Questions tagged [dialects]
This tag is for questions related to mutually intelligible variations within a language.
591
questions
1
vote
0
answers
98
views
Where does "Do you want the bill grabbing?" come from?
I heard this phrase at a restaurant the other day - in Sheffield, England. The waitress said first, "Do you want anything else getting?", and then after that, "Do you want the bill grabbing?"
This ...
- 1,729
14
votes
3
answers
316
views
Are there dialects where "would have" is used to describe a factual event long in the past?
I've recently noticed that a few people I know, all native American English speakers in their 50s-70s and originally from the Midwest, use "would have" and related forms when talking about factual ...
- 240
21
votes
5
answers
14k
views
Is “I’ve boughten many vinyls” correct in its use of “boughten”?
Per Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/is-boughten-a-word) boughten is an adjective.
According to my non-native-English-speaking friend the sentence "I've boughten ...
- 345
1
vote
3
answers
624
views
Is"peanut" is pronounced as "pienut" in Australian English?
This morning on NHK Japanese National TV there was a short feature on an Australian person who is running an English school, teaching language and cooking at the same time.
As a part of the scenario ...
- 2,730
2
votes
1
answer
495
views
Has “if I was” become grammatically correct in a southern US dialect? [duplicate]
Living my whole life in Arkansas in the United States, I’m certain
that if I were is never used by locals. Instead, phrases like
if I was and you was and they was have all replaced their
equiva...
15
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is there a name for the Southern verb form "done" + past tense?
Do linguists have a name for phrases like "he done did it"? What is known about the origins of such conjugations?
- 281
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What's the semantic content of the word "yo" in the speech of Jesse from Breaking Bad, and in which dialects is this construct found in the real world
So I've been watching breaking bad. A really interesting dialectical feature of the character Jesse, is his use of the word "yo".
At first I thought nothing of it, it's just "slang&...
- 1,122
2
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Are there variants of "hold my beer" in different English dialects?
The phrase "Hold my beer/drink (and watch this)" is a rather perjorative bit of slang - it implies that the speaker can perform the same act (or stunt) that he just observed someone else perform, ...
- 454
4
votes
3
answers
6k
views
When did the British and the Americans start to pronounce "o" (as in "God") differently?
When did the British and the Americans start to pronounce "o" (as in "God") differently?
Was it due to changes in America or England?
- 1,291
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Origin of pronunciation of "er" as "oi"
What is the provenance of this dialect, e.g. "coitainly" instead of "certainly," as often seen in old cartoons and Three Stooges films?
- 199
1
vote
1
answer
11k
views
What's the distinctions of "starter", "appetizer", and "entree" when expressing a small dish that you eat at the beginning of a meal? [closed]
As a foreign English learner, I always curious about the distinctions of quantity when expressing a small dish that you eat at the beginning of a meal.
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-...
- 23
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is Waltzing Matilda comprehensible outside of Australia? In Australia?
I'm American, but it seems to me that when I’ve encountered Australian speech or writing, I didn’t have much trouble understanding it. The words are mostly familiar to me. So what’s going on in the ...
- 2,975
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Are there different pronunciations of 'cucumber'?
I think the word cucumber is pronounced as if you would say 'car' without the 'r' and then 'cumber'.
However, many people I know say it in a way that sounds like 'queue' and then 'cumber'.
Are ...
user192211
2
votes
1
answer
299
views
What is the difference between English besides English (UK) and English (US)? [closed]
If you go to some sites, or to region settings in say Windows, you get many choices of English, I know the difference of spelling between English (UK) and English (US).
But what of English (France), ...
- 269
1
vote
1
answer
363
views
Do speakers using [ɪu] instead of /juː/ use “an” as the indefinite article before this?
There are quite some dialects that use vowel-beginning diphthongs like [ɪu] for what is /juː/ in the Received Pronunciation and General American dialects.
Do speakers of these dialects (tend to/want ...
- 119
4
votes
1
answer
157
views
Are there any "nidgets" out there still?
While researching something unrelated I found this entry on Etymonline:
an idiot sometimes became a nidiot, which, with still-common casual pronunciation, became nidget, which, alas, has not ...
-4
votes
1
answer
143
views
Usage of "better" and "than" in: "I like the Christmas tree better than her" [closed]
What is wrong with the following sentence?
I like the Christmas tree better than her.
When I said it I wanted to emphasize that I don't like her and that I think the Christmas tree is better than ...
