are resisting adoption of several American forms. The present study considers this border effect in the responses of 14–19-year-olds living in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and in the adjacent town of Calais, Maine. Sixteen items identified as Canadian/American shibboleths in the Golden Horseshoe study are examined, and the results are assessed in relation to the Boberg’s (2000) claims regarding geo-linguistic diffusion.

Résumé

Résumé

Les études précédentes ont établit que la région atlantique du Canada constitue une zone dialectale distincte. Les données du Dialect Topography of New Brunswick, recueillies entre 2001 et 2003, permettent la comparaison des tendances linguistiques de cette région atlantique avec celles observées dans la région du Golden Horseshoe en Ontario. Dans les deux cas, il y a convergence vers les formes américaines. Cependant, à un certain point sur la frontière entre le Nouveau-Brunswick et le Maine, où il y a un contact social significatif entre canadiens et américains, les données suggèrent que la jeunesse canadienne résiste à l’adoption de plusieurs formes américaines. La présente étude considère cet effet frontalier dans les réponses de jeunes âgés de 14 à 19 ans qui habitent St. Stephen, au Nouveau-Brunswick, et le village avoisinant de Calais, situé dans le Maine. Seize items identifiés comme étant des schibboleths canadiens/américains dans l’étude du Golden Horseshoe sont examinés, et les résultats sont discutés par rapport aux conclusions de Boberg (2000) ayant trait à la diffusion géo-linguistique.

Type
Dialect Topography
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 51 , Issue 2-3: Canadian English in a Global Context , November 2006 , pp. 161 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2006

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