In the reading Villanueva uses the term dialect with respect to the different variations of spanish spoken. The different dialects spoken separated people that were often grouped together as hispanic when in fact, the differences in dialect were so important that they often struggled either to understand each other or identify themselves as part of the same racial group. (Villeneuve, 40-41)
The term dialect, according to wikipedia, is "a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group...distinguished by it's vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation." While this term is meant to apply only to language, it can be applied to all forms of rhetoric in general. In the context of rhetoric, a dialect becomes the different uses, associations, meanings and connotations of various symbols (including language) characteristic of a particular group. Looking at the different dialects used in media can help us understand more about the authors intent and/or meaning.
Bibliography
Villanueva, Victor. "Spic in English!" Bootstraps: from an American Academic of Color. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1993. 34-50. Print.
"Dialect." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dialect.>
Quiz Questions
In the article Digital Arabs: Representation in Video Games, digital dignity is when
a) a player feels capable of achieving a challenging or difficult goal
b) the ideologies of the hero match the ideologies of the intended audience
c) video game representations of other cultures breakdown negative stereotypes
d) a player feels a sense of pride in his culture when playing the game
Digital Arabs: Representation in Video Games shows how games created from the Islamic point of view help players to view the world in a more culturally neutral tone.
Dialects are interesting in that everyone has one. All languages have diverse dialects that make the cultural group unique. I also find it interesting that dialects can be so different from one location to the next that it becomes almost a completely different language. One notices this if they have ever been to the South and found a language barrier even though they are speaking English. Although I found a language barrier in the South, I believe the Southern dialect should exist and they should have a unique culture. This also makes me wonder if there is a cyber dialect among cyberspace and if so, can one tell what region someone is from by his or her dialect in cyberspace?
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