NationStates Jolt Archive

This is a general survey of the dialects of English used by posters on NS. There will be 4 separate polls - 1 for the British Isles, 1 for North America, 1 for other native speakers, and 1 for non-native speakers. Please hold off until I've posted the appropriate poll - you'll look foolish complaining that I haven't included you dialect, when it's on another thread.

As England is the home, the British Isles and Ireland go first.

What dialects do you speak?

Could've done with a multiple choice poll, especially since it says "dialects" :p

I guess mine would be West Country, but it's not very pronounced and parts of my speech sounds northern on occassion, too

other....international english

Are there really that many dialects in Britain? Remember, a dialect is not the same as an accent.

There is too many Irish accents for it just to be one option there's Louth/dundalk, D4(dublin rich rugby players) Northsider/townie Dublin, Limerick, cork, different northern Irish accents and a load of others from different counties

other....international english

Hmmm... are you sure you can read English?

Are there really that many dialects in Britain? Remember, a dialect is not the same as an accent.

I'm using this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialects_of_the_English_language

And Seosavists, I'd put up all the different dialects I could on a single poll, but it just isn't reaslistic.

Hmmm... are you sure you can read English?
hmmm...I see your point...now...nevermind. Consider me unvoting/devoting:confused:

I speak RP, due to the pure chance of having been brought up and having attended school in Surrey.

There is too many Irish accents for it just to be one option there's Louth/dundalk, D4(dublin rich rugby players) Northsider/townie Dublin, Limerick, cork, different northern Irish accents and a load of others from different counties
This is about dialects, not accents. I think in the Republic the only recognised dialect is Hiberno-English, and the North has their own as well I think.

silly question time... what does the "RP" stand for?

It's a kinda Essex accent, but not always immediately noticeable. It's not East Anglian, as it's harsher.

silly question time... what does the "RP" stand for?

RP is "Received Pronunciation", aka the "Queen's English" or "BBC English".

silly question time... what does the "RP" stand for?
Received Pronunciation.

RP is "Received Pronunciation", aka the "Queen's English" or "BBC English".

Received Pronunciation.

Thanks, guys :)

I suppose I come closest to BBC English. It's mixed in with a bit of Essex, though. Occasionally I'll slip into something which sounds a bit Clacton/Southend/Braintree, but I do try to stop myself.:rolleyes:

My accent is... unclassifiable.
Born/live in the South West. Parents from the North-East and South West, so travelled between them often as a kid. Have a nasty, uncontrollable habit of copying peoples speech without knowing it.

Voted Other.:p

I used to have a Northern (Yorkshire) accent. Does that count?

I guess mine would be West Country, but it's not very pronounced
The standard test for if you truly speak West Country English is if the sentence If I'd a-know'd I 'ooden never a-went makes sense to you.

The standard test for if you truly speak West Country English is if the sentence If I'd a-know'd I 'ooden never a-went makes sense to you.

If I'd have know, i would never have gone
is what I think it says

If I'd have know, i would never have gone
is what I think it says
Correct - here, have a cookie.

dey don' do dat dere dough, do dey dough? Nah, dey don't dough do dey?

I believe it's 'officially' called Mid Ulster English (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_Ulster_English).

Never mind that there's a whole load of sort of 'subdialects' in that, especially in Belfast and the surrounding area, but it'll do.

I would say that the way I speak depends on whom I am talking with, I live on the Isle of Wight, and locals have quite a strong accented dialect with their own words etc, and if I am with them I tend to talk in a more 'yokel' accent, if I am with other friends who talk RP public school English then I talk more like that and if I am with members of my extended family who have an essex type estuary english way of talking I slip into that...I am considered fairly well spoken by my friends, but not enough to be BBC.

:D

This is a general survey of the dialects of English used by posters on NS. There will be 4 separate polls - 1 for the British Isles, 1 for North America, 1 for other native speakers, and 1 for non-native speakers. Please hold off until I've posted the appropriate poll - you'll look foolish complaining that I haven't included you dialect, when it's on another thread.

As England is the home, the British Isles and Ireland go first.

What dialects do you speak?You seem to think that England has 5 regional dialects, yet Scotland has only one. It may have escaped your notice but Scotland is a country also, with it's own regional dialects. I take it you haven't came across the Glaswegian, the Lothian, the Aberdonian, the Highland and the Tcheuchter dialects, amongst others. All have their own intrinsic dialect language, rich in it's own traditions.

So for the sake of balance, I think you should extend Welsh and Scottish options (or have separate surveys within the UK)

You seem to think that England has 5 regional dialects, yet Scotland has only one. It may have escaped your notice but Scotland is a country also, with it's own regional dialects. I take it you haven't came across the Glaswegian, the Lothian, the Aberdonian, the Highland and the Tcheuchter dialects, amongst others. All have their own intrinsic dialect language, rich in it's own traditions.

So for the sake of balance, I think you should extend Welsh and Scottish options (or have separate surveys within the UK)

I've already divided it into 4 surveys. Putting up the requisite number of posts to fit all possible dialects would be excessive. Sorry.

RP in general, despite where I'm from. There's a few words from Mid-Ulster English (such as 'wee', 'aye') that I use, but to be honest, I don't understand a lot of the local phrases (especially when you get to the country areas, but it's somewhat true of Belfast-speak as well). That's not helped by the fact that, as Nadkor says, it varies dramatically even from areas that are in close relative proximity to each other.

Meh, a mush of Mancunian and Bradford/Yorkshire. Although its not very pronounced, it still marks me out as a northerner anywhere south of stoke.