ritish English is the English language as spoken and written in Great Britain or, more broadly,

throughout the British Isles.[3] Slight regional variations exist in formal, written English in the
United Kingdom. For example, the adjective wee is almost exclusively used in parts
of Scotland and Northern Ireland, whereas little is predominant elsewhere. Nevertheless, there is
a meaningful degree of uniformity in written English within the United Kingdom, and this could be
described by the term British English. The forms of spoken English, however, vary considerably
more than in most other areas of the world where English is spoken, [4] so a uniform concept of
British English is more difficult to apply to the spoken language. According to Tom McArthur in
the Oxford Guide to World English, British English shares "all the ambiguities and tensions in the
word British and as a result can be used and interpreted in two ways, more broadly or more
narrowly, within a range of blurring and ambiguity."[5]
When distinguished from American English, the term "British English" is sometimes used broadly
as a synonym for "Commonwealth English", the general dialect of English spoken amongst
the former British colonies exclusive of the particular regionalisms of, for
example, Australian or Canadian English.
Contents
[hide]

1 History

2 Dialects
o

2.1 Regional

2.2 Glottal stop

2.3 Ethnicity

3 Standardisation

4 See also

5 Notes

6 References

7 External links

History[edit]
Main article: History of the English language
English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to
Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germanyand the
northern Netherlands. The resident population at this time was generally speaking Common
Brittonicthe insular variety of continental Celtic, which was influenced by

the Roman occupation. This group of languages (Welsh, Cornish, Cumbric) cohabited
alongside English into the modern period, but due to their remoteness from the Germanic
languages, influence on English was notably limited. However, the degree of influence remains
debated, and it has recently been argued that its grammatical influence accounts for the
substantial innovations noted between English and the other West Germanic languages.
[6]

Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-

Saxon Kingdoms of England. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually came to
dominate. The original Old English language was then influenced by two waves of invasion: the
first was by speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family, who conquered and
colonised parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th centuries; the second was the Normans in the 11th
century, who spoke Old Norman and ultimately developed an English variety of this called AngloNorman. These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree (though it was
never a truly mixed language in the strictest sense of the word; mixed languages arise from the
cohabitation of speakers of different languages, who develop a hybrid tongue for basic
communication).
The more idiomatic, concrete and descriptive English is, the more it is from Anglo-Saxon origins.
The more intellectual and abstract English is, the more it contains Latin andFrench influences
(e.g. pig is the animal bred by the occupied Anglo-Saxons and pork is the animal eaten by the
occupying Normans).[citation needed]
Cohabitation with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and
lexical enrichment of the Anglo-Frisian core of English; the later Norman occupation led to the
grafting onto that Germanic core of a more elaborate layer of words from the Romance branch of
the European languages. This Norman influence entered English largely through the courts and
government. Thus, English developed into a "borrowing" language of great flexibility and with a
huge vocabulary.

Dialects[edit]
This article
contains IPA phonetic
symbols. Without
proper rendering support, you
may see question marks, boxes,
or other symbolsinstead
of Unicode characters.

Map showing phonological variation within England of the vowel in bath,grass, and dance.
'a' []
'aa' []
'ah' [ ~ ]
anomalies
Those in the north generally pronounce such words with a short vowel whereas those in the south use a
long vowel

Dialects and accents vary amongst the four countries of the United Kingdom, as well as within
the countries themselves.
The major divisions are normally classified as English English (or English as spoken in England,
which encompasses Southern English dialects, West Country dialects, East and West Midlands
English dialects and Northern English dialects), Welsh English (not to be confused with
the Welsh language), Irish English and Scottish English (not to be confused with the Scots
language). The various British dialects also differ in the words that they have borrowed from
other languages.
Following its last major survey of English Dialects (19491950), the University of Leeds has
started work on a new project. In May 2007 the Arts and Humanities Research Council awarded
a grant to a team led by Sally Johnson, Professor of Linguistics and Phonetics at Leeds
University, to study British regional dialects.[7][8]
Johnson's team are[a] sifting through a large collection of examples of regional slang words and
phrases turned up by the "Voices project" run by the BBC, in which they invited the public to send
in examples of English still spoken throughout the country. The BBC Voices project also collected
hundreds of news articles about how the British speak English from swearing through to items on
language schools. This information will also be collated and analysed by Johnson's team both for
content and for where it was reported. "Perhaps the most remarkable finding in the Voices study
is that the English language is as diverse as ever, despite our increased mobility and constant
exposure to other accents and dialects through TV and radio." [8] Work by the team on this project
is not expected to end before 2010.

Regional[edit]
The form of English most commonly associated with the upper class in the southern counties of
England is called Received Pronunciation(RP).[9] It derives from a mixture of the Midland and
Southern dialects spoken in London in the early modern period [9] and is frequently used as a
model for teaching English to foreign learners.[9] Although speakers from elsewhere in England
may not speak with an RP accent, it is now a class dialect more than a local dialect. It may also
be referred to as "the Queen's (or King's) English", "Public SchoolEnglish", "Posh" or
"BBC English" as this was originally the form of English used on radio and television, although a
wider variety of accents can be heard these days. About 2% of Britons speak RP,[10] and it has
evolved quite markedly over the last 40 years.
In the South East there are significantly different accents; the Cockney accent spoken by some
East Londoners is strikingly different from RP. The Cockney rhyming slang can be (and was
initially intended to be) difficult for outsiders to understand,[11] although the extent of its use is
often somewhat exaggerated.
Estuary English has been gaining prominence in recent decades: it has some features of RP and
some of Cockney. In London itself, the broad local accent is still changing, partly influenced by
Caribbean speech. Immigrants to the UK in recent decades have brought many more languages
to the country. Surveys started in 1979 by the Inner London Education Authority discovered over
100 languages being spoken domestically by the families of the inner city's schoolchildren. As a
result, Londoners speak with a mixture of accents, depending on ethnicity, neighbourhood, class,
age, upbringing, and sundry other factors.
Since the mass internal immigration to Northamptonshire in the 1940s and its position between
several major accent regions, it has become a source of various accent developments. In
Northampton the older accent has been influenced by overspill Londoners. There is an accent
known locally as the Kettering accent, which is a transitional accent between the East
Midlands and East Anglian. It is the last southern midland accent to use the broad "a" in words
like bath/grass (i.e. barth/grarss). Converselycrass/plastic use a slender "a". A few miles
northwest in Leicestershire the slender "a" becomes more widespread generally. In the town
of Corby, five miles (8 km) north, one can find Corbyite, which unlike the Kettering accent, is
largely influenced by the West Scottish accent.
In addition, most British people can to some degree temporarily "swing" their accent towards a
more neutral form of English at will, to reduce difficulty where very different accents are involved,
or when speaking to foreigners.

