Conclusion

In our analysis of the Texan accent, we applied Erving Goffman’s dramaturgy theory to analyze the presentation of self through dialect. Under this theory, “He [Goffman] argued that life is a play-a play with a moral of sorts. And that moral is what Goffman and soial psychologists call “impression management” (Conley 134). In other words, we are all actors trying to convince our audiences of our role using props, scripts, costumes, and sets. For Texans, we often use our accent as a prop to convince others of our roles as Texans. However, there are some situations in which we wish not to be judged by our role. We wish people to perceive us as a slightly better version than our natural selves. Goffman specifies that the selves we use when we are managing our impression act out our role on the “front stage,” while back stage our innate natural selves act much more comfortably. In this respect, the Texan accent seems to be more prevalent in the back stage of people’s performances. In situations where Texans do not wish to be judged by their accent, such as in a business environment, he or she will attempt to suppress it on the front stage.

In our research of the Texan accent, we discovered that the main misconceptions are linked to the ancestry of the state. Overall, it seems that because most of the settlers here worked as farmers, this has created a reputation for the residents in which most outsiders perceive common character traits that correlate to this occupation. Because of this, Texans on average seek to consciously change their presentation of self in order to influence people’s impression of them as non-farmers. They act out their roles on the front stage.

Haoran from New York

My friend Haoran is from New York City. It was very interesting to talk to him about southern accent and Texan culture comparing with his hometown. I started the conversation by asking him why he chose to come down to Texas for college as a New Yorker. He said, “There is nothing wrong with it, isn’t it? Even though the whole country has a stereotype on Texas, it is still just a stereotype. I don’t see farmers and ranches in Austin area. Even though people have strong southern accent, like saying y’all all the time, I still like Texas simply because people down here are much nicer. ” Then I asked him, “Why do you say Texans are nicer?” “Ok, I’m from another state which is very far away. It was last year that I first came down here. I was a stranger, but people still treated me friendly. Well, in New York, people don’t really care where you are from since there are so many visitors there. People don’t start random conversation when they are waiting in line like what you guys do down here. Further, people address the authoritative figures properly. They always use sir and ma’am. And there are many things you can see in Texas. People are very polite. Like when you are on the bus, people always save seats for women and older people, at least on the UT bus. You can rarely see this in New York. People don’t care how you feel as much as you do in Texas. ” I think the conversation, again, lead to the impression management. Impression management is a process people use to control the perceptions or impressions about themselves. People think that they are judged or perceived based on their physical appearance, personality or other subjective opinions by other people. Impression management attempts to control these perceptions from other people through the development of self-presentation methods and techniques. Like Texans, people across the country have a stereotype over them. Even though the whole stereotype isn’t true, but partially, the impression people have on Texans is due to the way Texans behave and talk.

The History of Texans

We noticed that a lot of the stereotypes that people had about Texans come from the history of the state. Hopefully the term “six flags over Texas” is familiar to you, especially if you’ve been to the theme park of the same name. This references all the different countries that once owned Texas. Texas was passed around until in the 19^th century, under the Mexican leadership of Santa Anna, the state decided to become independant. The following battle is known as the Texan Revolution. The Texan’s won (obviously) and for a time Texas was actually its own nation before it became a part of the United States. This rich history seems to be what fuels the fire for the pride of Texans.

Furthermore, after the Civil War, the south needed a source of revenue and had an abundance of cattle. To trade the cattle with the north, southerners would have to go on long cattle drives. This drive went through Texas, and cities such as Fort Worth were primary stopping grounds for trade. This city is known for the “stockyards” were the cattle were taken to be traded. In addition to this source of revenue, cotton also became a high commodity for Texan trade. Farming was relied very heavily as a source of income for Texans. And so it seems that the Texans adopted a reputation for the culture that seemed to go along with these occupations. Texans became known for riding horses and wearing cowboy boots, because these were essential to the workings of our ancestors.

