This tag is for questions related to mutually intelligible variations within a language.
113
votes
8answers
4k views
What is the factual basis for “pirate speech”? (Did pirates really say things like “shiver me timbers”?)
The "pirate speech" we hear/see/read at, for example, the website Talk Like A Pirate Day consists of a rhotic dialect characterized by phrases like "shiver me timbers," "ooh arh me hearties," and so ...
37
votes
7answers
2k views
Which variant of English should I use when my target audience is the world?
I know that all variants of English (American English, British English, etc.) can be generally understood by everybody who knows any of the English variants. However, there are some regionalisms that ...
37
votes
11answers
1k views
Central Pennsylvanian English speakers: what are the limitations on the “needs washed” construction?
In the Central Pennsylvania dialect of English (and possibly elsewhere), the following construction is possible:
This car needs washed. (=needs to be washed)
The room needs cleaned. (=needs ...
23
votes
7answers
21k views
“Lunch” vs. “dinner” vs. “supper” — times and meanings?
I've seen cases where a noon-time meal is referred to as dinner, and the evening meal is called supper. There's also lunch around noon followed by dinner in the evening. Is there a particular ...
23
votes
4answers
1k views
“Bad with something” or “bad at something”?
In a question on Spanish.StackExchange, a question came up about expressing that you are bad at remembering or doing something. Is one "bad at something" or "bad with something" (nouns)? What about ...
21
votes
5answers
1k views
How common is “thrice”?
Our proofreader, a native speaker of American English, just won't let me use this word. Every single time I try to sneak it onto one of our sites, she replaces it with three times. Now, I do realize ...
20
votes
9answers
23k views
Using “dear”, “darling”, or “honey” to address a friend
As far as I know dear, darling, and honey are commonly used between lovers, but I suppose there are more words like that. What else is commonly used?
Which of these can be used to address a ...
19
votes
7answers
10k views
Can 'revert' be used as a synonym of 'reply'?
I am a native speaker of American English, and I have only ever heard this usage of the word revert from one person. This person is not a native English speaker (he is from India), so he may just be ...
18
votes
5answers
6k views
Is “might could” a correct construct?
I have a friend from the southern U.S. who uses the phrase “might could” quite often. He’ll say, for example:
I might could do that this weekend.
When I first heard him say this, it made me do ...
18
votes
2answers
4k views
Where do accents and dialects come from?
Why do people in different areas speak differently? Where do accents come from, how do they change and/or survive over time and why do we have them?
Reading recommendations on this topic would be ...
18
votes
3answers
992 views
The times they are a-changin'
I have always been intrigued by the word usage in the title of this Bob Dylan song. Wikipedia mentions that the song was influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads:
Dylan recalled writing the song ...
16
votes
7answers
12k views
What does “thy” mean?
I read a sentence containing the word thy, but I cannot find the meaning of that word.
Is it older English, or is it still used in contemporary English today?
16
votes
5answers
1k views
In what region is “thou”, etc. used in dialect?
My mother often uses words like "thou", "thy", and "thine" in everyday speech. A typical example is:
"Thou art a jammy bugger!"
She is from the north of England. I'm wondering whether this quirk ...
16
votes
7answers
9k views
Why is a woman's purse called a “pocketbook”?
It's not a book, and it doesn't fit in anyone's pocket. Why does my brother-in-law insist on calling his wife's purse a pocketbook?
I'm interested in the etymology, and in the chronological and ...
16
votes
5answers
8k views
Which is correct: “standing on line” or “standing in line”?
I'm curious to hear from folks in the the Northeast United States (or anyone, really) an explanation of why "standing on line" seems preferable to "standing in line" in the US northeast.
I imagine ...
16
votes
1answer
264 views
I was raised being called “sister” by my family. What's the background on this usage?
I was called "sister", as a replacement for my name. (Oddly, my brother was not called "brother.") I never questioned this growing up in the 50's in a rural area. It says much about the culture I grew ...
15
votes
5answers
7k views
Differences between “sledge”, “sleigh” and “sled”
Is there a difference between a sledge, a sleigh and a sled?
