Definition of Accent:

• A distinctive way of pronouncing a language specially one associated with a particular country,
area or social class is called accent.

> Definition of Dialect:

• Dialect is a distinct variety of a language with its own variations of grammar and vocabulary
usually associate with a particular region of the country

Difference between Dialect and Accent:

Perhaps the easiest way to think of the difference between accents and dialects is to first
understand that accents are only a part of what makes up a dialect.

• An accent is simply how one pronounces words a style of pronunciation.

• A dialect includes not just pronunciations, but also one's general vocabulary and grammar.As an
example, someone from the United States may say, "Would you like some tea?", while a person
from the UK might instead say, "Fancy a cuppa?" They're both speaking English, and they're
both expressing the exact same idea. But not only would the pronunciation (the accent) be
different, the choice of vocabulary and the grammar behind both sentences is clearly distinct.
Within any given language, both dialect and accent will vary- both largely a product of
geography/regionality.

• What is a Dialect?

Before talking about dialect, it is better to see the other aspect related to this topic. All speakers
of English can talk to each other and pretty much understand each other.
Yet, no two of us speak exactly alike. Some differences are the result of age, social situation, and
where and when the language was learned.
These differences are reflected in word choices, the pronunciation of words and grammatical
rules.
The language of an individual speaker with its unique characteristics is referred to as the
speaker's idiolect.Where as, like individuals, different groups of people who speak the same
language speak it differently. For instance, British, American, and Australian, all exhibit variation
in the way they speak English.

How many different English Dialects exist?

Even though it is impossible to estimate the exact number of dialects in the English language that
are spoken around the world, it is estimated that over 160 different English dialects exist around
the world. And this number is rapidly increasing
George Yule elaborates that the differences are in the form of grammar, vocabulary as well as
pronunciation.

How many different Urdu Dialects exist?

Urdu has few recognized dialects including Dakhni, Rekhta and modern vernacular Urdu.
In Nepal Urdu is registered Regional Dialect.

How many different Chinese Dialects exist?

Officially, there are 302 living languages in China, and includes 10 dialect groups. The existence
of such a large number of languages in China is related to China's expansive geography.

a. What are social dialects ?

It represents differences that we can notice in speech of a social group and it differentiate
speakers of one social group from speakers of the other social group. Language can vary in
social dialect on the basis of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.

Factors affecting social dialect:

• Social class,Caste,Age,Gender,Education,Profession

Just as RP is a social accent, so Standard English is a social Dialect. It is a dialect used by well-
educated English speakers throughout the world. It is a variety used for national news broadcasts
and in print, and it is the variety generally taught in English Medium schools.
A speaker of Standard English might produce either of the sentences given below:

1). I've not washed the dishes yet today.

2). I haven't washed the dishes yet today.

• Social Class Vocabulary:

In the 1950's in England, many pair of words were to identify the social group of the speaker to
which they belonged.
The words either placed the speaker in the "upper class speaker" or in the "lower class speaker".
For upper class, the used words are "sitting room" and "lavatory",
For a lower class speaker, these words are " lounge" and "toilet"

• Social Class Grammar:

• In english speaking communities, it was found that children from lower class families use more
vernacular verb forms than children from middle class families.
• For example, in higher class families children say: "I finished that book yesterday"
While in lower class families children say,: "I finish that book yesterday"

• Caste and Social Dialect:

Social dialects can be seen in Indonesia and India where caste system determined by birth.
These social distinctions are also reflected in speech.
There are 3 distinct social groups:
1. The dialect of lowest status group (peasants, uneducated town people)
2. The dialect of urbanized people with some education
3. The dialect of highly educated

b. What are Regional Dialects

Regional dialect is a distinct form of a language spoken in a particular geographical area. It is a

variety of language that is spoken in a geographical area for many hundred of years as seen in
differences in pronunciations. Regional dialect is spoken in one particular area of country.
Regional dialect are geographically based.
• Importance of Regional Dialects:
• Identity is retained
Creativity takes place
• A sense of independence increases• For example:

Different Vocabulary

1. a. Movie (U.S) b. Cinema (G.B)

2. a. Cookie (U.S) b. Biscuit (G.B)
3 a. Holiday (U.S) b. Vacation (G.B)

Difference in Grammar:

1. a. I've lost my key. (British) b. I lost my key.

