Introducing British accents
On my first teaching day at IH Newcastle, at least three different students said this to me: My friend told me that if I can understand Geordie, I will be able to understand any English. While I don’t know if this is necessarily true, it started an interesting discussion about accents, and the students observed that my accent was not a local one* (many of them are staying with host families). I decided to put together a set of materials to raise their awareness of the variety of accents in the UK. While it’s not comprehensive, it should provide a jumping off point for students to find out more.
New dictionary records 4,000 Yorkshire dialect words
Media playback is unsupported on your device More than 4,000 words have been collated in a newly published dictionary of Yorkshire dialect terms. From abbeystead to yower - a term for a sheep's udder - it features words that were in use between about 1100 to 1800.
Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Accents
A recent survey in the UK has found that regional accents can be “bad for business”. Professor Khalid Aziz, a specialist in communication for business executives, questioned people in high-level management to find out their opinions on regional accents. He discovered that non-English accents are better for business success in England. Speakers with an American, Scottish, Indian or Asian accent are preferred to speakers with a regional variation.
British Accents and Dialects
Wikimedia The United Kingdom is perhaps the most dialect-obsessed country in the world. With near-countless regional Englishes shaped by millennia of history, few nations boast as many varieties of language in such a compact geography. (NOTE: This page uses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For information about this notation, please visit my page of IPA Resources.)
African American English
Learning outcomes Students will understand that: African American English is not substandard English.
Geordie dialect
Geordie: A Regional Dialect of English Most of us have a vague sense of the accents and dialects spoken in different parts of the UK, such as Cockney or Brummie. But have you ever wondered what exactly constitutes a dialect and accent or why they exist at all? Use the links below to hear a series of audio clips demonstrating the typical features associated with one variety of English: the Geordie dialect.
Do You Speak American . For Educators . Curriculum . High School . Regional
Most Americans are well aware that English sounds different in different parts of the country. They may assert that people in other places speak with a drawl or a twang or that they sound nasal. In some places, people are said to speak fast; in others, slowly. The existence of regional speech differences is indisputable, but the differences have contributed to widely held stereotypes, for instance, that Southerners are friendly, although perhaps not as intelligent as Northerners, but Northerners are rude.
English accents
The BATH Map (Variation) Phonological variation — differences between accents — comes in a variety of forms. Some speakers might be difficult to place geographically, while others who speak with a broader accent might use a number of localised pronunciation features. This might include the articulation of certain consonant or vowel sounds.
Dialects in Britain are disappearing as northerners increasingly use southern words
They cause a surprising amount of pain for something so small and can be infuriating to remove. But the slithers of wood buried under skin are also revealing something dramatic about the way we speak. A team of researchers has discovered that the once rich and varied dialects used around the British Isles are gradually merging into one.
The UrBEn-ID project
English to Slang
That's a lovely kettle [Thanks to Mark Sparrow. I got the following from Dudley who wondered about the connection between a kettle and a watch - he passed on the following story: It was commonplace for everyone to wear a pocket watch and chain in the waistcoat & it was also equally commonplace for the watch to be in the pawn shop as an interim loan security - however no one was keen for people to know that this situation was necessary, so the chain would be kept and worn as normal. In the kitchens of the day the fire would be an open one and there would be a bar or hook above it from which a length of chain would be secured and from there the kettle would be suspended above the fire to boil.
ENGLISH ACCENTS by Sophie Staron on Prezi
Accents of the English Language by Prezi User on Prezi
