Practice Management

Charleston: the dance, the accent.

By Dan Hull

The dance was popularized by a song and its accompanying footwork, "The Charleston," by James P. Johnson in the Broadway musical "Runnin' Wild" in 1923. Just like the unique Charleston dialect that linguists love and you still hear in the streets--especially in the district "South of Broad"--the dance has been traced back to descendants of slaves who lived on islands off the coast of Charleston and in the city itself. The Charleston had been performed in their communities since 1903. That gorgeous, royal-sounding accent? Most likely, it's a blend: of Gullah spoken by African Americans, and of English spoken by Europeans.

Full post as published by What About Clients? on December 28, 2008 (boomark / email).