Glottal stop[edit]
In a number of forms of spoken British English, it is common for the phoneme /t/ to be realized as
a glottal stop [] when it is in the intervocalic position, in a process called T-glottalisation. Once
regarded as a Cockney feature, it has become much more widespread. It is still stigmatised
when used in words like later, but becoming very widespread at the end of words such as not (as

in no[] interested).[12] Other consonants subject to this usage in Cockney English are p, as in
pa[]er and k as in ba[]er.[12]

Ethnicity[edit]
Main article: Multicultural London English

Standardisation[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (August 2011)
As with English around the world, the English language as used in the United Kingdom is
governed by convention rather than formal code: there is no body equivalent to theAcadmie
franaise or the Real Academia Espaola. Dictionaries (for example, Oxford English
Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Chambers Dictionary,Collins
Dictionary) record usage rather than attempting to prescribe it. In addition, vocabulary and usage
change with time: words are freely borrowed from other languages and other strains of English,
and neologisms are frequent.
For historical reasons dating back to the rise of London in the 9th century, the form of language
spoken in London and the East Midlands became standard English within the Court, and
ultimately became the basis for generally accepted use in the law, government, literature and
education in Britain. To a considerable extent, modern British spelling was standardised
in Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), although previous writers had
also played a significant role in this and much has changed since 1755. Scotland, which
underwent parliamentary union with England only in 1707, still has a few independent standards,
especially within its separate legal system.
Since the early 20th century, British authors have produced numerous books intended as guides
to English grammar and usage, a few of which have achieved sufficient acclaim to have
remained in print for long periods and to have been reissued in new editions after some decades.
These include, most notably of all, Fowler's Modern English Usage andThe Complete Plain
Words by Sir Ernest Gowers. Detailed guidance on many aspects of writing British English for
publication is included in style guides issued by various publishers including The
Times newspaper, the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press. The Oxford
University Press guidelines were originally drafted as a single broadsheet page by Horace Henry
Hart, and were at the time (1893) the first guide of their type in English; they were gradually
expanded and eventually published, first asHart's Rules, and in 2002 as part of The Oxford
Manual of Style. Comparable in authority and stature to The Chicago Manual of Style for
published American English, the Oxford Manual is a fairly exhaustive standard for published
British English that writers can turn to in the absence of specific guidance from their publishing
house.

See also[edit]

Canadian English

Comparison of American and British English

Australian English

Commonwealth English
any of us have surnames passed down to us from ancestors in England. Last names werent
widely used until after the Norman conquest in 1066, but as the countrys population grew,
people found it necessary to be more specific when they were talking about somebody else.
Thus arose descriptions like Thomas the Baker, Norman son of Richard, Henry the Whitehead,
Elizabeth of the Field, and Joan of York that, ultimately, led to many of our current surnames.

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There are perhaps 45,000 different English surnames, but most had their origins as one of
these seven types.
Occupational
Occupational names identified people based on their job or position in society. Calling a man
Thomas Carpenter indicated that he worked with wood for a living, while someone named
Knight bore a sword. Other occupational names include Archer, Baker, Brewer, Butcher, Carter,
Clark, Cooper, Cook, Dyer, Farmer, Faulkner, Fisher, Fuller, Gardener, Glover, Head, Hunt or
Hunter, Judge, Mason, Page, Parker, Potter, Sawyer, Slater, Smith, Taylor, Thatcher, Turner,
Weaver, Woodman, and Wright (or variations such as Cartwright and Wainwright) and there
are many more.

Enter your last name to learn its meaning and origin.

Search

This kind of name also gave a clue about whom a servant worked for. Someone named Vickers
might have been a servant to Mr. Vicker, and someone named Williams might either have served
a William or been adopted by him.
From the obscure fact department: In medieval England, before the time of professional theater,
craft guilds put on mystery plays (mystery meaning miracle), which told Bible stories and had
a call-and-response style of singing. A participants surname such as King, Lord, Virgin, or
Death may have reflected his or her role, which some people played for life and passed down
to their eldest son.

Describing a personal characteristic

Some names, often adjectives, were based on nicknames that described a person. They may
have described a persons size (Short, Long, Little), coloring (Black, White, Green, or Red, which
could have evolved into Reed), or another character trait (Stern, Strong, Swift). Someone
named Peacock might have been considered vain.
From an English place name
A last name may have pointed to where a person was born, lived, worked, or owned land. It
might be from the name of a house, farm, hamlet, town, or county. Some examples: Bedford,
Burton, Hamilton, Hampshire, Sutton. Writer Jack Londons stepfather may have hailed from
London.
From the name of an estate
Those descended from landowners may have taken as their surname the name of their holdings,
castle, manor, or estate, such as Ernle or Staunton. Windsor is a famous example it was the
surname George V adopted for the British royal family.
From a geographical feature of the landscape
Some examples are Bridge, Brooks, Bush, Camp, Fields, Forest, Greenwood, Grove, Hill,
Knolles, Lake, Moore, Perry, Stone, Wold, Wood, and Woodruff. Author Margaret Atwood is
probably descended from someone who lived at the wood.
Patronymic, matronymic, or ancestral
Patronymic surnames (those that come from a male given name) include Benson (the son of
Ben), Davis, Dawson, Evans, Harris, Harrison, Jackson, Jones (Welsh for John), Nicholson,
Richardson, Robinson, Rogers, Simpson, Stephenson, Thompson, Watson, and Wilson.
Matronymic ones, surnames derived from a female given name, include Molson (from Moll, for
Mary), Madison (from Maud), Emmott (from Emma), and Marriott (from Mary).
Scottish clan names make up one set of ancestral surnames. These include Armstrong,
Cameron, Campbell, Crawford, Douglas, Forbes, Grant, Henderson, Hunter, MacDonald, and
Stewart.
Signifying patronage
Some surnames honored a patron. Hickman was Hicks man (Hick being a nickname for
Richard). Kilpatrick was a follower of Patrick.
Wondering whether your family name is English? Try plugging your surname into the
Ancestry Last Names Meanings and Origins widget. Type in the surname Duffield, and youll
see its English, a habitational name from places in Derbyshire and East Yorkshire, so named
from Old English Dufe dove + feld open country.
Discover your family story. Start free trial.

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arieties and types of english - synonyms or related words

Basic English

NOUN

a simple form of English consisting of 850 words, as well as

some international and scientific words. It was originally intendedfor use as
an international language.

BBC English

NOUN

BRITISH

the standard pronunciation of British English

Black English

NOUN

a type of English spoken by some black people, especially in the US

British English

NOUN

the type of English that people speak in Great Britain

cockney

NOUN

a type of informal English that cockneys speak

ELF

NOUN

English as a lingua franca: a form of English that is sometimes used as a way

of communicating by people whose firstlanguages are not English, and that has
some features that are not usually considered to be correct in standard English

Estuary English

NOUN

BRITISH

a way of speaking that many people from London and southeastern England have. It combines
some features of standard English with others that are typical of London and areas around the
Thames estuary, for example using a glottal stop for the t sound.

