I just read in the paper that one of my professors from Franciscan has been doing research on the Ohio Valley Dialect. There was a whole big article about him and he explained the history of the dialect and the different influences on it. He said he’ll be having students do some research on the Ohio Valley Dialect in the Fall, which is pretty exciting because I’m in his Phonics and the History of Language class next semester. I’d love to have the opportunity to do some research on my native dialect.
Oh wait. I already did that research.
I also already wrote that paper my first semester and published that article in the Local Yokel, the newsletter I run, almost a year ago. The article in the paper today sounded just like my paper from two years ago, except shorter.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not accusing anyone of plagiarism; that would be hubris, not to mention rude. I just feel a little left out because when I did my paper, there was no literature on my dialect. I had to do my own research and study three different dialects and form my own conclusions about the intricacies of the Ohio Valley Dialect (there wasn’t even a name for it). And now because a professor decided to study it, it’s a big deal. No one cared when a nerdy college freshman was so excited about her research that the ten page limit wasn’t enough. Now that a guy who has a doctorate wants to talk about it, the newspaper’s publishing stories about him.
I wonder if he read my article. Probably not. He probably thought of studying the dialect all on his own because we all talk funny (he’s from Buffalo) and he wanted to know what that was about. I would. So my original research wasn’t original at all. He might think I stole his idea.
In any case, I’m excited for my Phonics and the History of Language class next semester. This professor’s one of my favorites at school, so it should be worth the 8 am time. Maybe I’ll get to help with the research (that I already did) and since I actually speak the dialect, I might get to share my thoughts or pronunciations.
I’m looking on the bright side, but I’m still a little miffed.
Hey, at least I know my research was accurate. Everything he’s found out is what I found out. But no one calls it a “shopping buggy.” It’s just a buggy.
Hi! I just clicked over here by way of a the “English” tag.
I wouldn’t be so quick _not_ to accuse someone of plagiarism if I were you. If you’re sure that not much research has been done on your topic, and you’re sure this prof wasn’t working on the Ohio Valley dialect before you wrote your article, then this sounds like a very fishy situation. Unfortunately, the power dynamic isn’t in your favor (it’s the very dynamic that keeps you from even thinking you have the right to accuse him of being influenced by your work without citing you).
You might think about showing him your article (not in an accusatory way, but in a “hey, I’m so excited by your work!” way) and talking to him about possibilities for publication. At the very least, he should give you a bigger part in the research since you’ve already done so much of it.
Comment by Perpetua — June 26, 2008 @ 6:08 pm |
Perpetua,
Thanks so much for your input! I am sure that there’s very little research available, but I’m not so sure he wasn’t already working on his own research when I started mine. So I could never say for certain if he even knew about my work. I’m mostly just ticked off that no one cared about it until someone with better credentials stated caring about it.
I will definitely show him my work; I’d love to hear his opinions. And you’re right, I’d love the opportunity to have a bigger part in the research.
Thank you for reading,
Matilda
Comment by matildalee — June 27, 2008 @ 2:24 am |
May I inquire about the region in which the “Ohio Valley Dialect” is referring? It doesn’t happen to be the Mahoning Valley, does it?
I went to school there, and was not a native. The dialect was quite strange. In fact, at first I didn’t realize that it sounded natural to them. I thought it was just a mistake. Then when I started getting used to it, I would conduct my own experiments and point it out. I’m quite curious about it. I’ve come to many conclusions and would like to know if they are the same.
Some examples: People drop infinitives. “The door needs opened,” sounds natural there. Also, there are certain sound distinctions that people can’t make, but I don’t remember what they are now. I’ll think of them and post later, though.
Comment by hilbertthm90 — August 2, 2008 @ 3:05 am |
It’s difficult to say where the Ohio Valley begins and ends. It consists of several counties in Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia. Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, and Harrison counties in Ohio, and Hancock, Brooke, and Ohio counties in West Virginia would be included in this area. It is not the entire Ohio River Valley, although we do live on the river.
Is the Mahoning Valley near Youngstown? If so, that would indeed be very close to our dialect, but not exactly the same. A dialect from that area would be more heavily influenced by the Midland Dialect, and less by the the Appalachian Dialect (these two, along with the Pittsburgh Dialect, make up the Ohio Valley Dialect, but Appalachian has the biggest influence on the way we speak).
The things you’ve noticed do occur in my dialect. “The door needs opened,” and phrases like it are quite common. In fact, I never knew it was wrong until just a few years ago, and I have since been trying to change my brother’s habit of saying things in this manner.
I have heard of Ohio Valley speakers being unable to distinguish between the sounds in certain words, such as “pull” and “pool.” However, as a native speaker, I haven’t a clue as to what this could mean, because they sound exactly the same to me. I guess that just proves the point, doesn’t it?
I’m glad you commented. It’s always very interesting to discuss dialects.
Comment by matildalee — August 4, 2008 @ 11:46 pm |
Youngstown State is where I went to undergrad, so this is where I heard this. Also, I knew people from further south that you refer to, so I may have been assuming their dialect was the same as the Youngstown area.
Yes, pull and pool is a good example, but there was one that absolutely drove people crazy when I brought it up. I wish I could remember. I used to do it sort of as a trick. My friend (who could hear the difference) and I would write a list alternating randomly the two words, and one of us would say it and the other would say which one it was. It would freak people out that didn’t realize there was a difference.
Ah. I just thought of it. People can’t hear the difference between “cot” and “caught”.
Comment by hilbertthm90 — August 5, 2008 @ 1:37 am |
There’s a difference between “cot” and “caught”? This is highly intriguing. I wonder, could you explain the difference in writing? Or is it something that’d I’d have to hear? Or, if you said it, would I hear it at all?
Comment by matildalee — August 5, 2008 @ 3:14 am |
I think this does the best explanation. See the part on the cot-caught merger. If you grew up thinking that they have the same sound, then the difference is subtle enough that even with someone saying and stressing the difference to try to get you to hear it wouldn’t help. I am curious if someone could learn to hear it with practice, though, or if it is one of those language things that settle at an early age and can’t be learned.
Comment by hilbertthm90 — August 5, 2008 @ 2:41 pm |
That’s very interesting. To me, there is no difference between the vowel sounds in father/bother, lot/cloth, and cot/caught (as well as pool/pull). Perhaps I’ll ask my teacher if he can demonstrate the difference for me when the semester starts. I’d also like to know if I’d be able to hear it, or learn to hear it, over time.
Comment by matildalee — August 5, 2008 @ 4:02 pm |