Answer the following questions in about three double spaced pages. You can answer each
question directly, or craft a general essay that touches on all the questions. Use standard
English in your essay; grammar and spelling count! Be sure to cite specific examples from
the film.
1. Why do people speak differently in different parts of the United States?
2. People seem to speak bluntly and be highly opinionated about accents. They also seem sensitive to comments about their accent or dialect. Why?
3. What region of the country seems to have the most diversity in dialects (that is it has a lot of dialects in a relatively small area)? Why might this be the case?
4. Based on what you learned in the movie, what factors tend to determine how you will speak?
5. How are race and dialect related? What examples from the film highlight the role that race plays in the social, economic and cultural life of the country?