Appalachian English and Speech Diagnosis

Appa-LATCH-uh, not Appa-LAY-chuh.

Tater, not potato.

Warsh, not wash.

Millions of residents of the mountainous regions of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia speak a well-documented dialect: Appalachian English (AE). This dialect features phonetic and grammatical differences from American English; however, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has stated that no dialectal variety of English is a disorder or a pathological form of speech or language.

In short, difference is not disorder.

Because many standardized tests utilize American English without adaptations for other dialects, there is the possibility of misdiagnosis if clinicians don't account for dialectal difference. Appalachian English contains many significant phonetic differences. For example, in the second word listed above, "Potato," an "ER" sound is often substituted for the "O," including similar-ending words such as hollow, tomato, and tobacco. Appalachian English speakers may also tend to add an "R" to vowel sounds in the middle position of a word, such as the third example above, with "warsh" instead of "wash."

Other notable differences include insertion of an "H" before initial vowels, such as "hit" for "it." Also, the final "ah" in some words, such as "okra," may be replaced with an "y," such as "okry" or "opry" for "opera."

Appalachian English stands as one of the most distinctive and historic American dialects. If you and/or your family speak with an Appalachian English dialect, talk with one of our clinicians during a speech evaluation to learn more and ensure the dialect is considered during diagnostic decision-making.

References:

Garn-Nunn, P.G., and Perkins, L. (1999) Appalachian English and Standardized Language Testing: Rationale and Recommendations for Test Adaptation. Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders, v. 26, 150-159. Appalachian English and Standardized Language Testing: Rationale and Recommendations for Test Adaptation (asha.org)