Questions tagged [dialects]
This tag is for questions related to mutually intelligible variations within a language.
591
questions
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is bad English called "Butler English"?
When somebody speaks bad English it is called Butler English in India. The phrase Butler English seems to have originated in Madras presidency in the British Rule. The butlers or the maid servants ...
- 2,664
21
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is there such a thing as Intrusive-L (as opposed to Intrusive-R)?
Most of us have heard plenty of examples of the so-called Intrusive-R. It is a feature of non-rhotic dialects, including British RP and some New England dialects. It occurs between two vowels that are ...
- 150k
0
votes
1
answer
34k
views
"I hope you all/both are doing well" vs "I hope you are all/both doing well"?
Do both convey the same message, or not?
I hope you all are doing well.
I hope you are all doing well.
It occurs to me that the same thing happens with both when I'm only addressing two people ...
1
vote
2
answers
160
views
Dialectical differences in pronunciation of the 't' sound in “it”, “its”, and “it's”?
There are many cases where different words are pronounced differently in some English dialects, but not others. A commonly cited example is -- Mary, marry, and merry.
In English, the letter 't' may ...
- 871
1
vote
0
answers
62
views
Are there English dialects that still use the verb "to snithe"?
Wiktionary says that it's used in some dialects in Northern England, but I wonder if that information is still up-to-date. Have you personally heard the verb being used?
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
259
views
"He has been learning to swim" implicates that he doesn’t know how to swim
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, page 164, reads
He has been learning to swim implicates that he doesn’t know how to
swim
Is this true for most English dialects?
In my native ...
- 2,395
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
U vs. Non-U words in contemporary British English
The Wikipedia page on U and non-U English describes the nature of these two "sociolects" and gives a number of examples in a table. What I find intriguing is that most of this examination of the ...
- 13.1k
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which dialect of English do people pronounce advertisement as ad-VER-tis-ment
I recently listened to an audio book in which the narrator had pronounced advertisement as ad-VER-tis-ment, and thought this was a strange way of pronouncing it, so I'm curious to know in which part ...
- 223
2
votes
1
answer
126
views
What is the meaning of "whin"?
I am reading the book "1100 words you need to know" and I face with a strange sentence:
“A little drummer boy grinned in me face whin I had admonished him wid the buckle av my belt for riotin’ all ...
- 23
3
votes
4
answers
162
views
Does 'contact number' in BrE refer to the act of contacting or to an electrical telephone contact?
It is common in BrE to use 'contact number' where AmE would use 'telephone number'. Does the 'contact' in 'contact number' refer to the act of making contact, or is there a more technical origin, as ...
- 419
2
votes
0
answers
81
views
A rural dialect for "Why"? [closed]
Forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask about this.
For context, I've been trying to figure out a good way to translate "なしてや", which is a dialect of どうして and なぜ. All of them mean "...
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
226
views
Debygawd Cap-en! Where does this phrase come from?
I sought out this site because I need help finding the origins of a word/phrase that my family uses. We are from Southern Maryland, USA. The exclamation in question is 'debygawd.' I do not know how to ...
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
422
views
Britishism: see you fast
In Season Two Episode One of Happy Valley, the mentor constable explains to the new recruit how helpful it is to have a good relationship with the receptionist, Joyce:
Oh, and get well in with ...
- 21.4k
4
votes
1
answer
504
views
schwa before /r/
Right now, Wikipedia gives the pronunciation of Sirius as /ˈsɪriəs/, but in the past I've seen editors insist on /ˈsɪəriəs/. I take this to mean that it should sound like seer, which I at least ...
- 920
12
votes
4
answers
22k
views
Spicket or spigot?
I recently was making a list and for the first time using a digital device, typed in what I grew up referring to an outdoor faucet 'spicket' as into my iPad.
My mother grew up in Utah and my father ...
- 131
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Origin of 'cuz' as shortening for cousin?
Detailed answer please and thank you. I see this used a lot among youth. I'm interested to know whether it originated in the Southern US or not?
- 57
-1
votes
1
answer
56
views
Not enough ado about this and that
OK, so demonstrative pronouns and their inconsistent use across dialects.
I'm South African and have noticed a quirk in some Brit and Yank usages of this and that which really cause me to break out ...
