New Haven Dialect The Linguistic Impact of Southern Italian Immigrants in Connecticut

This thesis will focus primarily on the dialect which exists in New Haven, Connecticut. In order to identify the features specific to this dialect, the standard American English vernacular, General American, will first be outlined so that the distinct differences between the two can be clearly identified. In addition, this thesis will also attempt to explain the rationale behind what has caused the specific features of this dialect to occur. The main reason of this is believed to be the strong im-pact which Italian immigrants in the New Haven area have had on the language over time. Therefore, the characteristics of Standard Italian will also be examined, as well as those of Southern Italian Dialect. From there, comparisons will be made to show how certain aspects of New Haven Dialect mimic specific characters innate to Southern Italian Dialect. Lastly, other research findings pertaining to cultural behaviors in New Haven will be re-viewed as they relate to the culture of Southern Italy. In addition, potentialities for future work will be outlined