American Tongues writing

1. The researcher may choose to interview a more diverse age population. The interviewer should also try to interview more women to better understand the differences among gender as well. All of the people that the movie showcased were older gentlemen. The neat part of the documentary was comparing the similarities and differences in the word choices and asking others what the words mean to different people. I enjoyed that and felt that it reinforced the point the interviewer was trying to make.

2. There were several flaws with the study. Women were underrepresented in the documentary. Also, middle-aged people (in their teens and 20's) didn't seem to be present in the film. I felt that elderly, white males were over-represented in the movie. These people were shown in the film the most. Also, Hispanic and Asian cultures that are prevelent today were grossly underrepresented in the film. There were no mentions of the Hispanic population and I do not believe there were any Asian dialects. I would make the study more appealing to people by interviewing more people from the west or east. I felt as though the southerners and midwestern accents were talked about the most, and therefore most of the scenery takes place in "outdoorsy" settings. I think I would find the documentary more interesting if it took place in a more professional setting. However, the natural scenery also helps explain the differences in culture and language. 

3. I believe that language is the most important factor to being expressed. Language can determine whether a person is viewed as intelligent, less educated, worldly, sheltered, hospitable, cold, irritating or otherwise. Although how one views a certain dialect may not be a correct assumption for all who speak that way, it does color the way people interact and understand each other. In the section of the film where the people were discussing what different words meant to them, the viewer could tell that the differences could cause difficulties with someone who does not speak the same dialect.