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'Shivaree': An Example of Cultural Diffusion

1949; Duke University Press; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/453045

1527-2133

Alva L. Davis, Raven I. McDavid,

Linguistic Variation and Morphology

AS ONE of the younger branches of linguistic science, dialect geography has provided valuable evidence by which the student of languages can explain the apparent exceptions to phonetic laws or indicate the directions in which phonetic, grammatical, or lexical innovations have spread. To the social scientist, for whom linguistics is properly a branch of cultural anthropology, dialect geography is potentially a very useful tool for examining the cultural configurations and prestige-values operating in a speech community.' Both of these functions of dialect geography may be suggested by the study of the distribution of the form shivaree [,fiva'ri:], 'a noisy burlesque serenade, used chiefly as a means of teasing newly married couples' in the North American English speech community. The term is of interest to the student of dialect geography for several reasons. Its occurrence was noted early in several areas by many students of American dialects, and it has continued to draw attention.2 Its pattern of distribution is peculiar, with the isogloss setting off its area of prevalence generally running from north to south.3 Without any commercial or social prestige to aid in its dissemination-such as undoubtedly helped