2. a. Have a bath (British) b. Take a bath(U.S)
There are vocabulary differences in the varieties spoken in different regions too.
Australians-Sole Parents
Briton - Single Parents
New Zealanders - Solo parents

• Isogloss:

A line across a map separating the two areas on the accompanying illustration is called an
Isogloss and it represents a boundary between the areas with regards to that one particular area.

• Regional Dialects v/s Social Dialects:

A regional dialect, also known as a regiolect or topolect, is a distinct form of a language spoken
in a particular geographical area. If the form of speech transmitted from a parent to a child is a
distinct regional dialect, that dialect is said to be the child's vernacular.
In sociolinguistics, social dialect is a variety of speech associated with a particular social class or
occupational group within a society. Also known as a sociolect, group idiolect, and class dialect.

• What is Accent?

Every language-user speaks with an accent. Everyone has an accent, just as everyone speaks a
dialect, technically, the term "accent"is restricted to:
The description of aspects of pronunciation that identify where an individual speaker is from,
regionally or socially. It is different from the term dialect above. Thus, accent refers to the
characteristics of speech that convey information about the speaker's dialect, which may reveal in
what country or what part of the country the speaker grew up or to which socio linguistics group
the speaker belongs.

The Alveolar Approximant [r]: (Common in both)

• It occurs when the letter r comes before a vowel in a syllable, here the r sound is pronounced as
like ran, trust, pray, brown, red etc. It is shared by both Americans and Britons.

British English Accents:

1). Received Pronunciation (RP):

Also known as the Queen's English, this is the "standard" English accent in the UK. It is often
associated with the middle to upper classes and is the accent you would typically hear on BBC
News or in period drama series.
Some characteristics of the Received Pronunciation accent are that the 'r' at the end of words isn't
pronounced, so "mother" sounds like "muh-thuh." Additionally, certain words such as "chance,"
"bath," and "dance" are pronounced with the long-sounding A as in "father."
2). Cockney:

This English accent is probably the most iconic of them all and one that is instantly recognizable.
Cockney was born as the dialect of the working classes in the East End of London,
The Cockney accent is characterized by the letter 't' being pronounced with less intensity, or
almost ignored altogether. This is called a glottal stop in phonetics. Therefore, words like "better"
are pronounced more like "beh-uh."
Letters at the beginning of some words can also get dropped such as the 'h' in front of "head" so
it would sound more like "ed." Some vowel sounds also get shifted so words like "day" sound
like "die," and "buy" is more like "boy."

1. Why accents can vary ?

Some differences such as age, gender, social situation, and where and when the language was
learned affect variation in accents.
Native Language is the first language a person learns.By definition, it is impossible for non-
native speakers to become native speakers in the Language they did not learn first, they would
have to be born again. Only individuals who learn two languages simultaneously from birth, at
the same rate, are considered native speakers in two languages.

2. In what ways Accents vary?

As we discussed earlier, accent only happens in the aspects of pronunciation thus, accent only
varies in the way of pronouncing the language.
For the discussion and explanation of this section, we will listen to some words that differ in
accent in American
English and British English.

Points to ponder / Conclusion:

Language exhibit variations within its speakers. The variations can reveal the identities of the
speakers. Dialects and accents are one of the variations in a language i.e. English. These two
terms are not exactly the same. However, both of them are interwoven. Dialect is not a
substandard of a language, it is not slang either. Dialect is a variety of a language spoken by
group of people that is characterized by systematic features ( e.g. phonological, lexical, and
grammatical) that distinguish it from other varieties of that same language. While accent is only
variations in pronunciation. Thus, accent is a subset of dialect.