This, along with the immense sense of pride from the Texan Revolution seemed to solidify the traditional culture found here. It translated to a deeper tie to our cultural roots than those in other states. This tie creates a bonding affect for Texan inhabitants and a sense of unity for the pride of our state. This culture and patriotism even shows itself in the way we speak and the words we use. We show a deeper connection to the way people spoke in the past. And I mean really, can you blame us? I sure as heck know I’m proud to be a Texan.

Meghan from South Africa

Meghan is from South Africa, a country that has had a troubled history; she has lived in America for a few years now, but still has vivid memories of her initial thoughts of the people and culture in Texas. Meghan said that her incoming stereotypes of Texans were of ditsy pageant girls and country boys; she now has come to realize that people in Texas are whoever they choose to be… “Themselves”. This is evident through cultural artifacts too, for example in musical taste. She reported to us that preferences in South Africa tended to lean more heavily towards R&B and hip-hop and that there is a musical equivalent to country music, but no one there that she knows really cares for it; as opposed to Austin (and presumably other cities around Texas), where Meghan noticed the wide array of musical tastes. It seems that all the choices available for our listening pleasure have contributed to us being what she has termed “free thinkers”.

We asked her of her initial impressions of the people she encountered with Texan Accents and, as we had hypothesized, she thought that they were of lower intelligence level. But Meghan was quick to add that their manner of dress said as much about them as their speech, that someone who was mature and professionally dressed could make her think twice about her initial judgments. This corresponds to what we’ve learned this semester about Goffman’s dramaturgy theory and the way we present ourselves. Someone who is well-dressed, but still retains their Texan accent is giving two messages to their audience: they are a smart and capable person and they are proud of their Texan roots. This pride, she said, was evident in many other aspects of life as well, not just in the retention or amplification of the accent. The houses are “pure example of patriotism” as well; she must be referring to the lone stars and state flags Texans use to decorate their homes.

A major difference between Texans and South Africans that Meghan noticed upon arrival was a state-wide willingness to be more friendly with strangers. She said that she thought people in Texas were more open here because of the young age at which we drive and the freedom that gives us to go out and meet so many new people. Meghan reported that she feels so welcomed and safe here that she does not worry as much about locking her doors and windows at night as she used to back in South Africa. This supports our claims that the Texan accent can be associated some with notions of welcoming and hospitality. A willingness to be friendly with others, free thinking, and state pride have come to be associated with the people of Texas and their accents in Meghan’s mind. This means that to people who have had similar experiences as Meghan, people they encounter with Texan accents apparent on their front stage are giving off (whether intentionally or not) the messages that Meghan described to us.

So, what is the Texan accent anyways?

The Texan accent is actually different across regions of Texas, depending on the heritage of the first settlers there. The more commonly known “twang” originated from West Texas where the Scots-Irish, English, and Welsh settlers came from states like Tennessee and Kentucky. Although, the American south in general is known to have a recognizable way of speaking, each region has subtle differences. The accent would be found most similar to that of Texans in these states. This difference can be attributed by the “r” sound found in Texan dialect, whereas others southerners tend not to pronounce it. Other identifying factors include slurring words together, like “you” and “all” into “y’all.” Also, long, flat vowel sounds and disregarded “g” sounds characterize the dialect. The speed of sound is also a bit slower than average. Texans tend to say a lot less, but they draw it out. Some recognizable figures with the Texan accent would be George W. Bush. Want to know more about how to speak like a Texan? Here’s a link! http://www.wikihow.com/Imitate-a-Texan-Accent

How international students look at Texas

The first person I interviewed is one of my friends from Taiwan, and his name is Brian. He has been to the states man times since his family has business here. However, the places he went the most were California and Florida. It was not until last year that he decided to go to Amarillo to pursuit his master degree. He had a strong stereotype over Texas before he came. Like he said, “Texas is all about ranches and farmers. You will see lots of pick-ups on the street which you don’t see anywhere else in this country. Sometime, their accent is too strong to understand. ” Then he explained to me that the real west Texas culture in Amarillo and his assumptions matched at a great extent. Since I spent my first two years of college in Amarillo, I totally agree his idea. “Amarillo is definitely the representative of the stereotype. You see a lot cows on both sides of highway. You smell bull crap in the night and it stinks so bad. You can see 6 pick-ups out of 10 cars on the street. Everything here is big ”, he described his first impression of Texas based on the west Texas culture.

