PORTLAND, Maine — The traditional Down East accent is more than a way of speaking. It's also a commercial commodity, another part of the package that makes up, for many visitors, the complete "Maine experience."
While many older speakers are dying off and younger ones are moving away, one Maine linguist argues that the many and varied local dialects that make up the landscape of speech aren't going anywhere.
Michael Erard spoke with MPBN's Keith Shortall about his article just published in Down East Magazine that looks at the two groups for whom the Maine accent matters, including tourists.
Linguist and journalist Michael Erard of Portland is the author of "Hard Tellin', Not Knowin': What It Means To Talk Like A Mainer In 2015," in the latest edition of Down East Magazine, one of our media partners.
To see our interactive map of local dialects, visit mpbn.net/dialects.
