American Southern (Mid-South)

$29.95

Learn the American Southern dialect often found in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, southern Illinois and southeastern Missouri, from renowned accent coach Paul Meier. This user-friendly book, or ebook, is the industry standard for this dialect. See below for a description of the three formats available. (For discounts on multiple copies,  e-mail Paul.)

In addition to the formats below, we offer an American Southern iTunes ebook (Apple Book)! Just click here.

Sample Exercise:

“Dark-fired tobacco is big-time business in Kentucky.”

 

If you want this dialect plus another, Accents & Dialects for Stage and Screen may be your better choice. But if you want JUST the American Southern dialect, this is your best buy. This user-friendly book (or ebook) is the industry standard for Southern dialect of the United States typically found but not limited to Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, southern Illinois, southeastern Missouri, northern Alabama, and northern Mississippi, in addition to other “Mid-South” areas (as opposed to Deep South, which is offered on this site as a separate book/ebook). The American South does not possess one monolithic dialect.  There are immense differences between the cultivated tones of Savannah, Georgia; the twang of the mountain people of eastern Kentucky; the urban, almost New York sounds of New Orleans; and the sounds of West Texas. I offer this among the several Southern dialects with which I am familiar, as it embodies many features found throughout the South and so is also useful for portraying Southern characters whose precise origins are not specified. Learn to speak like Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter and Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side! (Paul speaks the entire text himself. So you hear him demonstrate, in dialect, the signature sounds in isolation, the word lists, the practice sentences, and the two monologues.)

YOU HAVE THREE CHOICES:

If you choose to purchase the book (option #1 on the drop-down menu above), you get an attractive perfect-bound paperback book with color covers, plus an accompanying audio CD. Page count: 26. Approximate running time: 30 minutes. Price: $29.95 plus shipping. Priority shipping in the U.S. is approximately $6, with delivery in 2-4 business days. For priority shipping outside the U.S., costs vary and shipping time is 6-12 business days. Express shipping is also available: 1-2 business days to most locations in the U.S. and 3-6 business days to other countries. PLEASE NOTE: We often use Amazon as a shipping partner, as it is the largest and most trusted online marketplace. Rest assured Paul Meier Dialect Services will fill your order and provide customer support, but your book/CD might ship directly from Amazon.

If you choose the ebook for Windows (option #2 on the drop-down menu above), you get an attractive full-color ebook compatible with your Windows PC. (It’s also compatible with Mac computers (OSX 10.4 or higher), but for Macs, we recommend the iTunes ebook, below.) It’s exactly the same content as in the print booklet, but you save postage – and get it within 24 hours. (You will need the latest version of QuickTime (a free download) to play the embedded sound files. And don’t forget to reboot your computer after installing it.) You will also receive, via e-mail, a registration code for your ebook. Your ebook is compatible with both desktop and laptop computers, but NOT mobile devices. (It will NOT play on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.) You must buy them from a computer for use on a computer. If you desire an ebook that will play on Apple mobile devices, we suggest clicking the option in blue text right under the drop-down menu above, which links directly to iTunes, where you can purchase it. (Also please note: You’ll receive your username and password within 24 hours via e-mail. Your subscription never expires. Windows ebooks are password protected and play only on your own computers; registration to two computers is permitted; they are not printable, nor are the sound files transferable to any other device; they are playable only on your computer; and sharing with others is not possible, and a violation of copyright. Full E-mail support is available.) Price: $29.95, download within 24 hours, no shipping cost.

If you choose to purchase the ebook for iTunes (Apple Books) by clicking the blue text above the drop-down menu above, you will be taken directly to iTunes (Apple Books), where you can purchase this attractive, full-color ebook through your own iTunes account (the Apple Books store). This version will play on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac, using Apple’s free Books app, but NOT on your Windows PC. Please note that both this version and version #2, above, WILL play on a Mac (OS X Mavericks or newer), but we recommend THIS version for Mac users. If you desire an ebook that will play on your Windows PC, you must choose the Windows ebook described above (option #2 on the drop-down menu above). You may download an extensive, free preview version for immediate viewing from iTunes. (Preview all our publications this way, even if purchasing a printed copy or the Windows eBook format.) Price: 29.99, immediate download to your iTunes/Apple Books, no shipping cost.