Utah Dialect Regions and Features

Abstract

Data from the Utah Dialect Survey were used to delineate dialect boundaries in the state of Utah. Statistical algorithms divided the state into rural and urban dialect zones. Twelve features were identified that distinguish the two dialects. Three additional features were extracted from the the Harvard Survey of North American Dialects. The idea that the rural vs. urban divide is related to a greater number of immigrants to urban areas is discounted. Many rural features coincide with those used more by older Utahns suggesting that rural areas maintain more conservative Utah characteristics.