- 3
2
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What does the word "please" do?
Does please make any statement a question? Is it polite?
"TAKE OUT THE TRASH" vs. "Take out the trash, please" is one an option?
My son says when I say please it makes it a ...
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why does "-ing" go to "-in" in some dialects?
In some English dialects "-ing" is replaced by "-in" (e.g., "taking" to "talkin'"). "ng" ([ŋ]), the velar nasal consonant, is done at the back of the mouth, but "n" ([n]), the alveolar nasal ...
- 771
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What does the word stror mean?
I was reading the book The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells when I came across the word, stror. I can't find it in the dictionary. I want to know what it means. The original sentence is :-
"This stror, ...
- 185
15
votes
1
answer
947
views
What language is this OED entry in?
I came across this citation in the OED entry1 for fag (4th meaning, "a knot in cloth"):
1464 Act. 4 Edw. IV, c. i, ― En cas que ascune autiel diversite ou Rawe, Skawe, cokell ou fagge, aveigne ...
- 21.3k
1
vote
1
answer
515
views
Any definitions of the word "ask" as an adjective, possibly dialect and possibly meaning astringent? [closed]
Title says it all probably.
Does anyone have any recollections of this usage?
Any definitions of the word "ask" as an adjective, possibly dialect and possibly meaning astringent?
- 23
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
Is the phrase "great pickup" a regional (Australian?) thing?
I am someone who grew up in Canada, and been mostly exposed to Canadian, American, and British English.
When speaking with some Australians, I've been noticing the use of the phrase "great pickup", ...
- 240
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Origin of "I seen" construct?
I live in western Pennsylvania, US, and over the years I've heard quite a few natives use "I seen" instead of "I saw" or "I have seen", as in:
I seen that movie.
I seen him leave.
I haven't ...
- 17.9k
3
votes
1
answer
185
views
Are there any English dialects that fully distinguish singular and plural second-person pronoun?
I know that "y'all" and "you all" are common in many English dialects and are often used as pronouns. Are there any dialects in which the number marking of the second person pronoun has become ...
- 131
4
votes
1
answer
19k
views
Why is Hugh called 'Shuggy' in Scottish?
Different english-speaking cultures have different conventions for names.
In Australia - your name is shortened or lengthened as a term of endearment. Rose becomes Rosie, Mitchell becomes Mitch and ...
- 2,588
15
votes
5
answers
6k
views
What is the proper way to say “Clinton”?
I have always assumed that Bill and Hillary Clinton's name is pronounced Clin-tun. But during this year's election coverage, I noticed that a great many people pronounce it as Clin-uhn, with no "T" ...
- 379
0
votes
0
answers
101
views
to be ended up, to be arrived: regionalism?
I recently saw the phrase "how I been ended up here" in a work of fiction (someone showed me the phrase on a page and I can't remember the title at the moment, but I was told that it was set in 20th ...
- 18.7k
2
votes
1
answer
168
views
a box of sweets- British / American difference [closed]
I'd like to know what "sweets" means as in "a box of sweets", particularly
in American English. Does it necessarily mean "candy"?
I'd appreciate your help.
- 1,881
3
votes
2
answers
367
views
What American dialects merge pail and pal to /pæl/?
What American dialects merge "pail" (General American /peɪ̯l/) and "pal" (GA /pæl/) into one pronunciation /pæl/?
(And likewise "mail", "male", "Mal" as /mæl/, "sale", "sail", "Sal" as /sæl/, etc....
- 245
9
votes
2
answers
17k
views
What caused bell peppers to be called capsicums in some countries?
I have read this answer on the question "Why is the word “pepper” used for both capsicum (e.g. bell pepper) and piper (e.g. black pepper)?", and it contains some useful etymological information.
I've ...
- 3,295
0
votes
1
answer
179
views
The number of people who do not know an odd number of people, part 2
The answers to the following question have puzzled me: The number of people who do not know an odd number of people
I am 100% certain that in whatever version of English I speak, the two sentences
...
- 545
3
votes
3
answers
37k
views
"Who are you?" vs "Who you are?" [closed]
Is there a context in which it is correct/standard to use the expression "Who you are?" as a question? or is "Who are you?" the only possible correct form?
Googling "Who you are?" doesn't help ...
- 57
2
votes
1
answer
461
views
What is it that allows a person to determine that a black person is speaking? [closed]
What allows people to know if a black person is talking, even if they are speaking standard English? They aren't using a separate dialect, nor have an accent, yet it's easy to know if they are black. ...