Geordie

NOUN

the type of English that people speak in northeastern England

Middle English

NOUN

the form of the English language that was spoken and written from about 1150 to 1470

the Queens English

NOUN

OLD-FASHIONED

the form of spoken and written British English that is considered correct by most people

Received Pronunciation

NOUN

FORMAL

RP

RP

NOUN

Received Pronunciation: a way of speaking British English that is considered to be

the standard pronunciation in the UK

Scots

NOUN

a variety of English spoken in Scotland

Standard English

NOUN

the form of spoken and written English that is considered acceptable by most people

Strine

NOUN

AUSTRALIAN

INFORMAL

Australian English

World English

NOUN

if a word belongs to World English, it is used and recognized by people in all the countries where
English is spoken

World English

NOUN

all the different varieties of English used in countries across the world

broken English

if someone speaks in broken English etc, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because
they do not know the languagevery well
ypes of English Language: Differences and Variations
Writing Articles | May 20, 2011

English language has become the third most spoken language next to Chinese and Hindi.
It reigns in culture, business, diplomacy, communication, science, and the Internet.
However, though as the global lingua franca, English varies on how it is used, either
written or spoken. As there is no official or standard type of English to be used, either
American or British English, it is best and advisable to adhere to using one specific type
for clarity, quality, and consistency, especially in written form. Such use of any type is
subjective and one's preference, unless of course if mandated.
With over 500 million speakers, the English language has become the third most spoken language
next to Chinese and Hindi (first and second language speakers combined). Its widespread use and
prominence around the world are attributed to the colonization and expansion of the British Empire
that ruled in many parts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the political influence and
economic dominance of USA from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
Today, English reigns in culture, business, diplomacy, communication, science, and the Internet,
and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. However, though as the global lingua
franca, English varies on how it is used, either written or spoken.
The English language has two types: British English and American English. Other variations such
as Oxford English, Standard English, or other variants are mere adaptations of the two types
(especially for consistency or reference use, e.g., in media or publication).
British English
British English (or UK English) is the term used by Americans in referring to versions of English
used in the UK and outside America. This term is used to distinguish the quality of written English
language used in the UK from other varieties. However, Commonwealth English is the more
appropriate term and universally known. In the UK, as being taught in schools, the formal form of
written language, referred to as British English, has a slight emphasis on a few words that are
localized, but the form is consistent, especially the essential features.

Furthermore, Americans also used the term British English in referring to the spoken versions of
English language used in England, whereas the British people claim that they speak "real" English
and the rest of the world does not, having different or nonstandard accents. However, on the
contrary, dialects and different variants are evident within the UK. In parts of England especially,
spoken language has varied dialects. One area has one specific dialect, and another has its own
group language or variant. The substantial differences and variations can be found mostly in the
way the language is spoken particularly in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
American English
American English (or US English) is the most prominent form of English language used today all
over the world. It is characterized by archaisms (words that changed meaning in the UK, but
remained in the colonies) and innovations in vocabulary (borrowing from the French and Spanish
who were also settling in North America). Its widespread distribution and high acceptance are due
to the popularity of USA in part through its products, books, films, and music.
In the USA, American English and its regional variations not only have persisted but also actually
have intensified. These variations have rooted from the elements of the original language of
immigrant groups, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary.
English is the mother tongue in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc., and in Pakistan, India,
Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh, and many other countries, it is the second language. In India,
Australia, Singapore, South Africa, and Hong Kong, British English is used especially in teaching of
English in schools, whereas American English has made impact in schools of China, Japan, and
other Asian nations.
In some other countries, varieties and subvarieties of English are used. Among these varieties,
none is considered "correct" or "incorrect", except in terms of the expectations of the particular
audience to which the language is directed.
In conclusion, written forms of American and British English, as found in newspapers, textbooks,
and publications, vary in their essential features (e.g., spelling, grammar), with only occasional
noticeable differences in comparable media, etc. On the other hand, spoken forms vary in dialects
and variants particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms, and vocabulary. As there is no
official or standard type of English to be used, either American or British English, it is best and
advisable to adhere to using one specific type for clarity, quality, and consistency, especially in
written form. Such use of any type is subjective and one's preference , unless of course if
mandated.
Article Tags: English Language Used, English Language, British English, American English, Language Used
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ypes of English Language: Differences and Variations

Writing Articles | May 20, 2011

English language has become the third most spoken language next to Chinese and Hindi.
It reigns in culture, business, diplomacy, communication, science, and the Internet.
However, though as the global lingua franca, English varies on how it is used, either
written or spoken. As there is no official or standard type of English to be used, either
American or British English, it is best and advisable to adhere to using one specific type
for clarity, quality, and consistency, especially in written form. Such use of any type is
subjective and one's preference, unless of course if mandated.
With over 500 million speakers, the English language has become the third most spoken language
next to Chinese and Hindi (first and second language speakers combined). Its widespread use and

prominence around the world are attributed to the colonization and expansion of the British Empire
that ruled in many parts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the political influence and
economic dominance of USA from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
Today, English reigns in culture, business, diplomacy, communication, science, and the Internet,
and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. However, though as the global lingua
franca, English varies on how it is used, either written or spoken.
The English language has two types: British English and American English. Other variations such
as Oxford English, Standard English, or other variants are mere adaptations of the two types
(especially for consistency or reference use, e.g., in media or publication).
British English
British English (or UK English) is the term used by Americans in referring to versions of English
used in the UK and outside America. This term is used to distinguish the quality of written English
language used in the UK from other varieties. However, Commonwealth English is the more
appropriate term and universally known. In the UK, as being taught in schools, the formal form of
written language, referred to as British English, has a slight emphasis on a few words that are
localized, but the form is consistent, especially the essential features.
Furthermore, Americans also used the term British English in referring to the spoken versions of
English language used in England, whereas the British people claim that they speak "real" English
and the rest of the world does not, having different or nonstandard accents. However, on the
contrary, dialects and different variants are evident within the UK. In parts of England especially,
spoken language has varied dialects. One area has one specific dialect, and another has its own
group language or variant. The substantial differences and variations can be found mostly in the
way the language is spoken particularly in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
American English
American English (or US English) is the most prominent form of English language used today all
over the world. It is characterized by archaisms (words that changed meaning in the UK, but
remained in the colonies) and innovations in vocabulary (borrowing from the French and Spanish
who were also settling in North America). Its widespread distribution and high acceptance are due
to the popularity of USA in part through its products, books, films, and music.
In the USA, American English and its regional variations not only have persisted but also actually
have intensified. These variations have rooted from the elements of the original language of
immigrant groups, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary.
English is the mother tongue in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc., and in Pakistan, India,
Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh, and many other countries, it is the second language. In India,
Australia, Singapore, South Africa, and Hong Kong, British English is used especially in teaching of
English in schools, whereas American English has made impact in schools of China, Japan, and
other Asian nations.
In some other countries, varieties and subvarieties of English are used. Among these varieties,
none is considered "correct" or "incorrect", except in terms of the expectations of the particular
audience to which the language is directed.
In conclusion, written forms of American and British English, as found in newspapers, textbooks,
and publications, vary in their essential features (e.g., spelling, grammar), with only occasional
noticeable differences in comparable media, etc. On the other hand, spoken forms vary in dialects

and variants particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms, and vocabulary. As there is no
official or standard type of English to be used, either American or British English, it is best and
advisable to adhere to using one specific type for clarity, quality, and consistency, especially in
written form. Such use of any type is subjective and one's preference , unless of course if
mandated.
Article Tags: English Language Used, English Language, British English, American English, Language Used
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

egional accents of English

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article
contains IPA phonetic
symbols. Without
proper rendering support,
you may see question
marks, boxes, or other
symbolsinstead
of Unicode characters.