When I asked him about his comment on the difference between Texas and his hometown, he started laughing. “I really don’t know what to say. To be honest, Amarillo, Texas is such a country place. I’m from Taipei, Taiwan, which is one of the biggest cities in Asia. We have everything back there except ranches and farmers. ” Even before I asked him about his comments on Texans and Texan accent, he said, “Texans have a strong southern accent. Sometimes it is too strong to understand, especially when I talk to the old people in small towns. Man, it takes me forever to figure what the person is trying to say. However, one thing I noticed that Texans are very polite, not only the way they talk but also the way they behave. For example, they also say ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir’ which you will barely hear in California. Also, one thing I like the most about Texas is the way people drive. They are not aggressive at all. ” For sure, the southern or Texan hospitality is very unique. In terms of sociology, the whole conversation falls into the category of impression management. Texans were historically recognized as ranchers and farmers. And I think this is where the stereotype comes from. However, Texans try to establish their images by spreading the southern hospitality.

Irene is an international student like me. We are from the same city in China. When I started the interview, it seemed like that she didn’t know what to say. She told me that she didn’t know anything about Texas before she came here. She only had a general idea of America, like everywhere should be like New York City, where you see skyscrapers everywhere. However, after studying and living here for two years, she started to have an idea of Texan culture. One thing interesting is that she has been affected a lot by Texan culture, her accent as well he behavior. Imagine this, there is a girl with some sort of Asian accent talking to you with the word “y’all” all the time. Isn’t it interesting? Besides that, she uses phrases like “I’m fixing to” which is commonly heard in Texas. Also, she used to care about the way she dresses so much like all the fashion stuff. After two years in UT, her taste totally changed, jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops are pretty much everything she wears. In terms of sociology, people change their tastes and thoughts because the environment makes them do so. As an outsider, Irene tries to present herself as an insider in Texas culture. She tries to manage her accent, the way she dress, and everything else so that she will be recognized. Similarly, that’s what the Texans do. They establish a Texan image. Further, people growing up in Texas are affected by cultural environment. No matter you grow up in Texas, there’s some sense of unity in Texas culture, for example, people are very friendly. Another thing she mentioned was that she noticed Texans have a significant sense of state pride, “you can Texas state flag everywhere, like on the plates, in public parks, in private garden, it’s everywhere. But you don’t often see the state flag when you visit other states. I have been traveling a lot across this country. To be honest, I don’t see other states care their flags as much as Texans. The significant sense of state pride can also be seen through their accent. I don’t know how to explain this, but it is obvious that they are very enjoyable when they talk in southern accent. ”

Charles from Florida

Charles is a freshman born in the Phillapines and raised in Florida. In high school, he moved to Houston, Texas.

On the perception of Texans:

Charles stated that before he moved to Texas, he assumed that everyone would be farmers riding their horses to school. He admitted that he thought that Texans would also be less intelligent, poorer, and overall “country.” He stated that he realized when he came here that he was wrong in his assumption. However when he hears someone speak with a heavy accent, he still immediately associates this with lower intelligence although he tries not to judge so quickly. It seem

s that a heavy accent will always be a prop for the actor of lower class and intelligence. He did not notice that Texans were any friendlier than those from his home state. He felt that there was an almost exact parallel between the interactions of people from Texas as well as Florida in terms of the friendliness of strangers and the respect given to authority.

On what the accent says about the culture

Charles stated that what seemed to be most different between the people from Florida and those from Texas, was the dialect and the cultural traditions. He stated that in Florida, there didn’t seem to be this unique cultural tie across the state. People in Texas wear cowboy boots, listen to country music, and speak differently because it is a part of their heritage. There is not a way of being that creates such unity among the people in Florida.

Conclusion

Charles agreed that he perceived those with a Texan accent as being of lower class and intelligence, although he realizes that this often disproven. He did not feel that Texans were any friendlier than people in Florida. He very obviously agreed that Texans had a much more apparent cultural pride that they indicated through their accent.