Perceptions And Symbols Of Southerners In The United States

1. Group: Goths – Goths are known primarily for their use of black and specialized music.

2. Claim: People generally have a negative perception of Goths.

3. Specific signs and symbols that lead to this perception (or perceptions)

a. The use of the color black

We mostly wear black clothing and people might have a different understanding about what it means

We use black (or dark) colors for makeup (nail polish, lipstick, etc.)

b. Music

Lyrics are very edgy

Goth bands “look”

Marilyn Manson

c. Columbine shootings

d. Images

e. Jewelry

1. Group: Southerners- Americans typically born and raised in the Southeastern United States, typically recognized by the dialect of the southern accent

usually describing, more specifically, white Americans born and raised in the Southeastern United States who live the perceived role of this group and speak with the perceived “Southern” accent

b. Claim:

The general negative perception of Southerners based on the drawl of the language is that the group is made up of white, ignorant, poor, and often portrayed as racist.

On the other hand, Southerners are well known for their hospitality and food

c. Specific signs and symbols that lead to this perception (or perceptions)

a. The Southern Accent

Where the accent originated

How accent has evolved and how it differs based on race and location

How the perception has changed (or not changed?)

b. Use of racist language and how southerners are perceived

How the word, “nigger”, is used by different races, specifically white and black individuals

Racist language is used by individuals in all ethnic groups, but white southerners are usually perceived as being exceptionally offensive when using racist language

c. Flag of the Confederate States of America aka Rebel Flag

Language communicated by flag

d. Southern Hospitality

What is “southern hospitality”?

How southerners differ from other groups in the United States with their social communication

e. Southern Food

Review of Southern Food and how it ties into the group

Group-southerners

Language involves the combination of pronunciation and it is only understood by a given community. As discussed in class, language is more than what people can hear or even say which include symbols and signs such as colors, clothing style, dialect, inflection among others. All these explains or even talks more about a given language. Language has to do with culture and it differs from one community to another. For example, a given word may differ from one community to another. Language affects how members of the society perceive a certain community and how they interact with it. This perception can be positive or even negative and it largely affects how an individual interacts with that group in future because of the formed opinions and perception without meeting the actual facts about the said group. In this essay, it will explain about the Southerners, the perceptions that people have towards them and the signs and symbols that have led to this perceptions.

Southerners are Americans who live at the southern part of United State of American and they are easily recognized by other people from the Northern part of United State of America due to their uniqueness of the perceived accent. There a lot of perceptions and claims that have been attached to southerners more so by the Northerners from the northern part of United States.

 There a lot of negative and even general perceptions about the southerners in the United States based on the accent of their language. These perceptions include southerners are characterized by generational poverty whereby their level of poverty can only be addressed by the external intervention since they themselves cannot address it. Also, linguistic discrimination, institutional racism, social marginalization, ignorance and are inferiority forms other bases for the negative perception of the southerners by the non-southerners.

This negative perception towards the southerners by other social groups more so from the Northern region of the United States let to rise of conflict as the southerners tried to fight back and refuse those negative perceptions. They made other social groups from other parts of the globe grow negative attitude and perception towards southerners and thus leading to their state of ignorance and poverty as perceived since individuals from other region feared to travel to southern part of United State due to the negative perception of racism, poverty, intellectual inferiority among other negative perceptions.

On the other hand, despite the above mentioned negative perception about southerners, there are several positive perceptions credited to southerners such as giving of good hospitality and food to the visitors and foreigners. Southerners are acknowledged by the value that they attach to food. In fact, food is a big thing to them and people of the south love eating. It is out of this that most of the dishes in the United State are traced back from the Southern region of the United State due to this perception was given to the southerners by other social groups.

This accent is believed to have originated from the mixing of different language in the southern part of America. During the colonial and slave period between 1607-1775 more so the British colonial master and the dialects, people shared using different languages and this led to a mixture of language as the British English mixed with the non-English more so the slaves and the colonized dialects. The non-English languages tried to speak the British English but it ended up mixing the two languages which resulted in the southern accent which most of the American criticize and negatively perceive it.

Claims attached to southerners

This accent has evolved over time with current accent acquiring other language accents like the ones on the Northern part of United States. This accent also differs from one race to another more so in the United States. The African or blank Americans in southern region language are different from the British English accent in those regions. Their pronunciation of words makes them get a negative perception that they are ignorant and illiterate which is not the case. Also, this accent differs with the location because the accent in the southern part of United States is different from the Northern region. This brings the misunderstanding as the Northerners try to negatively stereotype the southerners. This perception has charged as the southerners have stood firm to fight for that negative perception branded to them by the northerners. Also, other parts of America already recognizes that southerners are still human it is only background and history which is different and this should not form the basis for a negative stereotype.

Southerners are negatively perceived as racist and that made them react differently to other people. The word nigger, for example, is used differently depending on the kind of region either north or south part of United States. Southerners greatly embraced love for themselves and they do not like mixing with other countrymen because of the negative perception they people towards them. This forms the basis of their perception that southerners are all ethnic group with other social groups like the northerners been allowed to be exceptional when trying to use a racist language to other people. This exceptional treatment has resulted in high defensive more so from the white southerners who prove that they are not racist instead they embrace unity as southerners.

Southerner's flag was perceived as one of the rebel symbols that they used to promote their interests and culture and what they believed was right for them.  

 It was a perception more so by the other people not from the West that southerners are good at hospitality and welcoming people in their homes.  Southern hospitality here refers to the way and style in which the southerners welcomes people in their region. Non-southerners credited the southerners for their hospitality aspect because though they perceived them poor. Ignorant and racist, they acknowledged this positive thing of good hospitality. Moreover, southerners differ from groups and people from other regions of the United States with how they communicate. Southerners had a slow pronunciation of words with their accent unique from the other social group from the United States. As a result of this slow is word pronunciation, southerners have been perceived as ignorant and intellectually inferior which is not the case since most of them are educated.

 The perception that southerners love food was brought by the aspect of southerners to love food. In fact, most scholars credit that most of the American dishes have their history from white Southerners. The essence of food is closely tied to their good habit of cooking.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, therefore, the perception other people have towards southerners should be formed from a good basis and foundation.  Perception of racism, poor, ignorant among others should be well founded from the good basis and not aimed at tarnishing the name of others. From the above-discussed perception, it has changed on how people perceive southerners more so the Northerners and other foreigners.

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