The British Library | British Accents and Dialects
British Accents and Dialects Glossary
Explore the table below to find explanations of some of the technical terms used on the site. Click on the links in the ‘Listen’ column to listen to relevant recordings. Click on the links in the ‘Find out more column’ to investigate relevant themes or case studies.
Terms Definition Listen Find out more accent pronunciation peculiar to a particular Phonological variation across the UK person or place Geordie: a regional dialect of the UK Received Pronunciation Minority ethnic English
anticipatory construction containing a pronoun or Burnley Grammatical variation across the UK pronoun verb phrase used as an emphatic Lissummon tag (e.g. I play football, me or he’s a madman, is David)
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The British Library | British Accents and Dialects
Terms Definition Listen Find out more auxiliary verb finite verb used in compound verbal constructions (e.g. I have done, we are going, did you know) broad BATH the use of a long vowel in words such Phonological change in the English language accent as bath, grass, laugh and dance Phonological variation across the UK
code-switching alternating between two or more Moseley Asian English languages within the same utterance – a common feature of bilingual speakers conjunction word used to connect words, clauses Geordie grammar or sentences connected the way particular combinations of Phonological variation across the UK speech sounds are pronounced in words or Geordie connected speech processes processes phrases during normal continuous speech Connected speech processes in Received Pronunciation
consonant the way some consonants are deleted Caribbean English cluster in particular combinations of sounds reduction (e.g. best becomes
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The British Library | British Accents and Dialects
Terms Definition Listen Find out more ‘bes’, respect becomes ‘respeck’ and land becomes ‘lan’) definite article the word the
definite article contracted pronunciation of the Leeds Phonological variation across the UK reduction word the(generally as a demonstrative that, this, (yon), these, those Geordie grammar pronoun (them) determiner grammatical function word that Coventry appears before a noun (e.g. the, this, my) dialect variety of speech differing from the Regional voices: an introduction to language standard or literary language and variation across the UK characterised by local vocabulary, Geordie: a regional dialect of the UK constructions or pronunciations diphthong combination of two vowel sounds Blagdon Hall London 3 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more Doric traditional dialect of North East Stonehaven Scotland filler word or phrase that carries no Withernsea semantic meaning, but is part of Gloucester spoken grammar (e.g. like, sort of or you know what I mean) Plymouth Stonehaven flat BATH the use of a short vowel in words such Phonological change in the English language accent as bath, grass, laugh and dance Phonological variation across the UK Geordie dialect and/or accent of Newcastle Byker Geordie: a regional dialect of the UK upon Tyne (and Tyneside generally) glottal stop sound produced by the sudden opening or shutting of the glottis (as in the sound between the two oh’s in the exclamation, oh oh!) grammar way in which individual words change Grammatical variation across the UK appearance according to function (e.g. Grammatical change in the English language tense, plurality etc.) and are combined in phrases and sentences Geordie grammar 4 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more high rising use of a rising intonation on a Plymouth terminal statement that is not necessarily a London question (‘upspeak’) H-dropping deletion of an initial Maerdy historic present verbal construction used as an Grammatical change in the English language alternative to the simple past tense when telling a story or relating a series of connected events in the past (e.g. I says, I goes etc.) historic perfect compound verbal construction used as Grammatical change in the English language an alternative to the simple past tense when telling a story or relating a series of connected events in the past (e.g. I‘ve seen, I‘ve gone etc.) hypercorrection process whereby a speaker Sheffield consciously tries to avoid using stigmatised features, and wrongly assigns a prestigious pronunciation to an inappropriate word (e.g. 5 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more pronouncing the initial interference use of features of one language while Sheffield Minority ethnic English speaking another Moseley Coventry Slough interrogative construction used to form a question Moseley intrusive R insertion of an vowels at a word boundary regardless Pronunciation of spelling (e.g. law and order) language shift process whereby successive Leicester generations of speakers adopt a dominant language in preference to the ethnic language of their parents 6 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more lexical set concept of using a single word to refer Phonological change in the English language to the pronunciation of a particular