Dictionary definitions suggest they are synonymous, but it certainly sounds wrong to refer to Santa Claus on a sledge.
15
votes
1answer
4k views
Why is “ask” sometimes pronounced “aks”?
We've recently moved from New Zealand to New York City, and have noticed that many people (most of whom have good English) pronounce "ask" as "aks". For example:
Could you please go aks her ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Dialects where days of the week end with “dee”?
Someone recently posted a question about the pronunciation of Wednesday, which reminded me of a different question about pronouncing the days of the week I've had floating around in my head for a ...
14
votes
2answers
962 views
What's this tense called: “I been done ate”?
Growing up in a Black family in the US, I frequently heard people have conversations like this:
Mom: Have you eaten yet?
Kid: Yeah, Mom, I been done ate.
Wife: Have you fixed the sink yet?
...
13
votes
5answers
907 views
The place where the railroad crosses the road
What do you call those places where a railroad crosses an automobile road?:
Of course, I've heard what they are called in English, but I suspect that they are referred to differently depending on ...
13
votes
3answers
187 views
History and usage of “dooryard”
I have been interested in the expression "dooryard stop" recently. This is an expression that is used to describe a short visit in someone's dooryard (driveway) that often means not staying long ...
12
votes
12answers
1k views
When is it appropriate to use the original pronunciation of a foreign word versus the English pronunciation?
When reading to an audience, or speaking in conversation, when is it appropriate to use the original pronunciation of a foreign word versus the English pronunciation (assuming you know the appropriate ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
“Close the light” — regionalism or mere oddity?
If I want the room in darkness, and wish to announce my intent, I would say
I'm going to turn off the light.
But occasionally here in America I hear people say
I'm going to close the light.
...
12
votes
2answers
514 views
What are the 'distances' among the major English dialects?
Yes, I admit, as an AmE speaker, that all non-North American accents sound the same: BrE, Irish, Scottish, Australian and South African. Or rather, I can tell they are different if placed side by side ...
12
votes
2answers
599 views
Guidelines for the use of the slang term “cise”
I heard an unfamiliar regional slang word used thusly:
I'm gonna go cise (rhymes with ice) me a sandwich and then I'll be back.
When I questioned the user, the speaker insisted it has been ...
11
votes
8answers
13k views
What's the difference between a jumper, a pullover, and a sweater?
Following on from a recent question, in Australia we have the word jumper for a knitted long-sleeved garment, typically woollen and long-sleeved.
When cosuming foreign media I always assumed the ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
Saying “today morning” to mean “this morning”
As an American, I use the term this morning, but I’ve noticed some Asian Indian coworkers who always say today morning to mean what I mean by this morning.
Is this an Indian English “dialectism”? Is ...
11
votes
2answers
1k views
“That's okay” to mean “no” or “don't bother”?
Growing up, I became accustomed to using the phrase "that's okay" to mean "no" or "don't bother." For example:
Waitress: Yous guys want any dessert?Patron [shaking head to mean no]: That's ...
10
votes
5answers
880 views
“Bring” vs. “take” in American English
English (other than American English) has a clear differentiation between the two words. Both are about translocating something. In "bring" the something of somebody is moved to where the speaker is ...
10
votes
2answers
5k views
Can you grammatically end a sentence with “with”?
Do you want to come with?
Can I come with?
I seem to hear this construction more often in recent years, but it still grates on my ear.
I know it's often said that one shouldn't end a ...
10
votes
4answers
444 views
In what contexts is it important to maintain your accent or dialect?
I'm an American who lives in Germany and hear many kinds of English spoken by many nationalities.
Just as "one can either write organization or organisation but the main point is to be consistent" I ...
10
votes
3answers
334 views
Pronouncing the “N” as separate syllable at the end of words like “known” and “pattern”
Over time, I have heard people pronounce the "n" on words like "known" (NO-en) and "pattern" (PAT-r-en), as though it were a separate syllable. The instances of my hearing such have been rare ones, ...
9
votes
7answers
982 views
Are there idioms specific to one English dialect?
