"My 'Eh' Is Authentic"; Commodification of Language and Identity In Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Abstract
The following paper is an investigation of the historic, economic, social, and ideological processes that have shaped dialect awareness in Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The goal of this study is to explore dialect perceptions between “Yoopers” and “Trolls” with a specific focus on the tourist industry and material items. This work performs textual analysis of various commodified dialect features in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to examine the complex relationship between language use and identity. Secondary research is used to synthesize the historical, political, and cultural circumstances resulting in present day dialect features, while textual analysis reveals that material artifacts circulate ideas around Yooper identity through the linguistic concept of “enregisterment.” My hope is that this paper will add to the growing conversation surrounding regional dialect variation and the effects of regional stereotypes on language use and identity.