Phonological variation across the UK group of English words (e.g. the BATH set – words such as bath, Geordie vowel sounds grass, laugh and dance) Vowel sounds of Received Pronunciation lexis vocabulary Lexical change in the English language Lexical variation across the UK linking R use of an loan-word word adopted or borrowed from Lerwick another language L-vocalisation pronunciation of a syllable final sound more like a vowel or a syllables (e.g. animal as aminal) Newington 7 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more multiple use of two or more negative markers Birkenhead Social variation across the UK negation (e.g. I didn’t do nothing) Milland Geordie grammar negative grammatical function word that serves Stannington Grammatical variation across the UK particle to negate a verb or sentence Kniveton Geordie grammar (e.g. not, no, nae or none) Kilmarnock Selkirk non-standard grammatical construction that is Grammatical variation across the UK grammar peculiar to a location or to informal speech object pronoun me, you (thee), him (hine), her, us North (youse, ye), them Elmham Melksham past participle form of the verb, used in compound Wearhead constructions with the auxiliary verb Welwick have, to express a past event (e.g. have played, has seen, had gone etc.) 8 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more personal I, you (thou), he, she (hoo), it, Kniveton pronoun we, (youse), they, me, (thee), him Melksham (hine), her, us (ye), them Read phonology sounds of speech Phonological change in the English language Phonological variation across the UK Geordie: a regional dialect of the UK Received Pronunciation possessive my, your (thy), his, her, it's, our, their Geordie grammar pronoun preposition grammatical function word that marks Warmington the relationship between two words (e.g. in, from or to) progressive compound verbal construction, formed with the auxiliary verb be and conveying the sense of continuous action over a period of time (e.g. I am playing, she was walking, we've been swimming) 9 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more qualifier word attached to an adjective or Geordie grammar adverb in order to qualify it quotative word used to indicate that what Plymouth marker follows is a quote (e.g. he’s like, “No way!”) Received regionally non-specific accent used by Blagdon Received Pronunciation Pronunciation many middle class speakers in Hall (RP) England Burnham Thorpe Harrow London Newport Teddington reflexive myself (mysell, mysen), yourself Geordie grammar pronoun (yoursell, yoursen, thyself, thysen), himself (hisself, hissell, hissen), herself (hersell, hersen), itself, ourselves, (usselves, oursells, oursens), themselves (theirselves, theirsells, theirsens) 10 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more relative pronoun used to refer to a noun in the Geordie grammar pronoun previous clause (e.g. the book that I am reading) rhotic rhotic speakers pronounce the as start, north, nurse, near, Gloucester square, cure and letter Hilton Melksham Read Belfast Edinburgh Scouse dialect or accent of the city of Birkenhead Liverpool (and Merseyside generally) simple past single-word verb form used to express Coventry Grammatical variation across the UK a past event (e.g. played, saw, went etc.) standard set of grammatical constructions grammar widely accepted as prestigious 11 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more subject I, you (thou), he, she (hoo), it, we Kniveton Grammatical variation across the UK pronoun (youse), they Norwich R-tapping flap or tap sound produced by flicking Burnham Connected speech processes in Received (tapping) the tip of the tongue against Thorpe Pronunciation the roof of the mouth – thus making Bethesda only very brief and rapid contact Glasgow Selkirk tag question simple question tagged on to the end Aberhosan of a statement to establish whether a listener has understood, or to invite confirmation (e.g. isn‘t it, don‘t you, can‘t I) TH-fronting pronunciation of Withernsea in words like brother TH-stopping pronunciation of 12 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more T-glottaling glottal stop used in place of a T-tapping flap or tap sound produced by flicking Harrow (tapping) the tip of the tongue against London the roof of the mouth – thus making only very brief and rapid contact trilled R rolled T-to-R word-final T-voicing pronunciation of as a 13 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more unmarked for verb form that does not distinguish Leeds Grammatical variation across the UK person between 1st, 2nd and 3rd person Milland (e.g. I was, you was, he/she/it was) Portesham Moseley unmarked for noun or verb form that does not Sheffield Grammatical variation across the UK plural distinguish between singular and Coventry Geordie grammar plural (e.g. I was, we was or one pound, ten pound) Milland Asian English Caribbean English upspeak use of a rising intonation on a Plymouth Connected speech processes in Received statement that is not necessarily a Pronunciation London question uvular R 14 The British Library | British Accents and Dialects Terms Definition Listen Find out more yod blending of the 15 sound) as a as a