The regional accents of English speakers show great variation across the areas where
English is spoken as a first language. This article provides an overview of the many identificable
variations in pronunciation, usually deriving from the phoneme inventory of the local dialect, of
the local variety of Standard English between various populations of native English speakers.

Sociolinguistics
Key concepts

Code-switching

Diglossia

Language change

Language ideology

Language planning

Multilingualism

Prestige
Areas of study

Accent

Dialect

Discourse analysis

Language varieties

Linguistic description

Pragmatics

Variation
People

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Local accents are part of local dialects. Any dialect of English has unique features
in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. The term "accent" describes only the first of these,
namely, pronunciation. See also: List of dialects of the English language.

Non-native speakers of English tend to carry over the intonation and phonemic inventory from
their mother tongue into their English speech. For more details see Non-native pronunciations of
English.
Among native English speakers, many different accents exist. Some regional accents, such
as Pennsylvania Dutch English, are easily identified by certain characteristics. Further variations
are to be found within the regions identified below; for example, towns located less than 10 miles
(16 km) from the city of Manchester such as Bolton, Oldham and Salford, each have distinct
accents, all of which form the Lancashire accent, yet in extreme cases are different enough to be
noticed even by a non-local listener. There is also much room for misunderstanding between
people from different regions, as the way one word is pronounced in one accent (for
example, petal in American English) will sound like a different word in another accent (for
example, pearl in Scottish English).
For a summary of the differences between accents, see International Phonetic Alphabet chart for
English dialects.
Contents
[hide]

1 Overview

2 Great Britain
o

2.1 England

2.2 Scotland

2.3 Wales

3 Northern Ireland
o

4 Republic of Ireland
o

4.1 Connacht, Leinster, and Munster

4.2 Irish Travellers

3.1 Ulster

5 North America
o

5.1 Canada

5.2 United States

5.3 West Indies and Bermuda

6 Southern hemisphere

6.1 Australia

6.2 New Zealand

6.3 South Atlantic

6.3.1 Falkland Islands

6.3.2 Saint Helena

6.4 Southern Africa

6.4.1 South Africa

6.4.2 Zimbabwe

6.4.3 Namibia
7 Asia

7.1 Philippines

7.2 Hong Kong

7.3 India and South Asia

7.4 Malaysia

7.5 Singapore

8 See also

9 References

10 Bibliography

11 External links

Overview[edit]
[show]Varieties of Standard English and their features [1]

English accents are typically divided into two groups: the English of England (BrEng), and
English in North America (AmEng).

Dialects and open vowels

word

THOUGHT

RP

GA

Can

//

sound change

cotcaught merger
//
lotcloth split

CLOTH

//

//

LOT

//

fatherbother merger

PALM

PLANT

//

//

BATH

TRAP

//

trapbath split

//

Dialects differ greatly in their pronunciation of open vowels. In Received Pronunciation, there are
four open back vowels, / /, but in General American there are only three, / /, and in
most dialects of Canadian English only two, / /. In addition, which words have which vowel
varies between dialects. Words like bath and cloth have the vowels / / in Received
Pronunciation, but / / in General American. The table above shows some of these dialectal
differences, and gives the names for the mergers and splits that created them.

Great Britain[edit]
Main article: British English
Accents and dialects vary widely across the United Kingdom; as such, a single "British
accent" does not exist, but someone could be said to have an English, Welsh, or Scottish accent
although these all have several different sub-types.

England[edit]
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help
improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (November 2013)

There is considerable variation within the accents of English across England.

Two main sets of accents are spoken in the West Country: Cornish shows some internal variation
and is spoken by locally born people who make up varying proportions of the population,
while West Country is spoken primarily in the counties
of Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Dorset (not as common in east Dorset),
and Wiltshire (again, less common in eastern Wiltshire), as well as East Cornwall. However, a
range of variations can be heard within different parts of the West Country; the Bristolian
dialect is distinctive from the accent heard in Gloucestershire (especially south of Cheltenham),
for example.
The accents of Northern England are also distinctive, including a range of
variations: Northumberland, County Durham, Teesside, Newcastle upon
Tyne, Sunderland, Cumbria, and Lancashire, with regional variants
in Bolton, Burnley, Blackburn, Manchester, Preston, Fylde, Liverpool and Wigan. Yorkshire is
also distinctive, having variations between the three historic ridings (North Riding of
Yorkshire, West Riding of Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire).
While many of the Lancashire accents may sound similar, the difference is the 'Scouse' accent,
as spoken in Liverpool. Prior to the Irish Famine of the 1840s the Liverpool accent was not
dissimilar to others in Lancashire, except that with Liverpool being close to Wales, there were
some Northern Welsh inflections. However, Liverpool's population of around 60,000 in the 1840s
was swelled by the passage of around 300,000 Irish refugees escaping the Famine. Liverpool
had this influx due to being England's main Atlanticport and a popular departure point for people
seeking to embark for a new life in America. So, while many of the Irish refugees moved on to
other parts of Britain and further afield, many remained in Liverpool and the local accent became
changed forever over the succeeding years. Today, the Scouse accent is completely distinct from
others in the North West of England and bears little resemblance to them.
Many Liverpool families can trace their lineage back to refugees escaping the potato famine. The
connection between Liverpool and Ireland was recognized by John Lennon in his final interview
with the BBC disc jockey Andy Peebles on 6 December 1980 (two days before his
assassination) when he described Liverpool as "an Irish place".
Other accents include a range of accents spoken in the West Midlands (in the major towns and
conurbations (The Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent andWolverhampton)
and in rural accents (such as in Herefordshire and south Worcestershire)); the accents of the
counties comprising the East Midlands (Derby, Leicester andRutland, Lincoln, Northampton,
and Nottingham), East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire) and the Home
Counties (typically Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex,Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, H
ampshire.)
There is also great variation within greater London, with various accents such
as Cockney, Estuary English, Multicultural London English and Received Pronunciation being
found all throughout the region and the Home Counties.

Scotland[edit]
The regional accents of Scottish English generally follow a similar pattern to that of the dialects
of Modern Scots:[2][3]

Insular Scots Orkney and Shetland.

Northern Scots north of the Firth of Tay.

North Northern Caithness, Easter Ross and the Black Isle.

Mid Northern (also called North East[4] and popularly known as the Doric)
Moray, Buchan and Aberdeenshire.

South Northern Dundonian, Angus and the Mearns.

Central Scots the Central Lowlands and Southwest Scotland.

North East Central north of the Forth, in south east Perthshire and west Angus.

South East Central in the Lothians, Peeblesshire and Berwickshire

West Central Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Ayrshire,

on the Isle of Bute and to the southern extremity of Kintyre.

South West Central west Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire.