1
vote
1
answer
878
views
"Frit" as dialect for "frightened" - which dialects, especially as simple past?
Out walking the other day I came across a lovely West-Country-ism from a local walking her dog - frit, meaning frightened, in "you frit him" (referring to a startled dog). The speaker sounded local (...
- 21.5k
1
vote
0
answers
315
views
How should you pronounce the word "wolf "?
If the dictionary’s IPA for the word wolf is /wʊlf/, then why do I sometimes hear people pronounce it /wolf/ instead of /wʊlf/?
Aren’t /ʊ/ and /o/ different phonemes?
- 185
-1
votes
2
answers
708
views
Why do we put subject and auxiliary verbs at the end of the sentence?
Why do we put subject and auxiliary verbs e.g., have, be, do at the end of the sentence?
I found this kind of sentences from a fantasy book named The last apprentice by Joseph Delany.
Examples:
...
5
votes
2
answers
4k
views
"Class, open your books TO/AT page 13!"—Is it a matter of dialectal difference?
My original notion was,
A) If there's a movement and a destination (as in the case of thumbing a book to reach a certain page), it should be to:
Class, open your books to page 13!
B) If there's ...
- 4,163
0
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Usage of "he don't" vs "he doesn't"
Well, I listened to a song and heard it's said in the text "He don't know how to..." I think a song artist used this phrase for better sounding. Am I right? Correct me if I'm wrong, and please explain ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
104
views
In African American dialect, is it "I like" or "I likes"?
Following the rules of African American dialect, one rule is to drop the 's' on a verb when using third person singular, i.e. "she like, he like" - my question is - for the first person singular, ...
- 3
3
votes
1
answer
813
views
I pronounce question as kweshtin. Is my pronunciation wrong?
I've lived in Houston,TX for about 10 years and after that I moved to the ME and I've made friends since then. Whenever they heard me say kweshtin they told me my pronunciation was weird. I told them ...
20
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Southern Dialect: Word for a time of day?
I remember reading a story somewhere that a Southerner wrote about one of his life experiences. He mentioned that in the region he lived there was a time of day that cooled off a large amount in less ...
- 309
3
votes
1
answer
138
views
Is there a linguistic term for pronouncing card as "kerd" or hard as "herd"?
I notice this in some people from Northern Illinois and Iowa and am wondering if this is a well documented phenomenon.
What most Americans would pronounce as "ar" is instead pronounced as something ...
9
votes
1
answer
692
views
What region(s) of the UK still use 'pint pot' over 'pint glass'?
I have noticed some colleagues refering to a pint glass as a 'pint pot'. No one else that I've spoke to is familar with this term.
It appears to be regional, but I can't work out from google searches ...
- 1,668
4
votes
6
answers
14k
views
Alternatives to y'all?
I am trying to write one of my first stories right now and I keep getting stuck on one thing. I have lived in Texas my whole life and so I am used to saying "Y'all" to refer to a group small or large. ...
Annika Hornby
4
votes
1
answer
240
views
"Git 'er done"—use of "her" as dummy subject
This site has a number of questions and answers (e.g. this question) on the use of the third-person feminine pronoun ("she" or "her") as a substitute for specific things like ships and hurricanes and ...
- 150k
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
What dialect is "You wants I should do it for ya?"
I heard this phrasing in an episode of a TV show, but I can't remember what for the life of me. I just remember how weird it sounded, because no one else talked like that in the series?
It was a ...
- 143
18
votes
1
answer
3k
views
-sen for -self in English: history and usage
In my class there is a gentleman from the north of England who uses "-sen" instead of "-self" in such words as "himself" ("himsen") and "myself" ("mysen").
As far as I can tell, he always uses "-sen" ...
- 1,716
4
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Are the words "Aural" and "Oral" homophones?
Are the words "Aural" and "Oral" usually pronounced the same? Does it vary by dialect? Are there strategies that people use to differentiate them when listening to spoken English?
- 323
21
votes
3
answers
9k
views
What is the meaning and use of "seh" in Caribbean dialects of English?
I have heard "seh" used in Jamaican English but I think it's probably used in other parts of the Caribbean too. I know that in many cases, it is simply the equivalent of standard English "say". ...
- 1,481
1
vote
2
answers
302
views
How to negate the double modal construction "might could" (and others)?
