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Monthly Archives: April 2011
Dem and Dose: “Th” in City Accents
I’ve lived in New York City for thirteen years. In that time, I’ve learned that living in such an intense urban area has a palpable effect on how one communicates. You have to talk faster, talk louder, talk more frequently, … Continue reading
Supraregional Irish English
I spent Friday night at a gala for the organization my girlfriend works for, a community center created for (and largely run by) Irish immigrants. As always, it was an accent tour of the Emerald Isle, as folks from Dublin, … Continue reading
Mom, Mum, Mam: Different words?
I’m reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women right now. Throughout the book, the March sisters refer to their mother as “marmee.” This looks like an odd term of endearment until you remember that Alcott grew up (and set her book … Continue reading
“Rod” or “Ride?” Glide Deletion in the American South
When my mother was a teenager, she spent a summer in Scotland. Since she was staying as a guest in a family’s home, she shared a telephone with the other residents. In jest, a Scottish friend of hers often answered … Continue reading
“Dude:” Thoughts on an American Word
I am skeptical about claims that American English is “colonizing” the other Englishes. But I will concede one point: the word dude is entirely our doing. Dude, in America, is a word that lies somewhere between British mate and bloke. … Continue reading
Singing in Dialect
I was taught early on that listening to singers is a terrible way of getting a sense of their particular accent. This makes sense to some degree, since singing will distorts important distinctions such as vowel length and prosody. But … Continue reading
Is the glottal stop bad for you?
You may not know what a glottal stop is, but you’ve probably heard one. Already baffled? Let me explain. Ever talk to someone from London who pronounced butter something like “bu’uh?” With the t becoming a kind of “grunt?” The t … Continue reading
Posted in English Phonetics Tagged celebrity accents, class and accent, Cockney, phonetics, stigmatized accents 47 Comments