Rather than the media reinforcing or eroding dialect variation, media may simply be largely irrelevant to the changes going on. Media representations certainly affect (and even effect) the kinds of stereotyped social judgments people make about the dialects themselves, but viewers/hearers may not incorporate many features from whatever "standard" forms they're exposed to via television or radio. The key point is that you can't interact with the television or the radio; you can't really socialize with people on a screen. Even those poor souls who fanatically follow the daily travails of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (sp?) probably don't view themselves as being part of the same group as those two (and linguists certainly wouldn't view them as being in the same speech network, except via very long-distance connections). What the talking head on the screen thinks of your speech is always going to be less important than what your neighbor thinks, or your teacher, or -- especially-- your loved ones. Dialect variation may indeed decrease among that segment of society that moves a good deal and has a vested interest in not being discernibly from anywhere in particular, but that segment has always existed to some extent, and it has never been the majority of the population. Bill Spruiell Dept. of English Central Michigan University -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wollin, Edith Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 2:19 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Civility I guess the best that we can do is use our knowledge of the history of language change and variety to discuss these variations in pronunciation. I think that it is really interesting that we are talking about so many differences when I have heard people lamenting the loss of dialect variation, what with the power of the media to make us all conform to the "standard." Perhaps the media are now reinforcing dialect variation. Edith To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/