British English is the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom 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, and occasionally Yorkshire, 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 the various varieties of English spoken in some member states of the Commonwealth
of Nations.

Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. The main, formal variety is
called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English (SSE).[1][2][3][4] Scottish Standard
English may be defined as "the characteristic speech of the professional class [in Scotland] and the
accepted norm in schools".[5] IETF language tag for "Scottish Standard English" is en-Scotland.[6]
In addition to distinct pronunciation, grammar and expressions, Scottish English has distinctive
vocabulary, particularly pertaining to Scottish institutions such as the Church of Scotland, local
government and the education and legal systems.
Scottish Standard English is at one end of a bipolar linguistic continuum, with focused broad Scots at
the other.[7] Scottish English may be influenced to varying degrees by Scots.[8][9] Many Scots speakers
separate Scots and Scottish English as different registers depending on social
circumstances.[10] Some speakers code switch clearly from one to the other while others style shift in
a less predictable and more fluctuating manner.[10] Generally there is a shift to Scottish English in
formal situations or with individuals of a higher social status.[11]

Scottish English results from language contact between Scots and the Standard English of England
after the 17th century. The resulting shifts to English usage by Scots-speakers resulted in many
phonological compromises and lexical transfers, often mistaken for mergers by linguists unfamiliar
with the history of Scottish English.[12] Furthermore, the process was also influenced by interdialectal
forms, hypercorrections and spelling pronunciations.[13] (See the section on phonology below.)

 Many varieties contrast /o/ and /ɔ/ before /r/ so that hoarse and horse are pronounced
differently.

Hiberno‐English (from Latin Hibernia: "Ireland") or Irish English[2] refers to the set of
English dialects natively written and spoken in Ireland (including both the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland).[3]
English was brought to Ireland as a result of the Norman invasion of Ireland of the late 12th century.
Initially, it was mainly spoken in an area known as the Pale around Dublin, with mostly Irish spoken
throughout the rest of the country. By the Tudor period, Irish culture and language had regained
most of the territory lost to the colonists: even in the Pale, "all the common folk… for the most part
are of Irish birth, Irish habit, and of Irish language".[4] However, the English
conquest and colonisation of Ireland in the 16th century marked a revival in the use of English. By
the mid-19th century, English was the majority language spoken in the country.[a] It has retained this
status to the present day, with even those whose first language is Irish being fluent in English as
well.
Modern Hiberno-English has some features influenced by the Irish language and it also retains some
archaic English elements. Most of these are more used in the spoken language than in formal
written language, which is much closer to Standard British English, with a few differences in
vocabulary. Hiberno-English uses British English spelling and, mostly, British (rather than American)
pronunciation standards. However, the various Irish dialects still have their own unique sound
systems. Phonologists today often divide Hiberno-English into four or five major dialects or
accents:[6][7] Ulster English, West and South-West Hiberno-English (including, for example, Cork
English), Dublin English (often differentiated by local and non-local varieties), and supraregional
Hiberno-English.