Yes, someone has created a map of North American English dialects, based on pronunciation patterns and it’s recently been updated.
It was developed by Rick Aschmann, a professional linguist and Christian missionary who grew up traveling back and forth between Mexico and the U.S.
The full map includes links to YouTube videos as well as audio clips of individuals thought to be representative of the specific area’s speech patterns.
Who are the folks used as examples for Birmingham, AL? There are three actually – U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, U.S. Congressman Spencer Bachus and retired Florida State University (and Woodlawn High School alum) Bobby Bowden (NOTE: the videos linked to are not necessarily the ones used by the site).
If you disagree with his findings, you can always contact him.
Screenshot of the North American Dialect map. Courtesy of website.
What are we building in Birmingham?
One of the people who spoke at last week’s launch event for the Birmingham Business Alliance was Birmingham’s mayor, Larry Langford. Among other things, he announced plans for tomorrow’s groundbreaking for the BJCC’s multipurpose facility (a.k.a. dome) and other progress on projects throughout The Magic City.
As people begin to talk about the feasibility of the dome and other projects, they may want to take a look at this story published by The Next American City about whether or not a city should take the leap into convention center expansion.
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