You Ain’t from Here, Are You? Subregional Variation and Identification among Young Appalachians

This article examines a three-way subregional distinction between Northern, Middle, and Southern Appalachia based on younger respondents’ self-reported use of traditional lexical, phonological, and syntactic features of Appalachian English (AppE). As a result of recent social changes that have led to less isolation in Appalachia, it considers subregional differences in AppE use between young urban and rural speakers as well as subregional differences between Appalachian identity and use of AppE. Understanding how young speakers across Appalachia are adapting and integrating traditional or mainstream features provides a lens for broader examination of the ways in which speakers of vernacular dialects negotiate the choice between competing dialect norms.