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Author Archives: Ben
“Incomprehensible” Accents
On occasion, I may refer to a certain accent as “incomprehensible” or “inscrutable” or some other questionable attribute. I would like to take a moment to clear up what I mean. I love the dialects of English. I think they … Continue reading
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Posted in Miscellaneous Accents and Dialects Tagged class and accent, dialects and comprehension Comments Off on “Incomprehensible” Accents
Dublin: A Tale of Two Accents
NOTE: This post uses the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For information about this notation, please visit my page of IPA Resources. Why does Dublin have so many dialects? Even compared to other cities in the British Isles, the city has … Continue reading
Posted in Irish English, Uncategorized Tagged class and accent, dialects in TV, Dublin Accents 12 Comments
Is Cockney Dying?
Cockney, the beloved working-class dialect of East London, may soon be extinct. Linguists will still study this dialect, and it will maintain a place in the city’s mythology. But its days may be numbered: I have never encountered anybody of … Continue reading
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Posted in British English Tagged Cockney, General American English (GenAm) Comments Off on Is Cockney Dying?
6 Accent Tips For Actors
A few days ago, I gave my list of the best American accents done by non-Americans. Which got me thinking: what makes actors succeed at dialects and what makes them fail? Below is a list of the six most important … Continue reading
Rick Aschmann’s Dialect Map
I have been studying dialects for years, and I have never come across anything as remarkable as Rick Aschmann’s American Dialect Map. For serious linguists, Aschmann’s research might seem wildly unscientific and cavalier. But for a hardcore dialect nerd like … Continue reading
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Posted in American English Tagged dialect maps Comments Off on Rick Aschmann’s Dialect Map
The Top 10 American Accents done by non-Americans
USA Today ran a piece yesterday listing the top five American accents done by British actors. While I am unfamiliar with the number one actor on the list, Jamie Bamber, I’m glad to see that Hugh Laurie and Idris Elba … Continue reading
Dialect vs. Accent
Many people ask me about the difference between a “dialect” and an “accent.” Really it’s pretty simple: An accent is the way that particular person or group of people sound. It’s the way somebody pronounces words, the musicality of their … Continue reading
5 Reasons Why Some Dialects are Unpopular
I try to promote acceptance of diversity in dialects and accents. In the real world, however, things are not so fair. Numerous dialects of English are stigmatized: many people, even educated people, harbor the belief that some accents are “uneducated,” … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous Accents and Dialects Tagged Brummie, Cockney, New York Accent, stigmatized accents 2 Comments
Will Twitter Affect Dialects of English?
Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net A few weeks ago, AOL ran a timely article about the connection between Twitter and regional American dialects. The piece begins with some rather obvious points: that people in the American South tweet “y’all” more … Continue reading
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Posted in American English Tagged social media Comments Off on Will Twitter Affect Dialects of English?
Accent reduction: do you need it?
A lot of people ask me if they should get “accent reduction,” the process in which a foreign-language speaker (or someone with a stigmatized accent) goes to a specialist to learn a more “standard” accent. Do you need accent reduction? … Continue reading