Figure 11.1 The United States Census Bureau divides the Southern region into three areas:
(South Atlantic) Delaware, Maryland, DC
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Regional variation shown on dialect maps is usually based one or more
kinds of data: linguistic perception, linguistic production, and listener
perception. Not even the most ambitious language atlases attempt to map
all three of these dimensions. Any attempt to draw the geographic,
cultural, political or linguistic boundaries of what we call the Southern
United States would have to take in all these theoretical and practical
considerations, and it would still be impossible to put a line on the map
and declare it absolute (Table 11.1).^3
Table 11.1 Estimated population in the Southern States, 2009
State Population
Alabama 4,625,354
Arkansas 2,830,047
Florida 18,182,321
Georgia 9,509,254