Let's get into a little conversation about the differences between American English, British English and regional dialects. Some words are specific to certain dialects (lass is Scottish, the lads is ...
9
votes
6answers
548 views
“Football” and “Soccer”
I know that the game which is called "football" in Europe is called "soccer" in the U.S. But I wonder to what extent this differentiation is strict. What do people from England call their favorite ...
9
votes
2answers
961 views
Do people in Miami really talk like they do in the television series “Dexter”?
as I'm far from being good English speaker, I use to watch series to improve my skills. I'm fan of various genres, from Star Trek to How I Met Your Mother and I can say until now, I felt "aligned" ...
9
votes
3answers
250 views
When quoting speakers of another English dialect than your own, should you spell things their way?
I realize (or realise?) I may be splitting hairs here, but I find this question interesting, and I’ve never heard or seen it discussed before.
I was about to post a quote from Rich Hickey outside my ...
9
votes
2answers
869 views
Which native English speakers are linguistically the most “germanic”?
English is a Germanic language. Another significant Germanic language is of course German.
Which native English speakers are the closest to German basing on the following criteria?
accent-wise ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Did regular Americans speak the way actors in the 30s and 1940s did?
I watch a lot of old movies and I've noticed that the American actors of the and 1930s and 1940s unusually spoke in a quasi-generic-posh-British accent. It seems exaggerated and I imagine it was not ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
In what ways is Appalachian speech closer to Elizabethan English than contemporary British?
I read this question in the sample questions section. It hasn't been asked yet, now I'd like to know.
I have heard that regional dialects of English are often more closely related to provincial ...
9
votes
4answers
631 views
to “sleep” vs to “go to sleep”
I'm from the northeast US. When describing the phenomenon of going to bed at night, or falling asleep, I always formulate the verb like that, as in "I went to bed at 10" or "I didn't fall asleep until ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
“Pretty” as an adverb
How correct/common/proper is "pretty" as an adverb? It is hard for me to see, since it's my native dialect, but I say "pretty often" pretty often, and "fairly often" fairly rarely. Does "pretty" mark ...
8
votes
6answers
547 views
What metaphor do countries that don't play baseball use for intercourse?
Related question: In sex talk, how many bases are there and what do they all mean?
There are lots of English-speaking (or English-learning) countries where baseball simply isn't played much if at ...
8
votes
7answers
1k views
In what dialects does “often” rhyme with “soften”?
I believe in most English dialects soften is pronounced without a t sound. In some dialects, often is similar, but in others a t sound is quite evident in often.
I'm interested not only in which ...
8
votes
4answers
4k views
How should I pronounce “Worcestershire” as a rhotic English speaker?
I'm aware that the English county of Worcestershire is pronounced in Britain as ['wu:stəʃə], more or less. However, this is a non-rhotic pronunciation, and it feels very unnatural for me to use this ...
8
votes
2answers
870 views
Is there an American English dialect that sounds as “distingushed” as British English?
Obviously there are a lot of subjective words in the question. There are dialects of British English that don't sound distinguished at all (Cockney). Also, what sounds distinguished is somewhat ...
8
votes
9answers
7k views
What exactly does it mean to “mug somebody off” in British English?
I tried looking this up at the Urban Dictionary, but it gave only one net-upvoted definition, and that definition wasn't even clear. The background for my question is coming my watching from a movie ...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
Recognizing a Welsh accent
For an American, I'm pretty good at UK dialects. I can immediately tell an Irish or Scottish accent from a typical (educated, Londoner) English accent. But I'm on shaky ground with Welsh accents, ...
8
votes
3answers
376 views
What is the best term to categorize a lolcat image and text?
I've seen the captions described as a dialect, patois, "kitty pidgin" and language play which is well and good but doesn't get to the key visual aspect (silly/cute/adorable cats). Wikipedia offers ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
“I'm sure” vs. “I'm for sure”: Who uses which, and when?
I hear both (and their negatives: "I'm not sure" and "I'm not for sure"). I want to classify the "for sure" variety as regional Southern, since that's the context I most often hear it.
For example, ...