Southern Scots mid and east Dumfriesshire and the Scottish

Borders counties Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire, in particular the valleys of the Annan,
the Esk, the Liddel Water, the Teviot and the Yarrow Water. It is also known as the "border
tongue" or "border Scots".

A number of pronunciation features set Scots apart from neighbouring English dialects. The
Scots pronunciation of come [km] contrasts with [km] in Northern English. The Scots
realisation [km] reaches as far south as the mouth of the north Esk in north Cumbria, crossing
Cumbria and skirting the foot of the Cheviots before reaching the east coast at Bamburgh some
12 miles north of Alnwick. The Scots [x]English []/[f] cognate group (micht-might, eneuchenough, etc.) can be found in a small portion of north Cumbria with the southern limit stretching
from Bewcastle to Longtown and Gretna. The Scots pronunciation of wh as [] becomes
English [w] south of Carlisle but remains inNorthumberland, but Northumberland realises r
as [], often called the burr, which is not a Scots realisation. Thus the greater part of the valley of
the Esk and the whole ofLiddesdale can be considered to be northern English dialects rather
than Scots ones. From the nineteenth century onwards influence from the South through
education and increased mobility have caused Scots features to retreat northwards so that for all
practical purposes the political and linguistic boundaries may be considered to coincide. [5]

Wales[edit]
Main article: Welsh English
The accent of English in Wales is strongly influenced by the phonology of the Welsh language,
which more than 20% of the population of Wales speak as their first or second language.
The North Wales accent is distinct from South Wales and north east Wales is influenced
by Scouse and Cheshire accents. South Wales border accents are influenced by West
Country accents. The Wenglish of the South Wales Valleys shows a deep cross-fertilisation
between the two.

The Cardiff dialect and accent is also quite distinctive from that of the South Wales Valleys,
primarily:

The substitution of // by [][6][7]

here /h/ pronounced [hj] or [j] in broader accents

A closer pronunciation of // as in love and other[7]

// is widely realised as [], giving a pronunciation of Cardiff /

kadf/ as Kahdiff [kdf]

Northern Ireland[edit]
Main article: Hiberno-English
Ireland has several main groups of accents, including (1) those of Dublin and surrounding areas
on the east coast where English has been spoken since the earliest period of colonisation from
Britain, (2) the accents of Ulster, with a strong influence from Scotland as well as the underlying
Gaelic linguistic stratum, which in that province approaches the Gaelic of Scotland, and (3) the
various accents of west, midlands and south.

Ulster[edit]
The Ulster accent has two main sub accents, namely Mid Ulster English and Ulster Scots. The
language is spoken throughout the nine counties of Ulster, and in some northern areas of
bordering counties such as Louth and Leitrim. It bears many similarities to Scottish English
through influence from the Ulster varieties of Scots. Some characteristics of the Ulster accent
include:

As in Scotland, the vowels // and /u/ are merged, so that look and Luke are
homophonous. The vowel is a high central rounded vowel, [].

The diphthong /a/ is pronounced approximately [], but wide variation exists,
especially between social classes in Belfast

In Belfast, /e/ is a monophthong in open syllables (e.g. day [d]) but an ingliding
diphthong in closed syllables (e.g. daze [dez]). But the monophthong remains when
inflectional endings are added, thus daze contrasts with days [dz].

The alveolar stops /t, d/ become dental before /r, r/, e.g. tree and spider

/t/ often undergoes flapping to [] before an unstressed syllable, e.g. eighty [ei]

Republic of Ireland[edit]
Connacht, Leinster, and Munster[edit]

The accent of these three provinces fluctuates greatly from the flat tone of the midlands counties
of Laois, Kildare, and Offaly, the perceived sing-song of Cork and Kerry, to the soft accents of
Mayo and Galway.
Historically the Dublin City and county area, parts of Wicklow and Louth, came under heavy
exclusive influence from the first English settlements (known as The Pale). It remained until
Independence from Britain as the biggest concentration of English influence in the whole island.
The Corkonian accent has a unique lyrical intonation. Every sentence typically ends in the
trademark elongated tail-off on the last word. In Cork heavier emphasis yet is put on the brrr
sound to the letter R.
Similar to the Cork accent but without the same unmistakable intonation, Kerry puts even heavier
emphasis on the brrr sound to the letter R. For example: the word Forty. Throughout the south
this word is pronounced whereby the r exhibits the typified Irish brrr. In Kerry however (especially
in rural areas) the roll on the r is enforced with vibrations from the tongue (not unlike Scottish
here). "Are you?" becomes a co-joined "A-rrou?" single tongue flutter (esp. in rural areas). This
extra emphasis on R is also seen in varying measures through parts of West Limerick and West
Cork in closer proximity to Kerry.
Another feature in the Kerry accent is the S before the consonant. True to its Gaelic origins in a
manner similar to parts of Connacht "s" maintains the shh sound as in shop or sheep. The word
Start becomes "Shtart". Stop becomes Shtop.

Irish Travellers[edit]
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improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (November 2006)

Irish Travellers have a very distinct accent closely related to a rural Hiberno-English, particularly
the English spoken in Connaught from where they originate. Many Irish Travellers who were born
in parts of Dublin or Britain have the accent in spite of it being strikingly different from the local
accents in those regions. They also have their own language, which strongly links in with their
dialect/accent of English, see Shelta.

North America[edit]
Main article: North American English regional phonology
Main article: North American English
North American English is a collective term for the dialects of the United States and Canada; it
does not include the varieties of Caribbean English spoken in the West Indies.

Rhoticity: Most North American English accents differ from Received Pronunciation and
some other British dialects by being rhotic; the rhotic consonant /r/ is pronounced before
consonants and at the end of syllables, and the r-colored vowel [] is used as a syllable
nucleus. For example, while the words hard and singer would be

pronounced[hd] and [s] in Received Pronunciation, they would be

pronounced [hd] and [s] in General American. (Exceptions are certain traditional
accents found in eastern New England, New York City, and the Southern United States.)

Mergers before /r/: R-coloring has led to some vowel mergers before historic /r/ that do
not happen in most other native dialects. In many North American
accents, Mary,merry and marry sound the same (Marymarrymerry merger), but they have
the vowels //, //, // respectively in RP. Similarly, nearer rhymes with mirror (mirror
nearermerger), though the two have different vowels in RP: /i/ and //. Other mergers
before /r/ occur in various North American dialects.

Mergers of the low back vowels: Other North American mergers that are absent in
Received Pronunciation are the merger of the vowels of caught and cot ([kt] and [kt] in
RP) in many accents, and the merger of father (RP [f]) and bother (RP [b]) in
almost all.

Flat a: Most North American accents lack the so-called trapbath split found in Southern
England: Words like ask, answer, grass, bath, staff, dance are pronounced with the shorta // of trap, not with the broad A // of father heard in Southern England as well as in most
of the Southern hemisphere. (In North America, the vowel of father has merged with that
of lot and bother, see above.)

Flapping of /t/ and /d/: In North American English, /t/ and /d/ both become the alveolar
flap [] after a stressed syllable and between vowels or syllabic consonants, making the
words latter and ladder homophones, either as [ld] or [l].

