“Aren’t We Proud of Our Language?”

Abstract

This article involves an analysis of a television commercial set in rural Newfoundland, Canada in which the main actor’s performance of Vernacular Newfoundland English is accompanied by subtitles consisting of ostensibly humorous nonparallelisms rendered in Standard English. The discursive strategy employed by the ad’s creators, of highlighting difference, “others” the character and by extension actual speakers of the local variety. The appearance of the commercial on national television resulted in intense debate, particularly in Newfoundland and to some extent in mainland Canada. A video parody responding to the original commercial and an online discussion of the issues on a variety of Web sites are also analyzed. The debate focuses on (in)authenticity (in particular, on who has the right to perform the vernacular) and on the commodification of regional language and culture in media representations.