- 856
1
vote
2
answers
8k
views
Are there different regional pronunciations for "ornery?"
I use a word which I learned from my parents that is pronounced ahn-ree. It's meaning is somewhere between "cheeky" and "rambunctious." My wife asked me how to spell it and I was at a loss.
The ...
- 304
1
vote
2
answers
493
views
In what dialect is "on" used of a programming language?
I have noticed that it is common on StackOverflow for questions to use "on ⟨programming language⟩" where American English would require "in". For example, "Is there a getInt function on ...
- 130
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
In which regional dialects is "I'm sat" common?
I had always associated the construct I'm sat here (as opposed to I'm sitting here) with the north of England. I know I've heard it from people with Yorkshire or Manchester accents, for example. Yet, ...
- 21.3k
0
votes
1
answer
372
views
Are there any dialects of English that pronounce "regalia" as "rəˈɡälyə"?
Google tells me that it sounds like this:
rəˈɡālyə
Other resources say:
merriam-webster.com: /ri-ˈgāl-yə/
dictionary.com: /ri-gey-lee-uh/, /-geyl-yuh/
dictionary.cambridge.org: /rɪˈɡeɪl·jə/
...
- 1
7
votes
1
answer
647
views
Strange pronunciation of "door"
I have just heard Australian-English actor Rob Inglis repeatedly pronounce the word "door" so that it rhymes with "poor".
In what dialect is that pronunciation found? Is it Australian?
Edit - ...
- 517
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Origin of "even you" without connotations of surprise/insult/praise? (Indian English)
I live in southern India, and I've noticed that in Indian English, the word "even" can be used without indicating surprise, as it does elsewhere.
Some examples:
Even you should be able to ...
- 3,295
4
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How did the term "crayfish" become "crawdad"?
I am given to understand that "crawdad" and "crayfish" refer to the same creature (or group of creatures resembling small lobsters that live in freshwater), and that the difference is dialectical.
...
- 168
1
vote
2
answers
165
views
Is the term "krapfens" popular/well-known in English? [closed]
The word krapfens means "donuts": in Italy it is quite common to see it in German as well as in English; I guess that's because Italian borrows many original expressions from foreign languages.
It ...
- 165
3
votes
1
answer
504
views
Is "the same" widely used in any native-speaking population of English speakers?
I often see "the same" used regularly in discourse from and among South Asian speakers of English, particularly among speakers of IndE, as in
I visited the tiger preserve in Ranthambore, and I ...
- 28.6k
1
vote
0
answers
113
views
In which regions of the UK do children "knock on" for their friends?
As someone who has lived most of his life south of a line drawn from The Severn to The Wash - the great linguistic and cultural divide in England - I was not familiar with the expression knocking on.
...
- 64.2k
3
votes
1
answer
192
views
Kiwi (New Zealand) Pronunciation of "Moscow"
So I was watching some Flight of the Conchords just a moment ago (classic), and they're from New Zealand. In one of their songs, they said "Moscow". I'd assumed that Kiwis would say it "Mos-co" (like "...
- 154
2
votes
0
answers
819
views
Is day-ta more common in the South or the North of the US?
So I've read that dah-ta is more common in the US than in other places, but is day-ta or dah-ta more common to hear in the South? I haven't been able to find that out for sure.
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Word for when a writer uses alternate spelling and grammar to immitate a dialect
What is the word for when a writer spells words of a character's dialogue differently for a character in order to express an accent or dialect? I think it starts with a 'd'.
- 113
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Are some accents/dialects incorrect [closed]
I may not be incorrect in my knowledge about speech, but Dialects or accents that drop sounds from words, syllables from words, or just completely change the sound from words are they correct?
I see ...
- 131
1
vote
1
answer
19k
views
Is "take a bath" or "bathe" used to mean "take a shower" in some English dialects?
By analogy with Portuguese tomar banho [de chuveiro/ducha], which along with tomar uma ducha/chuveirada (Br.)/duche (Port.) means, take a shower,
are there any parts of the English speaking world in ...
- 42.9k
2
votes
3
answers
6k
views
What are the South African words for crisps and French Fries?
Consider Exhibit A.
Consider Exhibit B.
In England, A is referred to as 'Chips' and B is referred to as 'Crisps'.
In the United States A is referred to as 'French Fries' and B is referred to as '...
- 2,588