The United States does not have a concrete 'standard' accent in the same way that Britain
has Received Pronunciation. Nonetheless, a form of speech known to linguists as General
American is perceived by many Americans to be "accent-less", meaning a person who speaks in
such a manner does not appear to be from anywhere. The region of the United States that most
resembles this is the central Midwest, specifically eastern Nebraska (including Omaha and
Lincoln), southern and central Iowa (including Des Moines), parts of Missouri, Ohio and western
Illinois (including Peoria and the Quad Cities, but not the Chicago area). [original research?]

Canada[edit]
Main article: Canadian English
Three major dialect areas can be found in Canada: Western/Central Canada, the Maritimes,
and Newfoundland.
The phonology of West/Central Canadian English, also called General Canadian, is broadly
identical to that of the Western US, except for the following features:

The diphthongs /a/ and /a/ are raised to approximately [] and [][8] before voiceless
consonants; thus, for example, the vowel sound of out [t] is different from that
ofloud [lad]. This feature is known as Canadian raising.

There is no contrast between the vowels of caught and cot (cotcaught merger, as
above); in addition, the short a of bat is more open than almost everywhere else in North
America [ ~ a]. The other front lax vowels // and //, too, can be lowered and/or retracted.
This phenomenon has been labelled the Canadian Shift.

The pronunciation of certain words shows a British influence. For

instance, shone is /n/; been is often /bin/; lieutenant is /lftnnt/; process can be /pross/;
etc.
Words like drama, pyjamas, pasta tend to have // rather than //~//. Words
like sorrow, Florida, orange have /r/ rather than /r/; therefore, sorry rhymes with story rather
than with starry.

United States[edit]
Main articles: North American English regional phonology, North American English, American
English and General American

West Indies and Bermuda[edit]

For discussion, see:

Bahamian English

Bermudian English

Caribbean English

Jamaican English

Trinidadian English

Southern hemisphere[edit]
Australia[edit]
Main article: Australian English
Australian English is relatively homogenous when compared to British and American English.
There is however some regional variation between the states, particularly in regards to South
Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
Three main varieties of Australian English are spoken according to linguists: Broad
Australian, General Australian and Cultivated Australian.[9] They are part of a continuum,
reflecting variations in accent. They can, but do not always reflect the social class, education and
urban or rural background of the speaker.[10]

Australian Aboriginal English refers to the various varieties of the English language used
by Indigenous Australians. These varieties, which developed differently in different parts of
Australia, vary along a continuum, from forms close to General Australian to more
nonstandard forms. There are distinctive features of accent, grammar, words and meanings,
as well as language use.

The furthest extent of the Aboriginal dialect is Australian Kriol language, which is
not mutually intelligible with General Australian English.

On the Torres Strait Islands, a distinctive dialect known as Torres Strait English is
spoken.

In Australian English, pronunciations vary regionally according to the type of vowel that
occurs before the sounds nd, ns, nt, nce, nch, and mple, and the pronunciation of the suffix "mand". In words like "chance", "plant", "branch", "sample" and "demand", the vast majority of
Australians use the short // vowel from the word "cat". In South Australian English however
there is a high proportion of people who use the broad /a / vowel from the word "cart" in
these words.

Centring diphthongs, which are the vowels that occur in words

like ear, beard and air, sheer. In Western Australian English there is a tendency for centring
diphthongs to be pronounced as full diphthongs. Those in the eastern states will tend to
pronounce "fear" and "sheer" without any jaw movement, while the westerners would
pronounce them like "fia" and "shia", respectively.[11]

unique to Austalian English is the pronunciation of the ee vowel in words such

as she, cheese, beef and feast which in broader dialects may sound
like shoy, choyz, boyf andfoist.

Another distinction in Australian English is the the i vowel in words such

as sit, dinner, bin, and fish which in broader dialects can sound
like seat, deena, been and feesh.

New Zealand[edit]
Main article: New Zealand English
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improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (July 2012)

The New Zealand accent is most similar to the Australian accent but is distinguished from the
Australian one by the presence of two "clipped" vowels, slightly resembling South African
English. Phonetically, these are raised or centralised versions of the short "i" and "e" vowels,
which in New Zealand are close to [] and [] respectively rather than [] and[]. New Zealand
pronunciations are often popularly represented outside New Zealand by writing "fish and chips"
as "fush and chups", "yes" as "yiss", "sixty-six" as "suxty-sux". Scottish English influence is most
evident in the southern regions of New Zealand, notably Dunedin. Another difference between
New Zealand and Australian English is the length of the vowel in words such as "dog", and "job"
which are longer than in Australian English which shares the short and staccato pronunciation
shared with British English.
Geographical variations appear slight, and mainly confined to individual special local words. One
group of speakers, however, hold a recognised place as "talking differently": the South of the
South Island (Murihiku) harbours a "Celtic fringe" of people speaking with a "Southland burr" in
which R is actually pronounced everywhere it appears. The area formed a traditional repository
of immigration from Scotland.

The trilled 'r' is also used by some Mori, who may also pronounce 't' and 'k' sounds without
aspiration, striking other English speakers as similar to 'd' and 'g'. This is also encountered in
South African English, especially among Afrikaans speakers.

South Atlantic[edit]
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help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

Falkland Islands[edit]
Main article: Falkland Islands English
The Falkland Islands have a large non-native born population, mainly from Britain, but also
from Saint Helena. In rural areas, the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The accent has
resemblances to both Australia-NZ English, and that of Norfolk in England, and contains a
number of Spanish loanwords.
Saint Helena[edit]
"Saints", as Saint Helenan islanders are called, have a variety of different influences on their
accent. To outsiders, the accent has resemblances to the accents of South Africa, Australia, and
New Zealand.
"Saint" is not just a different pronunciation of English, it also has its own distinct words. So 'bite'
means spicy, as in full of chillies; 'us' is used instead of 'we' ('us has been shopping'); and 'done'
is used to generate a past tense, hence 'I done gorn fishing' ('I have been fishing'). [12]
Television is a reasonably recent arrival there, and is only just beginning to have an effect.
American terms are becoming more common, e.g. 'chips' for crisps.[12]

