Shannon from Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas is a small city located a couple of hours northeast of Dallas which, according to our interview subject, Shannon consists of people who have rural mentalities and strong rural accents. Shannon feels personally indifferent toward her Texan roots, claiming that she actively concentrates on striving toward a standard American accent and that she would only accentuate her accent during humorous accounts of Paris, Texas. She feels that having a strong Texan accent makes people think she is not as smart as she actually is, which is part of her reasoning for trying to deemphasize her Texas sound. However, Shannon said she neither felt pride nor shame about her Texan heritage. This does not support our claim that Texans are noted for their state pride.

Growing up in Texas, Shannon says that she was taught as a youngster to be respectful to adults. Specific terms of respect include the standard "Mister", "Misses", and "Miss" as well as "Ma'am" and "Sir"; these tools could be considered a "script" for younger people in the south. She said she always used these when addressing an authority figure with whom she wasn't very familiar. When asked if she was ever scolded for not using these, she responded that she didn't but that she knew of other households that more strictly enforced this teaching. Shannon even reported that she felt comfortable addressing an elder using only their first name if she had a very close relationship with them. Shannon's responses support our claim that people who a noticeably from Texas via their accent are associated with being polite since she herself learned at an early age the supposed importance of honoring elders.

What all of this equates to is that Shannon manages her impression on others by striving for what she called a "standard American accent". She knows that people may misunderstand the messages given off by her accent and, whether consciously or unconsciously, she alters her sociological script so that she is not asscoiated with the impression of ignorance, poverty, slow movement, and a "hick" attitude.