Appalachian English facts for kids

Appalachian English is a special way of speaking the English language. It is a dialect, which means it's a form of a language spoken in a certain area. You can hear it in the Appalachian Mountains region. Many people think it is one of the most interesting dialects in the United States.

What is Appalachian English?

Since the 1930s, many researchers have studied where this unique dialect came from. They wanted to understand its history and how it became different from other types of English.

Where Did Appalachian English Come From?

There are a few ideas about how Appalachian English developed:

• Old English Idea: One idea is that this dialect is like a "time capsule" of very old English. Some people think it sounds similar to the English spoken during the time of William Shakespeare. This old way of speaking might have been kept safe because the Appalachian Mountains were quite isolated for a long time. People living there didn't have a lot of contact with others, which helped keep their language special.

• Scots-Irish Settlers Idea: Another idea suggests that Appalachian English came from the ways of speaking brought by early settlers. Many of these settlers came from the border areas of Scotland and England, especially people known as Scots-Irish. They brought their own dialects with them, and these might have mixed together to form Appalachian English.

• Unique American Development: More recent studies suggest that Appalachian English grew into its own unique American dialect. This happened as early settlers adapted their English to the new frontier environment. They were in a new land and had to find new ways to talk about their experiences. This idea is supported because Appalachian English shares many similarities with how people spoke in Colonial America.