Southern Africa[edit]
South Africa[edit]
Main article: South African English
South Africa has 11 official languages, one of which is English. Accents vary significantly
between ethnic and language groups.[13] Home-language English speakers (Black, White, Indian
and Coloured or Cape Coloured) in South Africa have an accent that generally resembles
British Received Pronunciation (modified with varying degrees of Germanic inflection due to
Afrikaans).[14]
The Coloured community is generally bilingual, however English accents are strongly influenced
by primary mother-tongue (Afrikaans or English). A range of accents can be seen, with the
majority of Coloureds showing a strong Afrikaans inflection. Similarly, Afrikaners (and Cape
Coloureds), both descendant of mainly Dutch settlers, tend to pronounce English phonemes with

a strong Afrikaans inflection. The English accents of both related groups are significantly different
and easily distinguishable (primarily because of prevalent code-switching among the majority of
Coloured English speakers, particularly in the Western Cape of South Africa). The range of
accents found among English-speaking Coloureds (from the distinctive "Cape Flats or Coloured
English"[15] to the standard "colloquial" South African English accent) are of special interest.
Geography and education levels play major roles therein.
Black Africans generally speak English as a second language, and accent is strongly influenced
by mother-tongue (particularly Bantu languages). However, urban middle-classblack Africans
have developed an English accent, with similar inflection as first-language English speakers.
Within this ethnic group variations exist: most Nguni (Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi and Ndebele) speakers
have a distinct accent, with the pronunciation of words like 'the' and 'that' as would 'devil' and
'dust', respectively; and words like 'rice' as 'lice'. This may be as a result of the inadequacy of 'r'
in the languages. Sotho (Tshwana, Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho) speakers have a similar
accent, with slight variations. Tsonga and Venda speakers have very similar accents with far less
intonation than Ngunis and Sothos. Some Black speakers have no distinction between the 'i' in
determine and the one in decline, pronouncing it similarly to the one in 'mine'.
Black, Indian and Coloured students educated in former Model C schools or at formerly white
tertiary institutions will generally adopt a similar accent to their white English-home-language
speaking classmates.[16] Code-switching and the "Cape Flats" accent are becoming popular
among white learners in public schools within Cape Town. [citation needed]
South African accents also vary between major cities (particularly Cape Town, Durban and
Johannesburg) and provinces (regions).[17] Accent variation are also observed within respective
cities, for instance, Johannesburg, where the northern suburbs (Parkview, Parkwood, Parktown
North, Saxonwold, etc.) tend to be less strongly influenced by Afrikaans. These suburbs are more
affluent and populated by individuals with tertiary education and higher incomes. The accents of
native English speakers from the southern suburbs (Rosettenville, Turffontein, etc.) tend to be
more strongly influenced by Afrikaans. These suburbs are populated by tradesmen and factory
workers, with lower incomes. The extent of Afrikaans influence is explained by the fact that
Afrikaans urbanisation would historically have been from failed marginal farms or failing
economies in rural towns, into the southern and western suburbs of Johannesburg. The western
suburbs of Johannesburg (Newlands, Triomf, which has now reverted to its old
name Sophiatown, Westdene, etc.) are predominantly Afrikaans speaking. In a similar fashion,
people from predominantly or traditionally Jewish areas in the Johannesburg area (such as
Sandton, Linksfield or Victory Park) may have accents influenced by Yiddish or Hebrew ancestry.
South African English accent, across the spectrum, is non-rhotic.
Examples of South African accents (obtained from http://accent.gmu.edu)

Native English: Male (Cape Town, South Africa)

Native English: Female (Cape Town, South Africa)

Native English: Male (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)

Native English: Male (Nigel, South Africa)

Afrikaans (Primary): Female (Pretoria, South Africa)

Afrikaans (Primary): Male (Pretoria, South Africa)

Afrikaans (Primary): Male (Pretoria, South Africa)

Northern Sotho (Primary): Female (Polokwane, South Africa)

Additional samples of South African accents and dialects can be found

at http://web.ku.edu/~idea/africa/southafrica/southafrica.htm
Regardless of regional and ethnic differences (in accents), South African English accent is
sometimes confused with Australian (or New Zealand) English by British and American English
speakers.[18][19]
Zimbabwe[edit]
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help
improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (November 2006)

In Zimbabwe, native English speakers (mainly the white and Coloured minority) have a similar
speech pattern to that of South Africa. Hence those with high degrees of Germanic inflection
would pronounce 'Zimbabwe' as zim-bah-bwi, as opposed to the African pronunciation zeembah-bweh. Zimbwabwean accents also vastly vary, with some Black Africans sounding British
while others will have a much stronger accent influenced by their mother tongues, usually this
distinction is brought about by where speakers grew up and the school attended. For example
most people that grew up in and around Harare have a British sounding accent while those in the
rural areas have a more "pidgin-english" sort of accent
Example of a Zimbabwean English accent (obtained from http://accent.gmu.edu)

Shona (Primary): Female (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe)

Namibia[edit]
Namibian English tends to be strongly influenced by South African English. Most Namibians that
grew up in and around the capital city (Windhoek) have developed an English accent while those
in the rural areas have an accent strongly influenced by they mother tongue particularly Bantu
languages.

Asia[edit]
Philippines[edit]
Main article: Philippine English

Philippine English employs a rhotic accent that originated from the time when it was first
introduced by the Americans during the colonization period to replace Spanish as the dominant
language used in politics. However, there is no 'f' or 'v' sounds in the Tagalog language and 'f' is
pronounced as a 'p' and 'v' as a 'b' so that the words fifty and five will be said pip-ty and pibe by a
Filipino.
Apart from the inability to pronounce 'f' and 'v', in reality, there is no single Philippine English
Accent. Many indigenous languages affect the English that is spoken throughout the Islands. For
example, those from Visayas may generally interchange the /e/ and /i/ also the /o/ and /u/ as their
distinction is not very pronounced in the Visayan languages.
Those coming from the North may pronounce the /r/ with a strong trill instead of the flap as it is
one of the features of the Ilocano language. Some Ilocanos also pronounce the // better as
there is a sound in their language that is close to this.

Hong Kong[edit]
Main article: Hong Kong English
The accent of English spoken in Hong Kong follows mainly British, with rather strong influence
from Cantonese Chinese on the pronunciations of a few consonants and vowels, and sentence
grammar and structure.

India and South Asia[edit]

Main articles: Indian English, Pakistani English and Sri Lankan English
A number of distinct dialects of English are spoken in South Asia. There are many languages
spoken in South Asia
like Urdu, Nepali, Hindi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Balochi,Pashto, Marathi, Assamese, Bengali
, Maithili, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and many more, creating a variety of
accents of English. Accents originating in this part of the world tend to display several distinctive
features, including:

syllable-timing, in which a roughly equal time is allocated to each syllable. Akin to the
English of Singapore and Malaysia. (Elsewhere, English speech timing is based
predominantly on stress);
"sing-song" pitch (somewhat reminiscent of those of Welsh English).

Malaysia[edit]
Main article: Malaysian English
Malay is the lingua franca of Malaysia, a former British colony. English is a foreign language with
no official status, but it is commonly learnt as a second or third language.
The Malaysian accent appears to be a melding of British, Chinese, Tamil and Malay influences.

Many Malaysians adopt different accents and usages depending on the situation; for example,
an office worker may speak with less colloquialism and with a more British accent on the job than
with friends or while out shopping.

syllable-timing, where speech is timed according to syllable, akin to the English of the
Indian Subcontinent. (Elsewhere, speech is usually timed to stress.)

A quick, staccato style, with "puncturing" syllables and well-defined, drawn out tones.

Non-rhoticity, like most varieties of English language in England.

Hence caught and court are homophonous as /kt/ (in actuality, [k] or [ko], see
"Simplification" below);can't rhymes with aren't, etc.

