ABSTRACT
People love talking about local language. From jokes and memes that reference local varieties to dialect books, dictionaries, and tchotchkes sold online and at tourist attractions, folks like to see their local varieties represented. Respondent labels, in order to make the distinction clearer, will sometimes move beyond a dichotomous categorization of urban vs. rural, and produce a more distinct conceptualization of the local. Perceptual work at these local levels allows a real understanding of the on-the-ground categories used to describe linguistic variation in these geographic spaces and provides insight into the role of place as theorized in those categorizations. An analysis of the categories and labels that are used to describe speech in local areas reveals how Southerners reconcile negative beliefs about the South along with their positive views of home. They also reveal an even more complex belief planet.