I have relatives from the southern U.S., and they often use double modal verbs in their speech, like "I might could go to the market". I understand that this isn't considered standard, but it got me ...
- 179
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
A Strange Conditional: "I couldn’t have talked to her that day if I never talked to her again"
In The Great Gatsby, thus pens Fitzgerald:
‘However—I want to see you.’
‘I want to see you too.’
‘Suppose I don’t go to Southampton, and come into town this afternoon?’
‘No—I don’t think this ...
- 4,163
1
vote
0
answers
491
views
“We was” and other dialectal variants
According to the British Library site, the use of nonstandard forms of past tense expressions like we was are common in some English dialects
The verb 'to be' has two simple past forms in ...
- 65.7k
1
vote
0
answers
27
views
When is a English dialect considered to be non-grammatical/have non-grammatical phrasing? [duplicate]
So the question is when a dialect of English is considered non-grammatical. I am aware that it can be considered non-standard, however some phrases can be to an extent not to be considered non-...
user318260
7
votes
1
answer
990
views
Is there a word for when fictional media makes non-English speaking characters from the past speak in an old-timey English dialect?
There are many movies and TV shows that depict characters from historical eras who would not speak English, but do for the sake of the show's audience. In those cases, they tend to use an old English ...
- 173
3
votes
1
answer
90
views
difficult nautical dialect
In the short story "The Last Cruise of the Judas Iscariot", by Edward Page Mitchel, Captain Cram, a sailor of Main, who builds a schooner with three masts to be frowned upon by the people of the town ...
- 109
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Mizzle and drizzle
Mizzle is a dialect word for drizzle.
Where and how often is it used?
Please read the sentence I have found:
There's mizzling and there's drizzle.
As far as I know, mizzle and drizzle mean the ...
- 3,545
4
votes
1
answer
984
views
Is the preposition optional in "going down (to) the store"?
Cambridge Dictionary says:
In informal situations, we can use down to talk about a quick trip to a destination which we consider to be less central than where we are. In this meaning, we can use it ...
- 41
1
vote
2
answers
165
views
The use of the preposition 'about' in a distinct sense
The ODE defines the preposition about in such a distinct sense that other dictionaries don't:
1.1 So as to affect.
I Just found one example of 'about' used in such a sense: 'there's nothing we can ...
- 4,651
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Bain't = be not
Please read the passage taken from "A Few Crusted Characters" by Thomas Hardy:
According to Wiktionary, "bain't" is the contracted form of "be not" and it is a British dialect. Therefore, the ...
- 3,545
3
votes
1
answer
95
views
Be we all here?
The passage below is taken from Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy. My question concerns "Now be we all here?". I understand that it means "Now are we all here?". The writer might have left the ...
- 3,545
-2
votes
3
answers
840
views
Is English(Ænglisc, Anglisc, Englisc) a language, or a dialect? [closed]
Dialect in the linguistic sense of a variation of a language.
English, the language of the Angles foreigners who came to Britain, has left its mark on this Island.
Ænglisc or English a Germanic ...
- 321
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
"Omm," the shaming word
Some children use the word "omm" to shame their siblings when they catch them doing something naughty:
"Omm, I'm telling Mother."
This is not the same word as "um": it is pronounced differently (...
8
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Etymology of using "ya" instead of "you"
I have noticed that some people in parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio often say "ya" instead of "you"? As in "Didya do your homework?" instead of "Did you do your homework?".
Does anyone know ...
- 135
0
votes
1
answer
221
views
Does anyone pronounce the verb “perfect” as they would the adjective?
Is there anyone who pronounces the verb perfect as they would the adjective? For instance, would anyone say “I need to p[schwa]r-fikt my project”?
user305707
2
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Is there a clear preferred usage between *lifespan* and *life span*
I haven't been able to find any clear guidance on this. To me, life span looks wrong, but I have no evidence to support my intuition.
A tentative look (webster vs oxford) suggests that perhaps BrE ...
- 1,122
7
votes
2
answers
4k
views
The term “handy” in “Of Mice and Men”
[Candy] "That's the boss's son," he said quietly. "Curley's
pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring. He's a lightweight, and he's handy."
"Well, let him be handy," said George. "He don't ...
- 88.4k