The "ay" and "ow" sounds in raid and road (/e/ and /o/ respectively) are pronounced
as monophthongs, i.e. with no "glide": [red] and [rod].

// is pronounced as [t] and // as [d]; hence, thin is [tn] and then is [dn].

Depending on how colloquial the situation is: many discourse particles, or words inserted
at the end of sentences that indicate the role of the sentence in discourse and the mood it
conveys, like "lah", "leh", "mah", "hor", etc.
See also: Manglish

Singapore[edit]
Main article: Singapore English
Singapore is effectively a multi-lingual nation. The Singapore government recognises four official
languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil.
Students in Primary and Secondary schools learning English as the language of instruction also
learn a second language called their "Mother Tongue" by the Ministry of Education, where they
are either taught Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil. A main point to note is while "Mother
Tongue" generally refers to the first language (L1) overseas, in Singapore, it is used by the
Ministry of Education to denote the second language (L2).
There are two main types of English spoken in Singapore Standard Singapore
English and Singlish. Singlish is more widely spoken than standard English. It has a very
distinctive tone and sentence structure which are strongly influenced by Malay and the many
dialects of Chinese spoken in the city.
A 2005 census showed that around 30% of Singaporeans speak English as their main language
at home.[20]
There is a large number of foreigners working in Singapore. 36% of the population in Singapore
are foreigners and foreigners make up 50% of the service sector.[21] Therefore, it is very common
to encounter service staff who are not fluent in English. Most of these staff speak Mandarin
Chinese. Those who do not speak Mandarin Chinese tend to speak either broken English or
Singlish, which they have learnt from the locals.

See also[edit]

List of dialects of the English language

International Dialects of English Archive

IPA chart for English dialects

Manglish

Hinglish

Koin language

References[edit]
Jump up^ Trudgill & Hannah 2002, pp. 46.

1.
2.

Jump up^ Mairi Robinson, ed. (1985). The Concise Scots Dictionary. Aberdeen
University Press. p. xxxi.

3.

Jump up^ "SND Introduction Dialect Districts". Dsl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-21.

4.

Jump up^ Mairi Robinson, ed. (1985). The Concise Scots Dictionary. Aberdeen
University Press.[page needed]

5.

Jump up^ "SND Introduction Phonetic Description of Scottish Language and Dialects".
Dsl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-21.

6.

Jump up^ Google Books | The phonetics of Cardiff English. Books.google.co.uk.

Retrieved 2012-06-08.

7.

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Bibliography[edit]

Wells, J C (1982). Accents of English 3: Beyond the British Isles. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 0-521-28541-0.

External links[edit]

The Speech Accent Archive 1254 audio samples of people with various accents reading
the same paragraph.
VOICESUK Ltd Directory of 100 British accents.

Sounds Familiar? Listen to examples of regional accents and dialects from across the
UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website

'Hover & Hear' Accents of English from Around the World, listen and compare side by
side instantaneously.

International Dialects of English Archive

English Accents and Dialects Searchable free-access archive of 681 speech samples,
England only, wma format with linguistic commentary

Britain's crumbling ruling class is losing the accent of authority An article on the
connection of class and accent in the UK, its decline, and the spread of Estuary English

The Telsur Project Homepage of the telephone survey of North American English accents
Pittsburgh Speech & Society A site for non-linguists, by Barbara Johnstone of Carnegie
Mellon University

Linguistic Geography of Pennsylvania by Claudio Salvucci

Phillyspeak A newspaper article on Philadelphia speech

J.C. Wells' English Accents course Includes class handouts describing Cockney,
Scottish, Australian, and Scouse, among other things.

Evaluating English Accents Worldwide

Do You Speak American? A series of web pages by PBS that attempts to discuss the
differences between dialects in the United States

American Regional Accent Map[dead link] A continuously-updating map based on users'

responses to quizzes

Language by Video Short videos demonstrating differences in English accents around

the world.
[show]

Dialects and accents of Modern English by co

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here are many, many evolving regional British and American accents, so the
terms British accent and American accent are gross oversimplifications. What
a lot of Americans think of as the typical "British accent is what's called
standardized Received Pronunciation (RP), also known as Public School English
or BBC English. What most people think of as an "American accent," or most
Americans think of as "no accent," is the General American (GenAm) accent,
sometimes called a "newscaster accent" or "Network English." Because this is a
blog post and not a book, we'll focus on these two general sounds for now and
leave the regional accents for another time.

English colonists established their first permanent settlement in the New World at
Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, sounding very much like their countrymen back
home. By the time we had recordings of both Americans and Brits some three
centuries later (the first audio recording of a human voice was made in 1860),
the sounds of English as spoken in the Old World and New World were very
different. We're looking at a silent gap of some 300 years, so we can't say
exactly when Americans first started to sound noticeably different from the
British.

As for the "why," though, one big factor in the divergence of the
accents is rhotacism. The General American accent is rhotic and speakers
pronounce the r in words such as hard. The BBC-type British accent is nonrhotic, and speakers don't pronounce the r, leaving hardsounding more
like hahd. Before and during the American Revolution, the English, both in
England and in the colonies, mostly spoke with a rhotic accent. We don't know
much more about said accent, though. Various claims about the accents of the
Appalachian Mountains, the Outer Banks, the Tidewater region and
Virginia's Tangier Island sounding like an uncorrupted Elizabethan-era English
accent have been busted as myths by linguists.

TALK THIS WAY

Around the turn of the 18th 19th century, not long after the revolution, non-rhotic
speech took off in southern England, especially among the upper and uppermiddle classes. It was a signifier of class and status. This posh accent was
standardized as Received Pronunciation and taught widely by pronunciation
tutors to people who wanted to learn to speak fashionably. Because the Received
Pronunciation accent was regionally "neutral" and easy to understand, it spread
across England and the empire through the armed forces, the civil service and,
later, the BBC.

Across the pond, many former colonists also adopted and imitated Received
Pronunciation to show off their status. This happened especially in the port cities
that still had close trading ties with England Boston, Richmond, Charleston,
and Savannah. From the Southeastern coast, the RP sound spread through
much of the South along with plantation culture and wealth.

After industrialization and the Civil War and well into the 20th century, political
and economic power largely passed from the port cities and cotton regions to the
manufacturing hubs of the Mid Atlantic and Midwest New York, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, etc. The British elite had much less
cultural and linguistic influence in these places, which were mostly populated by
the Scots-Irish and other settlers from Northern Britain, and rhotic English was
still spoken there. As industrialists in these cities became the self-made economic
and political elites of the Industrial Era, Received Pronunciation lost its status and
fizzled out in the U.S. The prevalent accent in the Rust Belt, though, got dubbed
General American and spread across the states just as RP had in Britain.

Of course, with the speed that language changes, a General American accent is
now hard to find in much of this region, with New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
and Chicago developing their own unique accents, and GenAm now considered
generally confined to a small section of the Midwest.

As mentioned above, there are regional exceptions to both these general

American and British sounds. Some of the accents of southeastern England, plus

the accents of Scotland and Ireland, are rhotic. Some areas of the American
Southeast, plus Boston, are non-rhotic.